Boreal Heath Barrens. Summary. Protection Not listed in New York State, not listed federally. Rarity G3G4, S1

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1 Boreal Heath Barrens Boreal heath barrens at Raquette Boreal Forest System Subsystem Terrestrial Barrens And Woodlands Did you know? The terms 'boreal', 'heath', and 'barrens' accurately describe this community: Photo credits: Shane Gebauer 'Boreal' describes the circumpolar forest region in the northern hemisphere that is generally dominated by conifer tree species; the boreal forest extends north to the treeless tundra and south to the mixed conifer/deciduous forests or temperate grasslands. 'Heath' refers to shrubs in the heath family (Ericaceae), also called ericaceous shrubs that are broad-leaved, often evergreen with leathery leaves and a compact growth form. 'Barrens' refers to a depauperate community with either a low canopy coverage or with stunted individuals of species which elsewhere reach considerable size; this term is applied to both savannas and woodlands. Summary Protection Not listed in New York State, not listed federally. Rarity G3G4, S1 A global rarity rank of G3G4 means: Vulnerable globally, or Apparently Secure -- At moderate risk of extinction, with relatively few populations or locations in the world, few individuals, and/or restricted range; or uncommon but not rare globally; may be rare in some parts of its range; possibly some cause for long-term concern due to declines or other factors. More information is needed to assign a single conservation status. A state rarity rank of S1 means: Typically 5 or fewer occurrences, very few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or some factor of its biology makes it especially vulnerable in New York State. NYNHP Conservation Guide - Boreal Heath Barrens

2 Conservation Status in New York This is a relatively uncommon natural community with an estimated 15 to 30 extant occurrences statewide. A few documented occurrences have good viability and are protected on public land or private conservation land. This community has a limited statewide distribution (correlated to old lake deltas and outwash plains in the Adirondacks). Although there is one large occurrence documented, most are around 100 acres or less in size. Threats to this community include fire suppression, fragmenting development, recreational overuse, habitat alteration, and to a lesser extent invasive species. Short-term Trends The number and acreage of boreal heath barrens in New York have probably declined slightly in recent decades due to fire suppression, disturbance by off-road vehicles, and development. Long-term Trends The number and acreage of boreal heath barrens in New York have probably had substantial declines from historical numbers due to fire suppression, fragmentation, disturbance by off-road vehicles, and development. The area of the boreal heath barrens at one site (Oswegatchie Plains) is reportedly smaller than it was in the early 1900's. Conservation and Management Threats As a fire-dependent natural community, the primary threat to boreal heath barrens is the suppression of fire. Other threats to this community include fragmenting development (e.g., residential, agricultural, plantations, roads, trails), recreational overuse (e.g., ATV use, hiking), and habitat alteration (e.g., logging). Although not currently considered a major threat, invasive species may become a problem at some sites in the future. Parts of some boreal heath barrens are used for Christmas tree farms and Scotch pine plantations. Conservation Strategies and Management Practices Develop and implement prescribed burn plans at appropriate sites. Reduce or minimize fragmenting features, such as residential and commercial development, roads, abandoned clearings, unnecessary trails, etc. Restrict mountain bikes and ATVs to designated trails and least sensitive areas, and prevent dumping of trash. Remove or control invasive species where appropriate. Development and Mitigation Considerations The soils are acidic, nutrient poor and often seasonally flooded. Any disruption of the hydrology or soil enrichment contamination (e.g., from septic leach fields and fertilized lawns) in or around the barrens may alter its community structure and function. The open structure of this community is often maintained by fire and can present a fire hazard to existing and proposed development. Unprotected structures located within or near this community are more susceptible to damage from fire. NYNHP Conservation Guide - Boreal Heath Barrens 2

3 Inventory Needs Inventory all existing occurrences with records greater than ten years old. Continue searching for large sites in good condition (A- to AB-ranked). Survey the largest leads for this community (e.g., Rickerson Brook Headwaters - 2,200 acres, Cold Brook Flats acres, Rainier Pond Burn acres, and Moose River Plains acres). Need critical assessment of identity for several occurrences lacking heath-dominated association using statistical ordination techniques, in order to clearly separate boreal heath barrens from the successional blueberry heath community. Research Needs Rare Species Determine the optimal fire regime for this community. This community needs to be compared to heath barrens in other states (e.g., Maine or Michigan) and in Canada to evaluate quality and composition in a regional context. Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis) Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) Northern Bog Violet (Viola nephrophylla) Woodland Cudweed (Omalotheca sylvatica) Identification Comments A dwarf shrubland or shrub-savanna dominated by heath or heath-like shrubs. Boreal heath barrens occur on nearly level outwash plains of the Adirondacks, in frost pockets lying in valleys. Soils are sandy, dry, and poor in nutrients. Boreal heath barrens are seasonally flooded because the soils have a discontinuous subsurface layer of podzolized soil (an ortstein), which impedes water drainage. Their habitat structure is often very variable with several potential patches including lichen-dominated areas, moss-dominated areas, herb-dominated areas, dwarf shrubland, tall shrubland and woodland. The Best Time to See These heath barrens are lovely in fall when leaves of the dominant shrubs turn deep shades of red, orange and purple. Characteristics Most Useful for Identification The dominant shrubs are blueberries (Vaccinium myrtilloides, V. angustifolium, V. pallidum), black chokeberry (Photinia melanocarpa), meadow-sweet (Spiraea alba var. latifolia), and mountain fly honeysuckle (Lonicera villosa). Other characteristic plants include ricegrasses (Oryzopsis asperifolia, O. pungens, O. canadensis), swamp dewberry (Rubus hispidus), Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis), flat-top goldenrod (Euthamia graminifolia), northern tree clubmoss (Dendrolycopodium dendroideum), running-pine (Diphasiastrum digitatum), lichens (Cladonia alpestris, C. pyxidata, Cladina rangiferina), and mosses (Pleurozium schreberi, Polytrichum commune, and Dicranum spp.). Trees may be scattered through the barrens, or confined to the edges of open shrublands. Characteristic trees are black spruce (Picea mariana), white pine (Pinus strobus), black cherry (Prunus serotina), and tamarack (Larix laricina). NYNHP Conservation Guide - Boreal Heath Barrens 3

