Red Maple Swamp State Rank: S5 - Secure

other shrub species. Red Red Maple Swamps are forested Maple - Black Ash Swamps wetlands that are dominated by red are an enriched variant of Red maple; They are the most common Maple Swamps with black ash forested wetlands in Massachusetts; close to codominant in the and sweet pepper-bush. In southeastern canopy/subcanopy in at least Massachusetts, dense thickets of sweet parts of the swamp. Red pepper-bush are often bound together by Maple - Black Ash - Bur Oak greenbriers. The herb layer is often Swamps occur in Berkshire dominated by ferns such as cinnamon County and have bur oak or fern, sensitive fern, and royal fern, mixed bur oak/swamp white oak Red Maple Swamp with tussock sedges and with skunk cabbage, jewelweed, and hybrid trees. Red Maple - ferns. Photo: BioEngineering Group. Black Gum Swamps are sedges. generally in small Description: Red Maple Swamps are topographically constrained basins Examples with Public Access: broadly defined and some of the surrounded by upland forests. Black gum Red Maple Swamps literally occur state obviously recurrent variants (for example, needs to be abundant in large areas of the wide. Because they are so widespread and Red Maple - Black Ash Swamp; Red swamp. Black Gum - Pin Oak - Swamp abundant, NHESP does not usually keep Maple - Black Gum Swamp; Alluvial Red White Oak Perched Swamps occur in the track of occurrences. Examples on public Maple Swamps, and others) are classified Connecticut River Valley on glacial Lake lands from the NHESP database are in the separately. Generally, occurrences Hitchcock lakebed sediments. The Quaboag WMA, West Brookfield, and remaining in the Red Maple Swamp presence of fairly high proportions of Haskell Swamp WMA, Rochester. category occur in seasonally flooded black gum, pin oak and swamp white oak basins or on slopes with groundwater in the canopy, in addition to the seepage. Soils are shallow to thick organic topographic setting distinguish the type. layers overlying mineral sands/silts. Red maple leaves. Photo: T. Davis Sydnor, The When Atlantic white cedar is dominant in Standing water is often present in the Ohio State University, Bugwood.org. the overstory, the community is classified spring and the substrates remain saturated as an Atlantic white cedar swamp. throughout the growing season. Most sites Differentiating from Related are relatively low in nutrients and Communities: Red Maple Swamp is a Habitat for Associated Fauna: somewhat acidic. Vegetation is strongly broadly defined red maple dominated Red Maple Swamps contribute variation influenced by water dynamics. defined community type. Several fairly to the habitats of wide-ranging wildlife distinctive types have been defined species. The dense shrub layers provide Characteristic Species: Red Maple separately. Alluvial Red Maple Swamps excellent nesting locations for birds of Swamps are dominated by red maple, occur along low-gradient rivers and thickets. The amount of escape cover and mixed with scattered other trees, such as receive river flood waters. Silver maple is water availability makes swamps yellow birch, black gum, white ash, white often a codominant with red maple. important habitat for many species of pine, American elm, swamp white oak, Alluvial Hardwood Flat Communities are small mammals. Ground-dwelling and Atlantic white cedar. The community along small, flashy streams, usually have species, such as reptiles and amphibians, usually has a well developed shrub layer black cherry and white pine abundantly in are affected by the presence of wet or of winterberry, highbush blueberry, wild the canopy, and have ironwood and moist soils in swamps, and tend to use Red Maple Swamp with dense undergrowth in raisin, red osier dogwood, swamp azalea, alternate leaved dogwood mixed with them for breeding and feeding. midsummer. Photo: Patricia Swain, NHESP.

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