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Picea-Abies forests in the highlands of Northern Alberta

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Summary

Thirty stands of Picea-Abies dominated forest in highland areas of northern Alberta were studied quantitatively. The highlands are cooler and receive more precipitation than the adjacent lowlands in summer. Orthic Grey Luvisols are the most common soil type.

Based on morphological criteria the Picea was basically P. glauca, the Abies mostly A. balsamea, and the Pinus nearly all P. contorta var. latifolia. The boreal floristic element in stands increases from west to east and from high to low altitude.

Four Picea-Abies community types were recognized using ordination and cluster analysis: Rubus pedatus/Ptilium crista-castrensis, Cornus canadensis-Linnaea borealis, Viburnum edule/Hylocomium splendens, Calamagrostis canadensis. The 4 community types are well correlated with altitude, soil nutrient status, and 2 groups of correlated floristic and structural variables.

The floristic and structural affinities of the 4 community types to those of adjacent regions are discussed.

The Picea-Abies stands studied are considered to belong to a group of climax community types, with Abies dominance indicated at higher altitudes, shifting to Picea dominance at lower altitudes.

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  1. Peter L. Achuff

    Present address: Alberta Department of Energy and Natural Resources, T5K ZE1, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, University of Alberta, T6G 2E9, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

    Peter L. Achuff & George H. La Roi

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Additional information

Nomenclature follows Moss (1959) for vascular plants, with the exception of Dryopteris (Britton 1972) and Betula (Dugle 1966); Lawton (1971) for mosses; Schofield (1968) for hepatics; and Hale & Culberson (1970) for lichens.

We thank E. M. Achuff and T. P. Achuff for field assistance; D. M. Britton, M. Dumais, M. Ostafichuk, W. Peterson and D. H. Vitt for taxonomic assistance; the Dept of Soil Science, University of Alberta and the Research Branch, Agriculture Canada for the use of laboratory equipment, Financial support was received from the Boreal Institute for Northern Studies and the National Research Council of Canada (A-2570 La Roi).

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Achuff, P.L., La Roi, G.H. Picea-Abies forests in the highlands of Northern Alberta. Vegetatio 33, 127–146 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00205908

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