4 Elevation Range Known examples of this community have been found at elevations between 564 feet and 1640 feet. Similar Ecological Communities Successional shrubland: This transitional community occurs on loamy soils (versus sands) at sites recovering from prior clearing or disturbance. It has 50% or more cover of shrubs. Successional blueberry heath: Can be distinguished by its relatively short-lived intermediate stage of succession from a cultural community (farmland, logged land or other intense disturbance) into more mature successional communities representing later seral states. Characteristic Species Trees > 5m Black Spruce (Picea mariana) Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus) Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) Wild Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) Shrubs 2-5m Amelanchier spp. Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) Wild Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) Northern Wild Raisin (Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides) Shrubs < 2m Amelanchier spp. Black Chokeberry (Photinia melanocarpa) Bristly Dewberry (Rubus hispidus) Northern Meadow-sweet (Spiraea alba var. latifolia) Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) Velvetleaf Huckleberry (Vaccinium myrtilloides) Herbs White-edge Sedge (Carex debilis var. rudgei) Robin Runaway (Dalibarda repens) Poverty Oatgrass (Danthonia spicata) Treelike Clubmoss (Dendrolycopodium dendroideum) Wavy Hair Grass (Deschampsia flexuosa) Fan Club-moss (Diphasiastrum digitatum) Parasol Whitetop (Doellingeria umbellata) Flat-top Fragrant Goldenrod (Euthamia graminifolia) White-grained Mountain-ricegrass (Oryzopsis asperifolia) Eastern Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) Harger's Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) NYNHP Conservation Guide - Boreal Heath Barrens 4

5 Nonvascular Cladina rangiferiina Cladonia alpestris Cladonia pyxidata Dicranum spp. Pleurozium schreberi Polytrichum commune Trees > 5m Shrubs 2-5m Shrubs < 2m Herbs Nonvascular This figure helps visualize the structure and "look" or "feel" of a typical boreal heath barrens. Each bar represents the amount of "coverage" for all the species growing at that height. Because layers overlap (shrubs may grow under trees, for example), the shaded regions can add up to more than 100%. International Vegetation Classification System Associations This New York natural community encompasses all or part of the concept of the following International Vegetation Classification (IVC) natural community associations. These are often described at finer resolution than New York's natural communities. The IVC is developed and maintained by NatureServe. (Lowbush Blueberry, Velvetleaf Huckleberry, Blue Ridge Blueberry) - Grey-green Reindeer Lichen Dwarf-shrubland (CEGL006426) NatureServe Ecological System Associations This New York natural community falls into the following ecological system(s). Ecological systems are often described at a coarser resolution than New York's natural communities and tend to represent clusters of associations found in similar environments. The ecological systems project is developed and maintained by NatureServe. Acadian Sub-boreal Spruce Barrens (CES ) Additional Resources NYNHP Conservation Guide - Boreal Heath Barrens 5

6 References Bray, W.L The development of the vegetation of New York State. New York State College of Forestry, Tech. Publ. No. 3, Syracuse, NY. Bray, W.L The history of forest development on an undrained sand plain in the Adirondacks. New York State College of Forestry at Syracuse University. Tech. Publ. 13, 21(2):1-47. Curran, R.P Vegetational development of the Plains of the Oswegatchie. M.S. Thesis, SUNY-ESF, Syracuse, NY. 186 pp. Edinger, G. J., D. J. Evans, S. Gebauer, T. G. Howard, D. M. Hunt, and A. M. Olivero (editors) Ecological Communities of New York State. Second Edition. A revised and expanded edition of Carol Reschke s Ecological Communities of New York State. New York Natural Heritage Program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany, NY. Edinger, Gregory J., D.J. Evans, Shane Gebauer, Timothy G. Howard, David M. Hunt, and Adele M. Olivero (editors) Ecological Communities of New York State. Second Edition. A revised and expanded edition of Carol Reschke's Ecological Communities of New York State. (Draft for review). New York Natural Heritage Program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Albany, NY. 136 pp. Keys, Jr.,J.; Carpenter, C.; Hooks, S.; Koenig, F.; McNab, W.H.; Russell, W.;Smith, M.L Ecological units of the eastern United States - first approximation (cd-rom), Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. GIS coverage in ARCINFO format, selected imagery, and map unit tables. NatureServe NatureServe Central Databases. Arlington, Virginia. USA Reschke, Carol Ecological communities of New York State. New York Natural Heritage Program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Latham, NY. 96 pp. plus xi. New York Natural Heritage Program 625 Broadway, 5th Floor, Albany, NY Phone: (518) acris@nynhp.org This project is made possible with funding from: - New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Hudson River Estuary Program - Division of Lands & Forests, Department of Environmental Conservation - New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Information for this guide was last updated on Mar 10, 2017 This guide was authored by Aissa Feldmann NYNHP Conservation Guide - Boreal Heath Barrens 6