Acadian-Appalachian Montane Spruce-Fir-Hardwood Forest

Macrogroup: Boreal Upland Forest your State Natural Heritage Ecologist for more information about this habitat. this about information more for Ecologist Heritage State Natural your Contact based inventory. field for substitute a not data is and current based on distribution a mapmodeled is This

Description: A high elevation conifer forest dominated by red spruce and balsam fir, and forming small to very large patches on the highest peaks of the northern Appalachian Mountains. Heart- leaved birch is a characteristic tree along with yellow birch, white birch, mountain maple, striped maple, mountains ash, and occasionally black spruce at upper patch edges. Canopy tree seedlings dominate the shrub layer, and small trees and shrubs are most prominent where landslides or fire have disturbed the system. Short, foggy summers, long and severe winters, and exposed locations define the ecology of this system. In this cold climate cloud forest, dense beds of sphagnum moss cover much of the forest floor, and lichens State Distribution: MA, ME, NH, NY, VT hang from the trees.

Total Habitat Acreage: 1,084,359 Ecological Setting and Natural Processes: Percent Conserved: 67.4% Soils are spodosols (acidic, leached out, and low nutrient), State State GAP 1&2 GAP 3 Unsecured and are subject to disturbance from windthrow and mass State Habitat % Acreage (acres) (acres) (acres) downslope slippage. Gaps formed by wind, snow, and ice ME 38% 417,246 64,633 88,367 264,246 are the major replacement agents; fires may be important NH 32% 351,405 230,356 81,711 39,338 but only over a longer return interval. Acid rain deposition and climate change pose the primary threats to this NY 20% 213,409 192,358 11,773 9,278 mountain system. VT 9% 101,695 34,688 26,735 40,272 MA 0% 605 595 10 0 Similar Habitat Types: Where mountains are high enough, krummholz and alpine tundra have formed above the spruce-fir. Northern hardwoods with a strong red spruce and yellow birch component are often just below.

Crosswalk to State Wildlife Action Plans: Crosswalk to State Name Examples: Upland Forest (MA), Coniferous Forest (ME), High Elevation High Elevation Spruce-Fir Forest/Woodland (MA), Fir - Heart- Spruce Fir Forests - High/Montane/Northern Hardwood Leaved Birch Subalpine Forest (ME), High-Elevation Spruce - (NH), Mountain Spruce-Fir Forests (NY), Spruce-Fir- Fir Forest (NH), Mountain Spruce-Fir Forest (NY), Montane Northern Hardwood Forest - Montane types (VT) Spruce-Fir Forest (VT)

41 Places to Visit this Habitat: Habitat Patch Distribution Baxter State Park | ME White Mountain National Forest | NH 1,000,000 800,000 Dix/Giant Mountain Wilderness | NY 600,000 High Peaks Wilderness Area | NY 400,000 Green Mountain National Forest | VT Acres 200,000 0

Associated Species: Appendix lists scientific names 0 to 1 1 to 5 5 to 10 1000+ BIRDS: blackburnian warbler, blackpoll warbler, boreal 10 to 100 chickadee, golden-crowned kinglet, gray jay, purple finch, spruce 100 to 1000 grouse, swainson’s thrush, white-throated sparrow, yellow- Patch Size Classes bellied flycatcher, yellow-rumped warbler The average patch size for this habitat is 97 acres and the largest single patch is 61,167 acres. This chart shows the proportion of the habitat that is in each patch- MAMMALS: american marten, deer mouse, northern flying size class. squirrel, porcupine, red squirrel Age Class Distribution PLANTS: boreal bedstraw (galium kamtschaticum), bartram 80 shadbush (amelanchier bartramiana), hornemann's willowherb 60 (epilobium hornemannii), purple crowberry (empetrum atropurpureum), arctic bentgrass (agrostis mertensii), lapland 40 diapensia (diapensia lapponica), black-fruited spike-rush (luzula 20 parviflora), squashberry (viburnum edule), bearberry willow (salix 0 uva-ursi), lesser wintergreen (pyrola minor), northern comandra Percent of Habitat (geocaulon lividum) 1 to 20 20 to 40 40 to 60 60 to 80 80 to 100100 to 140 Age (Years)

This chart shows the average age of trees associated with this habitat based on forest Inventory data. For non-forested systems or small habitats the average age is Species of Concern (G1-G4): Appendix lists scientific names influenced by the surroundings. BIRDS: Bicknell’s thrush, cape may warbler, red crossbill Predicted Habitat Loss to Development MAMMALS: long-tailed shrew 1,084,200 INSECTS: early hairstreak butterfly, katadin artic 1,084,000 1,083,800 PLANTS: appalachian fir-clubmoss (Huperzia appalachiana), 1,083,600 northern blueberry (Vaccinium boreale), northern mountain-ash Acreage 1,083,400 (Sorbus decora), cutler's goldenrod (Solidago cutleri), dwarf 1,083,200 white birch (Betula minor), mountain avens (Geum peckii), wavy 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060 bluegrass (Poa laxa ssp. fFernaldiana Decade

This chart shows the predicted loss of habitat over the next five decades (598 acres) if loss continues at the same rate as 1990-2000. The average rate of loss is 12 acres per year.

Habitat Connectedness Index

100

0 Percent of Habitat

0 to 25 25 to 50 50 to 75 75 to 100 Degree of Fragmentation (0=Highly Fragmented & 100= Highly Connected)

This metric measures how connected or fragmented the land directly surrounding (18 © Maine Natural Areas Program square miles) the habitat is, this the chart shows the proportion of the habitat in each connectedness class.

Acadian-Appalachian Montane Spruce-Fir-Hardwood Forest http://nature.ly/HabitatGuide 42