Table 4. Classification and description of ecotypes within Fort Greely - continued

Table 4 (cont'd). Classification and description of ecotypes within Fort Greely. Descriptions include

physiography, geomorphology, soil properties, and vegetation. Plant names in bold are indicator species

that can be used to differentiate ecotypes on the ground.

Class

Description

Upland Moist

Gentle upper slopes on loess and moraine deposits with vegetation dominated by

Broadleaf

deciduous broadleaf trees. Soils are loamy with thin surface organic layers, well drained, moist, and

Forest

moderately acidic. Permafrost is absent. The closed canopy is dominated by Betula papyrifera, while

Alnus crispa, Picea glauca, P. mariana, Rosa acicularis, Calamagrostis canadensis, and Hylocomium

splendens are important in the understory.

Upland Moist

Upland slopes on loess, residual soils, and moraines with vegetation dominated by mixed forests.

Mixed Forest

Soils are loamy (sometimes gravelly) with thin surface organic layers, well drained, moist, and moder-

ately acidic. Permafrost is absent. The canopy is dominated by Picea glauca and Betula papyrifera

while other important plants include Populus tremuloides, Picea mariana, Geocaulon lividum, Linnaea

borealis, and Hylocomium splendens.

Upland Moist

Upland slopes on loess, residual soils, and moraines with vegetation dominated by

Needleleaf

needleleaf forests. Soils are loamy (sometimes gravelly) with thin surface organic layers, well-drained,

Forest

moist, and moderately acidic. Permafrost is absent. The canopy is dominated by Picea glauca and

common understory species include Alnus crispa, Rosa acicularis, Geocaulon lividum, and Hylocomium

splendens.

Upland Wet

Steep, upper north-facing slopes on loess, residual soils, and moraines with vegetation dominated

Needleleaf

by needleleaf forests. Soils are organic to loamy, poorly drained because of the presence of permafrost,

Forest

wet to moist, and moderately acidic. Moisture is variable because bedrock may be near the surface and

permafrost may be absent. Canopy is dominated by Picea mariana and understory plants include Alnus

crispa, Ledum groenlandicum, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Hylocomium splendens, Pleurozium schreberi,

and Sphagnum spp.

Lowland

Low-lying, flat areas on abandoned floodplains and terraces of glacial outwash with

Gravelly

vegetation dominated by low shrubs. Soils are gravelly with thin organic and loam horizons, well to

Moist Low

excessively drained, dry, and slightly acidic. Vegetation is dominated by Betula nana and Stereocaulon

Scrub

sp., and includes Picea mariana, dwarf Populus tremuloides, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, and Hylocomium

splendens.

Lowland

Low-lying, flat areas on glacial outwash and thin loess deposits with vegetation

Gravelly

dominated by broadleaf forests. Soils are gravelly with little surface organics, well to excessively drained,

Dry Broadleaf

dry, and slightly acidic. Permafrost is absent. The canopy is dominated by Populus tremuloides and

Forest

occasionally mixed with P. balsamifera. The understory usually includes P. mariana, Arctostaphylos

uva-ursi, Festuca altaica, and Galium boreale.

Lowland

Low-lying, flat areas on abandoned floodplains and terraces of glacial outwash with

Gravelly Dry

vegetation dominated by mixed forests. Soils are gravelly with thin organic and loam horizons, well to

Mixed Forest

excessively drained, dry, and slightly acidic. Canopy is co-dominated by Picea glauca, P. tremuloides

and P. balsamifera, and the understory includes Shepherdia canadensis, Linnaea borealis, and

Hylocomium splendens. Uncommon and not mapped.

Lowland

Low-lying, flat areas on abandoned floodplains and terraces of glacial outwash with

Gravelly

vegetation dominated by needleleaf forests. Soils are gravelly with moderately thick organic and loam

Needleleaf

horizons, well to excessively drained, dry, and slightly acidic. Tree canopy may be dominated by either

Forest

Picea glauca or P. mariana, common associates include Vaccinium uliginosum, V. vitis-idaea,

Stereocaulon sp., and Rhytidium rugosum.

Lowland Moist

Low-lying areas or basins formed in drained lakes in moraines and abandoned floodplains with

Meadow

vegetation dominated by sedges and grasses. Soils are loamy with organic horizons of variable depth,

somewhat well-drained, moist, and slightly acidic. Dominant plants include Carex saxatilis and/or

Calamagrostis canadensis, associated species may include Eriophorum angustifolium, C. aquatilis, and

Salix arbusculoides. Not mapped.

Lowland Low

Lower slopes and flat, low-lying areas on moraines and glaciofluvial outwash deposits

Scrub--

with early successional vegetation dominated by low shrubs. Disturbance most commonly is from

disturbed

fire. Sites are loamy or rocky with thin organic horizons, well drained, and slightly acidic. Common plants

include Vaccinium uliginosum, Betula nana, Ledum groenlandicum, Epilobium angustifolium, Salix

glauca, V. vitis-idaea, Ceratodon purpureus, and Polytrichum sp.

Lowland Moist

Lower slopes and flat, low-lying areas on moraines, glaciofluvial outwash, and retransported

Tall Scrub

deposits with vegetation dominated by tall shrubs. Soils are loamy with thin surface organic layers, well

drained, moist, and moderately acidic. The open or closed shrub canopy is dominated by Alnus crispa or

Salix bebbiana, and usually includes Salix planifolia, Calamagrostis canadensis, and Betula nana.