Northern Ontario Plant Database

Northern Ontario Vegetation Type (V-type)

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NE-V12: Trembling Aspen - White Spruce - Squashberry
Summary: A mixedwood stand type dominate by trembling aspen (21-40% cover) and white spruce (11-20% cover) in the canopy, with balsam fir common in the secondary canopy and as the main understorey species, providing 11-20% cover.

The shrub layer is dominated by squashberry and bush honeysuckle, each providing 2-5% cover, but a variety of tall and other low shrub species may also be present. In 1/3 to 2/3 of sample plots, mountain maple, beaked hazel, and speckled alder provide 2-20% cover.

The herb layer is rich, with a variety of species, including largeleaf aster (11-20% cover), wild sarsaparilla (6-10% cover), dwarf raspberry, twinflower, bluebead lily, naked mitrewort, sweet coltsfoot, and violets (each 2-5% cover). The characteristic boreal species are also present.

The forest floor is covered with primarily deciduous leaf litter, but patches of several feathermosses and other mosses occur, including Schreber's feathermoss and shaggy moss (2-5% cover). Occurs mainly on fresh to moist soils of various textures.

Soil and Ecosite Types: The Trembling Aspen-White Spruce-Squashberry Vegetation Type (NE-V12) occurs on rich, fresh to moist fine loamy to clayey soils (S13, S14), as well as shallow, moist black organic soils (S15), similar to vegetation type NE-V11. This vegetation type may occur on ecosite types ES 1r (White Spruce-White Birch-Very Shallow Soil-Species Rich), ES 6f (Black Spruce-Trembling Aspen-Fine Soil), ES 7f, 7m, and 7c (Trembling Aspen-White Birch-Fine, Medium, & Coarse Soil, ES 10 (Trembling Aspen-Black Spruce-Balsam Poplar-Moist Soil), and ES 20 (White Pine-Hardwood Mixedwood).

Trees:

overstorey

trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) [9]
white spruce (Picea glauca) [7]
balsam fir (Abies balsamea) [7]
black spruce (Picea mariana) [3]
white birch (Betula papyrifera) [3]
balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera) [2]

regeneration

balsam fir (Abies balsamea)
trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides)
white spruce (Picea glauca)
black spruce (Picea mariana)

Shrubs:

tall shrubs

mountain maple (Acer spicatum)
beaked hazel (Corylus cornuta)
speckled alder (Alnus incana subsp. rugosa)
serviceberries (Amelanchier spp.)
showy mountain ash (Sorbus decora)

low shrubs

squashberry (Viburnum edule)
bush honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera)
prickly wild rose (Rosa acicularis)
red osier dogwood (Cornus sericea)
wild red raspberry (Rubus idaeus)
Canada fly honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis)
hairy honeysuckle (Lonicera hirsuta)
bristly black currant (Ribes lacustre)
swamp red currant (Ribes triste)

Dwarf Shrubs & Herbs:

dwarf shrubs

dwarf raspberry (Rubus pubescens)
twinflower (Linnaea borealis)

forbs

largeleaf aster (Eurybia macrophylla)
wild sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis)
bluebead lily (Clintonia borealis)
bunchberry (Cornus canadensis)
naked mitrewort (Mitella nuda)
sweet coltsfoot (Petasites frigidus var. palmatus)
violets (Viola spp.)
fragrant bedstraw (Galium triflorum)
rose twisted-stalk (Streptopus lanceolatus)
starflower (Trientalis borealis)
wild lily-of-the-valley (Maianthemum canadense)
wood anemone (Anemone quinquefolia)
red baneberry (Actaea rubra)
northern bluebells (Mertensia paniculata)
wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)

graminoids

sedges (Carex spp.)
Canada bluejoint (Calamagrostis canadensis)

Ferns & Fern Allies:

oak fern (Gymnocarpium dryopteris)

Bryophytes:

Schreber's feathermoss (Pleurozium schreberi)
shaggy moss (or electrified cat's-tail) (Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus)
brachythecium moss (Brachythecium spp.)
dusky broom moss (or curly heron's-bill) (Dicranum fuscescens)
plume moss (Ptilium crista-castrensis)
stairstep moss (Hylocomium splendens)
stump pigtail moss (Hypnum pallescens)

Note: Species listed above are taken from the Vegetation type description and the Species Percentage Cover by Vegetation Type Tables (pg. D 34). Species are listed in order of most cover and abundance.