Boreal Scrub Loamy Flood Plain Low

Description

The reference state has four associated plant communities. These communities are grouped by the structure and dominance of the vegetation (e.g., coniferous trees, deciduous trees, shrubs, and forbs) and their ecological function and stability. Plant communities in the reference state appear to be largely controlled by the influences of flooding. As flooding becomes less frequent and lasts for shorter durations of time, balsam poplar and white spruce gain dominance and the ecological site shifts to the middle or high flood plain.

This report provides baseline vegetation inventory data for the ecological site. More data collection is needed to provide further information about existing plant communities and the disturbance regimes that would result in transitions from one community or state to another. The common and scientific plant names are from the USDA PLANTS database. All community phases in this report are characterized using the Alaska Vegetation Classification (Viereck et al. 1992).

Submodel