Mmunity Maritime Erosional Cliff Community

Maritime Erosional Cliff Community State Rank: S2 - Imperiled

Differentiating from Related Communities: Maritime Erosional Cliffs are made of mixed unconsolidated material. Maritime Rock Cliffs are bedrock. Both are in the salt spray zone next to the ocean. The vegetation of the Maritime Erosional Cliff Community is sparse and species are typically weedy species from the surroundings. The Habitat for Associated Fauna: Maritime Erosional Cliff. Great Brewster Island, Boston Harbor An actively eroding sand cliff. substrate is steep and close to vertical in Bank Swallows nest in the top parts of the Islands National and State Park. Photo: National Park Service. Photo: Caleb Slater. places, and usually is actively eroding. cliffs. Migrating Peregrine Falcons regularly perch on and hunt from upper Description: The Maritime Erosional Characteristic Species: The part of cliffs during the fall migration. Cliff Community occurs on cliffs being Maritime Erosional Cliff Community actively eroded by the sea – storms generally has extremely sparse vegetation Examples with Public Access: particularly cause dramatic changes. The that is typical of surrounding areas: shrubs Maritime Erosional Cliffs are extremely seaward-facing unconsolidated cliff faces and vines may include Poison ivy, fragile and visitation is discouraged due to above beach strand communities are in the Virginia creeper, wild rose, bayberry, potential for erosion from disturbance. salt spray zone where wind and salt spray sweet fern, beach plum, black cherry, constantly dry the vegetation. The cliffs huckleberry, bearberry, catbriar or the non themselves may be glacial deposits best -native bush honeysuckles or multiflora developed on terminal moraines usually rose. Scattered herbaceous plants include with mixed material – boulders, gravel, native seaside yarrow and non-native Maritime Erosional Cliffs, along island shore. sand, and lenses of clay. There are also yarrow, non-native mugwort, and other Photo: MassWildlife. cliffs of sand from glacial outwash or “weedy” species typical of disturbed dunes. The unconsolidated cliff material areas. Some sites have dense non-native generally does not hold water, which vegetation. Common horsetail and non- combined with the wind, produces a very native orache may grow in seepy bases of dry environment. Freshwater flowing erosional cliffs. through the cliff material may emerge as seepage at the base. With the constant erosion there is little soil development on The Maritime Erosional Cliff Community the cliff face. Maritime Erosional Cliffs has extremely sparse vegetation on cliffs may be 100 ft. (~33m) or more high being actively eroded by the sea; above the ocean and beach below. Maritime Erosional Cliff. Photo: Caleb Slater.

From: Classification of Natural Communities of Massachusetts htthttpp://www;mass;gov/nhesp/://www;mass;gov/nhesp/ Updated: 2016 Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program, Division of FishFisheeriesries & Wildlife, 1 Rabbit Hill Rd;, Westborough, M! 01581 (508) 389-6360