It might be expected in southwestern Michigan. Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a Page. Structure and edaphic factors of an alder swamp in northern Michigan. Natural community abstract for northern shrub thicket. 1974. While northern shrub thicket has replaced many declining and rare communities, it does provide important ecosystem services, protecting water quality by assimilating nutrients, trapping sediment, and retaining stormwater and floodwater. Turn-of-the-century logging of conifer swamp resulted in the conversion of many forested swamps to northern shrub thicket in the Great Lakes region. Floodplain forest, Great Lakes marsh, hardwood-conifer swamp, inundated shrub swamp, northern fen, northern hardwood swamp, northern wet meadow, poor conifer swamp, rich conifer swamp, southern shrub-carr, and wooded dune and swale complex. Stem dynamics of the shrub. Michigan made it theirs in 1955. In addition, tree ages are derived from a variety of sources, including documented "tree-ring" (Dendrochronological) count core samples, and from estimates.For these reasons, this article presents three lists of "oldest trees," each using varying criteria. 1. Albert, J.G. Lincoln, A.P. In the Great Lakes region, northern shrub thicket is a widespread community type that has dramatically increased in acreage from its historical extent due to anthropogenic disturbance. 1987. Community size, shape, and species composition can vary significantly, depending on landscape context. (231) 464-5809 info@coldstreamfarm.net Canadian Journal of Forestry Research 4: 499-508. Parker, G.R., and G. Schneider. Scattered trees and tree saplings are often found invading northern shrub thickets. Michigan Natural Features Inventory, Michigan State University Extension, Lansing, Michigan. are found in the Betulaceae (birch family). 2020. Walk alongside a river or body of water and you are likely to come across a grove of Alder Trees. Page created - November 10, 2019. 2. USDA, Forest Service, North Central Forest Experiment Station, St. Paul, MN. Research Paper NC-292. Northern shrub thickets are characterized by an overwhelming dominance of tag alder, which forms dense, often monotypic thickets with canopy coverage ranging between 40 and 95% and stand height typically ranging from one to three meters. If the roots are established, they can tolerate a little drought. The genus comprises about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few species extending into Central America, as well as the northern and southern Andes. 2007. Alder swamps contribute significantly to the overall biodiversity of northern Michigan by providing habitat to a wide variety of plant and animal species including several rare species. On sites in which northern shrub thicket is succeeding to swamp forest, allowing succession to proceed unhindered will result in increased acreage of less common swamp communities. It towers at 150 feet and lives as long as 450 years- sometimes longer. Flooding (i.e., from beaver or fluvial processes), fire, disease, and windthrow can result in sufficient mortality of the swamp forest overstory to allow for the complete opening of the forest canopy and the expansion of alder through establishment of seedlings or stump sprouting. For a full list of references used to create this description, please refer to the natural community abstract for Northern Shrub Thicket. State Rank: S5. Alder Trees only have a life span of about 150 years and are species in the Birch Tree family. You can distinguish these two trees by their leaves. Prolonged periods without fire, an absence of beaver flooding, or the lowering of the water table allows for shrub encroachment into open wetlands and conversion to northern shrub thicket.