Plant Communities of the Northwoods

Plant Communities Index

Alder Thicket

• The Alder/Willow Wetland, about 2.5% of the BWCAW by surface area
• Slow moving subsurface water with dense, nearly impenetrable cover of tall shrubs
• Signature Species
• Speckled Alder, Alnus incana
• Willows, Salix spp.

Bog

• The Sphagnum/Black Spruce Bog, about 2% of the BWCAW by surface area
• Shallow open water, floating mats of vegetation, and waterlogged peat
• Signature Species
• Cotton Grass, Eriophorum spp.
• Leatherleaf, Chamaedaphne calyculata
• Wool Fruited Sedge, Carex lasiocarpa
• Pitcher Plant, Sarracenia purpurea
• Sphagnum Moss, Sphagnum spp.

Bog Forest

• The Black Spruce and Tamarack Bog Forests, about 9.5% of the BWCAW by area
• Advanced succession bog capable of supporting trees
• Signature Species
• Black Spruce, Picea mariana
• Tamarack, Larix laricina
• Labrador Tea, Ledum groendlandicum
• Feathermoss
• Sub-types
• Black Spruce Bog Forest
• Tamarack Bog Forest
• Sphagnum/Black Spruce Forest

Boreal Forest

• The Spruce/Fir Forest, about 20% of the BWCAW by surface area
• The cool moist circumpolar spruce/fir forest of the north
• Signature Species
• Balsam Fir, Abies balsamea
• White Spruce, Picea glauca
• Paper Birch, Betula papyrifera
• Sub-types
• Black Spruce/Feathermoss Forest
• Fir/Birch Forest
• Upland White Cedar Forest

Marsh and Open Muskeg

• About 4.5% of the BWCAW by surface area
• Signature Species
• Arrowhead, Sagittaria spp
• Blue Flag Iris, Iris versicolor
• Cattail, Typha spp.
• Sub-types
• Marsh
• Muskeg

Lichen and Rock

• About 3.5% of the BWCAW by surface area

Mixed Hardwood Forest

• About 14.5% of the BWCAW by surface area
• The northern edge of the climax deciduous forest of eastern North America
• Signature Species
• Basswood, Tilia americana
• Hemlock, Tsuga canadensis (absent from BWCA)
• Sugar Maple, Acer saccharum
• Yellow Birch, Betula allegenensis (rare in BWCA)
• Sub-types
• Maple/Aspen/Birch
• Maple/Aspen/Birch/Fir
• Maple/Oak

Pine Woods

• The White, Red, and Jack Pine Forests, about 20.5% of the BWCAW by area
• Signature Species
• Jack Pine, Pinus banksiana
• Red Pine, Pinus resinosa
• White Pine, Pinus strobus
• Sub-types
• Jack Pine/Black Spruce Forest
• Jack Pine/Fir Forest
• Jack Pine/Oak Forest
• Red Pine Forest
• White Pine Forest

Surface Waters and Margins

• Generally small, slow moving, shallow, and muddy bottomed
• Shores support marsh or bog communities
• Signature Species
• Brasenia
• Pondweed
• Water Lilies

Second Growth Forest

• About 23% of the BWCAW by surface area
• The northern forest subsequent to logging or other disruption
• Signature Species
• Quaking Aspen, Populus tremuloides
• Paper Birch, Betula papyrifera

Cedar Swamp

• The Mixed Conifer Swamp Forest, only about .5% of the BWCAW by surface area
• Dense forest with subsurface water
• Signature Species
• White Cedar, Thuja occidentalis
• Black Ash, Fraxinus nigra
• Sub-types
• Mixed Conifer/Cedar Swamp Forest
• Black Ash/Elm Swamp Forest

Last updated on 2 April, 2002