Minnesota’s Native Vegetation: A Key to Natural Communities Version 1.5 Figure 1. The Conifer-Hardwood Forest, Deciduous Forest-Woodland and Prairie Zones of Minnesota. KITTSON ROSEAU LAKE OF THE WOODS MARSHALL KOOCHICHING ST.LOUIS BELTRAMI POLK PENNINGTON LAKE COOK RED LAKE ITASCA CLEARWATER NORMAN MAHNOMEN HUBBARD CASS CLAY BECKER AITKIN CROW WING CARLTON OTTERTAIL WILKIN WADENA PINE TODD MILLE LACS MORRISON GRANT DOUGLAS BENTON KANABEC STEARNS TRAVERSE ISANTI Conifer-Hardwood Forest Zone BIG STONE SHERBURNE STEVENS POPE ANOKA KANDIYOHI CHISAGO MEEKER Deciduous Forest-Woodland Zone SWIFT CHIPPEWA WRIGHT HENNEPIN RAMSEY McLEOD Prairie Zone LAC QUI PARLE RENVILLE CARVER WASHINGTON YELLOW MEDICINE SCOTT DAKOTA SIBLEY NICOLLET LESUEUR LINCOLN LYON REDWOOD RICE GOODHUE WABASHA BROWN MURRAY COTTONWOOD WATONWAN BLUE EARTH WASECA STEELE DODGE OLMSTED WINONA PIPESTONE ROCK NOBLES JACKSON MARTIN FARIBAULT FREEBORN MOWER FILLMORE HOUSTON MINNESOTA'S NATIVE VEGETATION A Key to Natural Communities Version 1.5 Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Natural Heritage Program Contributors Norman E. Aaseng John C. Almendinger Robert P. Dana Barbara C. Delaney Hannah L. Dunevitz Kurt A. Rusterholz Nancy P. Sather Daniel S. Wovcha Copyright © 1993 State of Minnesota, Department of Natural Resources Section of Wildlife 500 Lafayette Road, Box 7 St. Paul, Minnesota 55155 (612) 296-6157 PREFATORY NOTE ________________________________________________ The current understanding of the vegetation of Minnesota as described in Minnesota's Native Vegetation: A Key to Natural Communities is strongly influenced by geographical limitations of available vegetation data. As a result, this document best describes natural communities in parts of the state that have experienced systematic surveys of native vegetation. The primary source of vegetation data is the Minnesota County Biological Survey (MCBS). MCBS data from southeastern Minnesota, the northern and eastern Twin Cities metropolitan region, and the prairie regions of extreme western and northwest Minnesota were used in developing this key. Studies from the north central portion of the state and from the North Shore of Lake Superior provided additional information as did published studies of the vegetation of the Boundary Waters Canoe Areas Wilderness in the northeast and the Big Woods in east central Minnesota. For other parts of the state, information was more limited. The ongoing work of the MCBS and other research efforts, such as vegetative sampling of old- growth forests, continue to provide new information. As MCBS data from additional counties in northwestern, north central, east central and southeastern Minnesota are analyzed, we will continue to revise this key. In preparation for the next revision of this key, we encourage users to send comments to the address below. Comments on vegetative assemblages that are not covered in this key will be especially appreciated. Version 1.6 of the key is tentatively scheduled for release in 1996. We expect that Version 1.6 will include a variety of relatively minor revisions. The revised version will include changes in the section boundaries of several natural community types. For example, the sections of several prairie types will be modified to better reflect floristic patterns. We also expect to alter the boundaries of some sections of maple-basswood forest. An additional community type, Seepage Shrub Swamp, will be added to the Class Shrub Swamp. Other changes will likely include new subtypes such as a new Bur Oak-Basswood-Black Ash Subtype of Lowland Hardwood Forest. Please address comments to: Natural Community Key Natural Heritage and Nongame Research Program DNR Section of Wildlife 500 Lafayette Road, Box 7 St. Paul, MN 55155 TABLE OF CONTENTS ___________________________________________ List of Illustrations .................................................................... 4 Introduction ........................................................................ 5 Key to the Natural Community Systems and Classes ........................................ 9 The Natural Communities DECIDUOUS FOREST ......................................................... 12 Aspen Forest ............................................................. 13 Aspen - Birch Forest ....................................................... 14 Paper Birch Forest ........................................................ 15 Oak Forest ............................................................... 15 Northern Hardwood Forest .................................................. 17 Maple - Basswood Forest ................................................... 18 Lowland Hardwood Forest .................................................. 19 CONIFEROUS FOREST ....................................................... 21 White Pine Forest ......................................................... 22 Red Pine Forest ........................................................... 22 Jack Pine Forest .......................................................... 23 Black Spruce - Feathermoss Forest ........................................... 24 Spruce - Fir Forest ........................................................ 25 Upland White Cedar Forest ................................................. 25 MIXED CONIFEROUS-DECIDUOUS FOREST ................................... 27 Mixed Pine - Hardwood Forest ............................................... 28 White Pine - Hardwood Forest ............................................... 28 Boreal Hardwood - Conifer Forest ............................................ 28 Northern Hardwood - Conifer Forest .......................................... 29 DECIDUOUS WOODLAND .................................................... 30 Aspen Woodland .......................................................... 30 Oak Woodland - Brushland ................................................. 31 DECIDUOUS SAVANNA ....................................................... 33 Mesic Oak Savanna ........................................................ 34 Dry Oak Savanna ......................................................... 34 Aspen Openings ........................................................... 37 CONIFEROUS WOODLAND ................................................... 38 Jack Pine Woodland ....................................................... 39 Northern Conifer Woodland ................................................. 40 CONIFEROUS SAVANNA ...................................................... 41 Jack Pine Barrens ......................................................... 41 Northern Conifer Scrubland ................................................. 42 UPLAND BRUSH-PRAIRIE .................................................... 43 Mesic Brush-Prairie ....................................................... 44 UPLAND PRAIRIE ............................................................ 46 Mesic Prairie ............................................................. 47 Dry Prairie ............................................................... 48 BOG ........................................................................ 53 Black Spruce Bog ......................................................... 54 Open Sphagnum Bog ...................................................... 54 FLOODPLAIN FOREST ....................................................... 56 Floodplain Forest ......................................................... 57 HARDWOOD SWAMP FOREST ................................................ 59 Black Ash Swamp ......................................................... 59 Mixed Hardwood Swamp ................................................... 60 CONIFER SWAMP FOREST ................................................... 62 White Cedar Swamp ....................................................... 62 Tamarack Swamp ......................................................... 63 Black Spruce Swamp ....................................................... 64 SHRUB SWAMP .............................................................. 65 Alder Swamp ............................................................. 65 Willow Swamp ............................................................ 66 EMERGENT MARSH ......................................................... 67 Cattail Marsh ............................................................. 68 Mixed Emergent Marsh .................................................... 68 WET MEADOW/FEN .......................................................... 69 Wet Brush-Prairie ......................................................... 70 Wet Prairie ............................................................... 71 Poor Fen ................................................................ 72 Calcareous Seepage Fen .................................................... 73 Rich Fen ................................................................ 74 Wet Meadow ............................................................. 74 Seepage Meadow .......................................................... 75 PRIMARY COMMUNITY ...................................................... 76 Moist Cliff ............................................................... 77 Dry Cliff ................................................................. 77 Rock Outcrop ............................................................. 78 Talus Slope .............................................................. 79 Mud flat ................................................................. 80 River Beach