FORESTRY HANDBOOK For Laurentian Upland South Biophysical Region Itasca County, Minnesota June 2006 I. Background The purpose of this “Forestry Handbook” is to provide managers and foresters with a ready reference that contains detailed information about the environment of each biophysical region and opportunities for producing quality consumptive and non consumptive products. That information is based on objective and verifiable biophysical data that was integrated at each plot and all plots were located in forestland administered by Itasca County Land Department. Contents of this handbook are intended for integrating with proven silviculture principles and practices during the preparation of prescriptions for strategic and project activities. Users of this reference can analyze and evaluate a specific area of forestland and determine its capacity for supporting a proposed use. The reference can also be used for screening large areas of forestland for its capacity for supporting individual uses or combination of uses. Managers and foresters can then make decisions and prepare prescriptions that will have highly predictable results for producing sustainable products, maintaining site quality and substantially reducing risk of any adverse impacts. Each handbook is comprised of description of the biophysical region, description of each biophysical landscape ecological unit (BLEU), an analysis of biophysical information and presentation of opportunities for managing forestland. II. Laurentian Upland South Biophysical Region This biophysical region occupies 158,939 gross acres in the southeast portion of Itasca County and is immediately south of the Mesabi Range. Within this region the population is concentrated in small cities and towns along State Highways 65 and 169 and several paved and gravel county roads. Nashwauk, Marble, Bovey, and Coleraine are small towns in or near this region. There is a significant population of citizens in rural areas along state and county highways. Those citizens work in the mining industry or support businesses, forest industry and support businesses, tourism and support businesses, and a multitude of smaller businesses There are numerous all season roads in this region which provide access to forest operations and the numerous private residences and small farms scattered throughout the region. Farming consists primarily of hobby operations involved in raising livestock and hay and small grain production. Climate Annual precipitation averages 28 inches with 15 inches occurring May through August. Annual temperature averages 38 degrees and the average for May through August is 61. Those averages are based on data from the Aurora, Babbitt, and Virginia weather stations located in the major portion of this region in an adjoining county to the east. Reported average growing degree days is 3296. This region is slightly drier and warmer than the regions immediately north. Local climate conditions are believed to be the cause of contrasting plant communities from some of those in Laurentian Upland North. 1 Glacial Geology Glacial drift is comprised of a mixture of Rainey lobe, Des Moines lobe, and selected areas of Superior lobe deposits. This region represents a contact area between those lobes. There is a mixture of materials ranging from sand, gravel, silt, and clay. Isolated areas have thin glacial drift over bedrock. Superior lobe drift is comprised of reddish brown outwash, till, and lake deposited materials. Rainey drift is yellowish brown which contrasts with the red and brown of the Superior drift. Des Moines deposits tend to be grayish and frequently have a higher content of silt and clay. Thickness of the drift ranges from a couple of feet to more than a hundred feet. Much of the sand is in former glacial river channels, glacial outwash water deposits, and shallow glacial lakes. Terrain A major portion of the Laurentian Upland South region is nearly level which reflects the influence of the glacial melt water associated with river channels, outwash melt water, and glacial lakes. The smooth rounded hills are also sandy which contrast with the local broken and irregular slopes associated with the shallow glacial drift over bedrock. The sandy plains and hills have a low content of rock fragments and only scattered boulders, but in the thin drift areas which are mainly in the northeast portion of the region a high level of rock fragments and boulders are quite common. A local portion of a moraine in the east central part of this region is thick drift with a high level of boulders that are highly visible on the land. Vegetation Trembling aspen, paper birch, red maple, sugar maple, balsam fir, red oak and basswood are common trees in LUS. Black ash is dominant in certain lowlands. Black