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  1. Relationship of Species and Site Index to Habitat in the White Mountains of New Hampshire

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    Author(s): W. B. Leak
    Date: 1978
    Source: Res. Pap. NE-397. Broomall, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 9p.
    Publication Series: Research Paper (RP)
    Station: Northeastern Research Station
    PDF: Download Publication  (953.12 KB)

    Description

    Eleven forest habitats, representing distinct differences in soil materials or substrate, were defined for areas of granitic drift in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Beech/sugar maple/yellow birch characterize successional stands on the fine tills and the enriched or cove sites (where white ash also is common). Washed fine till and coarse till are dominated during succession by beech and birch with some red maple. Red maple is the most abundant species on sandy sediments, silty sediments, and dry compact till. Softwoods, especially red spruce and eastern hemlock, characterize successional stands on habitats representing poor drainage, shallow rock, outwash, and wet compact till. Comparative data from a previous study in old stands indicate that coarse till, fine till, and enriched sites are the only habitats where pure hardwoods are the characteristic vegetation in both successional and older stands; most of the other habitats exhibit a trend over time toward softwoods. Site index generally averages highest on habitats where hardwoods predominate and lowest on softwood habitats. Habitat classification should be used in conjunction with gradient analysis to define the relationships of forest vegetation to environmental conditions.

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    Citation

    Leak, W. B. 1978. Relationship of Species and Site Index to Habitat in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Res. Pap. NE-397. Broomall, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 9p.

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