![]() University of Michigan: Michigan Academy of Science, Arts, and Letters. Annual Report of the Michigan Academy of Science. "The Vegetation of the Region in the Vicinity of Douglas Lake, Cheboygan County, Michigan, 1911". ^ a b Gates, Frank C (March 27 – April 20, 1912).Instances of a beech–maple forest can be found at altitudes of 320 feet (98 m) to 3,900 feet (1,200 m). It is widespread in New York and was an important component of the original vegetation of northeastern Ohio. The range of the beech–maple forest type extends from the Atlantic coast west to Minnesota, Michigan and from southern Canada south to Virginia and Tennessee. Even in a climax community dominated by two types of trees, there can be many different species of trees on the edges of the forest, in windthrow gaps or in microclimates. If the conditions allow, the final climax community for several different series is the beech–maple community. Eventually, an oak–hickory forest develops. One possible sere is from bare ground, it would start with weeds, then shrubs, weedy trees (such as mulberry), then coniferous trees (such as juniper) and additional types such as ash lead to a mixed mesophytic forest. These forests are the result of ecological succession, a long progression of different plant species over centuries. There must be a fairly high level of precipitation. Typically, in sandy soils, the maple is more common while in soils that have more clay in them, the beech is more dominant. They thrive in glacial till from the Wisconsin glaciation. īeech–maple forests are often found on flat or rolling terrain, in a variety of moist to well-drained soils with high levels of organic matter. These seedling are waiting for an opening in the canopy, and grow rapidly when an opening is made by the death of a mature tree. Seedlings of beech and maple trees are shade-tolerant, allowing them to grow in low light conditions for several years. The ground cover includes herbs and spring ephemerals, flowers which are able to bloom before the canopy fills in. The reduced light provides poor conditions for shrubs, with the exceptions of American witch-hazel and alderleaf viburnum shrubs. The canopy is dominated by American beech and sugar maple trees, providing little light to the understory. A form of this forest was the most common forest type in the Northeastern United States when it was settled by Europeans and remains widespread but scattered today. It is primarily composed of American beech and sugar maple trees which co-dominate the forest and which are the pinnacle of plant succession in their range. A beech and maple tree growing adjacent to each other.Ī beech–maple forest or a maple beech forest is a climax mesic closed canopy hardwood forest. The ideal habitat for sugar maples is expected to shift northward as the climate warms, although recent research suggests that the northern limit of where the trees can thrive may be constrained by soil chemistry and fungi and microorganisms found in northern soils.A beech–maple forest with details of leaves ( Cleveland Metroparks, Ohio). Research into this is ongoing, but studies have shown that reduced snowpack-which is projected with warmer winters-can lead to root damage and reduce the growth of tree shoots. ![]() ![]() Traditionally, maple sugaring season in New York State has started in late winter to early spring, but as New York winters are warming this season is projected to shift earlier-by 15 to 30 days by the end of the 21st century.Ĭlimate change may also affect the health of sugar maple trees. Sap flows through sugar maple trees when the weather goes through a freeze-thaw cycle with very cold nights and daytime temperatures above freezing. But a changing climate is likely to bring changes to what is an almost $30 million dollar industry in New York State. Tapping sugar maples does not damage the trees when done properly, so sugar maple trees can produce sap for boiling for many decades. Maple syrup, beloved by many of us on our pancakes, comes from extracting sap from sugar maple trees and then boiling it. ![]()
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