spruce is common in the bogs and some upland. Tamarack and white cedar are found in some bogs and selected upland sites. There is a sharp contrast between the vegetation in the farm fields and the adjoining forests. There are numerous abandoned fields which are in various stages of succession from grass to shrubs to trees and mixtures of all three. Current plant communities frequently have mature trees and are the result of past wood harvest and natural causes. Structure in plant communities varies widely throughout the Laurentian Upland South region. In the thin drift in the northeast portion of the region there are many plant communities with an elevated over story, a low density shrub layer and a high density layer of forbs and mosses. Mature communities in the sandy plain in the central portion of the region has a moderate to high density shrub layer and a low to moderate density forb layer. In the more fertile uplands and moist valleys the density of the shrubs and forbs tends to increase substantially. Throughout the LUS a majority of plant community have distinct structure comprised of forbs, shrubs and trees. Black spruce dominated communities in the bogs typically have short shrubs and a dense layer of mosses. Variation in species and structure throughout the region is the result of wood harvesting, farming, mining, and significant differences in natural fertility. Some balsam communities have been altered substantially by insects and presently have mixtures of fir reproduction, dense raspberry, and other shrubs. Forest plant communities tend to reflect the influence of a boreal forest 2 environment The following is a list of all species recorded from 32 plots and 305 1/50th fixed radius sample points randomly located throughout Laurentian South Biophysical Region. For additional information for vegetation and quality of land, see the BLEU descriptions in the respective section. USDA SCIENTIFIC COMMON M N H L NAME NAME ABBA ABIES BALSAMEA BALSAM FIR 4 2 1 2 ACMI2 ACHILLEA MILLEFOLIUM YARROW OR MILFOIL 3 3 3 5 ACPA ACTAEA PACHYPODA WHITE BANEBERRY 3 4 2 1 ACRU ACER RUBRUM RED MAPLE 2 2 3 3 ACRU2 ACTAEA RUBRA RED BANEBERRY 3 3 2 1 ACSA3 ACER SACCHARUM SUGAR MAPLE 3 5 3 1 ACSP2 ACER SPICATUM MOUNTAIN MAPLE 3 2 2 1 ADPE ADIANTUM PEDATUM MAIDENHAIR FERN 2 5 4 1 AGGR2 AGRIMONIA LARGE LEAVED GRYPOSEPALA AGRIMONY 2 3 4 2 ALCR6 ALNUS CRISPA GREEN ALDER 2 1 1 4 ALRU3 ALNUS RUGOSA SPECKLED ALDER 5 2 1 4 AMBR4 AMPHICARPA BRAC- TEATA COMMON HOG PEANUT 3 2 4 3 AMELA AMELANCHIER SPP SERVICEBERRY 3 2 2 4 AMHU AMELA NCHIER COMMON HUMILIS JUNEBERRY 2 3 3 3 AMINC AMELANCHIER COMPLEX INTERMEDIA JUNEBERRY AMLA AMELANCHIER SMOOTH LAEVIS JUNEBERRY 3 3 4 3 AMSA AMELANCHIER RED TWIG SANGUINEA JUNEBERRY 2 2 2 4 AMSAC AMELANCHIER SANGUINEA COMPLEX JUNEBERRY AMSPC AMELANCHIER SPICATA COMPLEX JUNEBERRY ANCA8 ANEMONE CAN- ADENSIS CANADA ANEMONE 3 2 2 4 ANGL ANDROMEDA GLAUCO- PHYLLA BOG ROSEMARY 5 1 1 5 ANMA ANYAPHALIS MARGARIT- ACEA PEARLY EVERLASTING 1 2 2 5 ANNEA ANTENNARIA NEGLECTA var. ATTENDUATA FIELD PUSSY TOES 2 4 3 4 ANQU ANEMONE QUINQUEFOLIA WOOD ANEMONE 4 3 3 4 APAM APIOS AMERICANA GROUNDNUT APAN2 APOCYNUM ANDROSAE- SPREADING 3 MIFOLIUM DOGBANE 1 2 3 5 AQCA AQUILEGIA CANADENSIS SCARLET COLUMBINE 1 3 3 4 ARIAT ARISAEMA ATRORUBENS JACK IN THE PULPIT 3 5 4 1 ARNU2 ARALIA NUDICAULIS WILD SARSAPARILLA 2 2 2 3 ARRA ARALIA RACEMOSA SPIKENARD 3 5 4 1 ARTR ARISAEMA TRIPHYLLUM SMALL JACK IN THE PULPIT 4 5 3 2 ASCA ASARUM CANADENSE WILD GINGER 4 5 3 1 ASCI ASTER CILIOLATUS FRINGED BLUE ASTER 2 2 2 4 ASCO4 ASTER CORDIFOLIUS COMMON BLUE HEART LEAVED ASTER ASCR2 ASTRAGALUS CRASSICARPUS PRAIRIE-PLUM MILK VETCH 2 3 4 5 ASLA6 ASTER LATERIFLORUS NECKLACE ASTER 2 2 3 4 ASLO9 ASTER LOWRIENUS LOWRY'S ASTER ASMA2 ASTER MACROPHYLLUS LARGE LEAF ASTER 2 2 2 3 ASNO ASTER NOVAE ANGLIAENEW ENGLAND ASTER 3 2 3 4 ASPU5 ASTER PUNICEUS SWAMP BLUE ASTER 4 2 2 4 ASSA ASTER SAGITTIFOLIUS ARROW LEAVED ASTER 2 2 2 4 ASSI2 ASTER SIMPLEX WHITE PANICLED ASTER 3 2 3 4 ASSY ASCLEPIAS SYRIACA DOWNY MILKWEED 2 2 4 5 ASTER ASTER SPP ASTER UNKNOWN SPECIES ASUM ASTER UMBELLATUS FLAT TOP WHITE ASTER 2 2 3 4 ASUN ASTER UNDULATUS L WAVY-LEAVED ASTER ATFI ATHYRIUM FILIX-FEMINA LADY FERN 3 3 2 1 BEAL2 BETULA ALLEGHANIENSIS YELLOW BIRCH 4 5 2 2 BEGL2 BETULA GLANDULIFERA BOG BIRCH BEPA BETULA PAPYRIFERA PAPER BIRCH 3 2 2 5 BEPU4 BETULA PUMILA DWARF BIRCH 5 1 1 5 BICO5 BIDENS CONNATA PURPLESTREAM BEGGARTICKS BIFR BIDENS FRONDOSA DEVILS BEGGERTICK BOVI BOTRYCHIUM VIRGINIANUM RATTLESNAKE FERN 4 4 3 1 CAPA CALLA PALUSTRIS WILD CALLA 5 2 1 5 CAPA5 CALTHA PALUSTRIS MARSH MARIGOLD 5 2 2 4 CAPE6 CAREX PENSYLVANICA PENNSYLVANIA SEDGE 1 2 3 4 CAREX CAREX SPP UNKNOWN SEDGE CARO2 CAMPANULA ROTUNDIFOLIA HAREBELL 2 2 3 4 CATH2 CAULOPHYLLUM THALIC- TROIDES BLUE COHOSH 3 5 4 1 CEVU CERASTIUM