Ecological Information
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Northern Superior Uplands Section Forest Resources Management Plan Preliminary Issues and Assessment Chapter 6: Ecological Information SFRMP: Northern Superior Uplands Page 6.1 CHAPTER 6: ECOLOGICAL INFORMATION February 23, 2015 Copyright 2015, State of Minnesota, Department of Natural Resources Prepared February 2015 Data and maps borrowed from the Minnesota Forest Resources Council Northeast Landscape Plan are credit as follows: Minnesota Forest Resource Council. 2014. Northeast Landscape Conditions & Trends Report. Landscape Program Document #LT0114. Minnesota Forest Resource Council, St. Paul, Minnesota. Available online at the Minnesota Forest Resource Council web site www.frc.state.mn.us Notes relating to this document: This Preliminary Issues and Assessment document and color maps may be viewed as PDF files on the Northern Northern Superior Uplands Section Forest Resources Management Plan website at: Northern Superior Uplands SFRMP Information about the Section Resource Management Plan (SFRMP) process can be found at: Information about SFRMP Alternative Formats available on request. Equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from programs of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is available to all individuals regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, public assistance status, age, sexual orientation, disability or activity on behalf of a local human rights commission. Discrimination inquiries should be sent to Minnesota DNR, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155- 4049; or the Equal Opportunity Office, Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. 20240. This document is available in alternative formats to individuals with disabilities by calling 651-296-6157 (Metro Area) or 1-888-MINNDNR (MN Toll Free) or Telecommunication Device for the Deaf/TTY: 651- 296-5484 (Metro Area) or 1-800-657-3929 (Toll Free TTY). Printed on FSC certified, recycled paper containing a minimum of 10% post-consumer waste. SFRMP: Northern Superior Uplands Page 6. 2 CHAPTER 6: ECOLOGICAL INFORMATION February 23, 2015 Contents Figure 6.1. The Five Subsections That Make Up the Northern Superior Uplands ............................................................................................... 6 Border Lakes Subsection 212La ....................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Laurentian Uplands Subsection 212Le ............................................................................................................................................................ 6 Nashwauk Uplands Subsection 212Lc ............................................................................................................................................................. 6 North Shore Highlands 212Lb .......................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Toimi Uplands 212Ld ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Land Type Associations .................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Landform Descriptions ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Native Plant Communities of the Northern Superior Uplands ............................................................................................................................ 8 Minnesota’s Native Plant Community Classification System .......................................................................................................................... 8 Endangered, Threatened, and Special Concern Species ...................................................................................................................................... 9 Purpose, Scope, and Relationships to State and Federal Laws ....................................................................................................................... 9 Minnesota Heritage Information System ........................................................................................................................................................ 9 DNR Rare Species Guide ................................................................................................................................................................................ 10 Species in Greatest Conservation Need ........................................................................................................................................................ 10 NSU Rare Species Occurrences .......................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Table 6.1. Minnesota listed animal species ................................................................................................................................................... 11 Table 6.2 Minnesota “Watchlist” animal species .......................................................................................................................................... 13 Table 6.3. Minnesota listed plant and fungus species ................................................................................................................................... 14 Table 6.4. Minnesota “Watchlist” plant and fungus species ......................................................................................................................... 21 Minnesota Biological Survey .............................................................................................................................................................................. 24 Table 6.5. Status of MBS field surveys and data management in the NSU subsections ............................................................................... 25 Northern Superior Uplands SFRMP Page 6.3 CHAPTER 6: ECOLOGICAL INFORMATION February 23, 2015 Special Management Areas ............................................................................................................................................................................... 26 Representative Sample Area (RSA) ................................................................................................................................................................ 26 Table 6.6. Representative Sample Areas in the NSU subsections ................................................................................................................. 26 High Conservation Value Forests (HCVF) ........................................................................................................................................................... 26 Table 6.7. HCVF in the NSU subsections ........................................................................................................................................................ 27 Peatland Watershed Protection Areas .............................................................................................................................................................. 27 Figure 6.1. Map of the Sand Lake Peatland SNA and PWPA.......................................................................................................................... 28 G1-G2 Native Plant Communities (G1-G2 NPC) ................................................................................................................................................. 29 Table 6.8 G1-G2 NPC (MHn45b) in the NSU subsections .............................................................................................................................. 29 Management Opportunity Areas ....................................................................................................................................................................... 29 Table 6.9. Timber Management Emphasis Areas in the NSU subsections .................................................................................................... 30 Table 6.10. Wildlife Management Opportunity Areas in the NSU subsections ............................................................................................ 31 Watershed Assessment ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 32 Water quality in lakes and streams ............................................................................................................................................................... 32 Figure 6.2. Major watersheds in northeastern Minnesota ........................................................................................................................... 32 Figure 6.3. Impaired waters in the Northeast Landscape, 2010 ................................................................................................................... 33 Forest cover and water quality .........................................................................................................................................................................