Vegetation Environmental

Picea mariana and Larix laricina are codominant and compose an overstory of 20%. Picea are the oldest trees, and the average age of this type is 194 years. Both Larix and Picea seedlings occur. The shrub stratum has a cover of 65% composed of Betula nana (25% cover), Salix planifolia ssp. pulchra (5% cover), Ledum palustre (30% cover) and Vaccinium uliginosum (25% cover). Chamaedaphne calyculata, Alnus crispa and Spiraea beauverdiana are occasional associates. Empetrum nigrum, Carex bigelowii and Vaccinium vitis-idaea each have 25% cover in the herbaceous stratum. Equisetum silvaticum and Rubus chamaemorus have 10% cover values. Arctagrostis latifolia var. arundinacea and Eriophorum vaginatum ssp. vaginatum are occasional associates. Sphagnum species, Pleurozium schreberi, Polytrichum strictum, Nephroma arcticum and Cladonia rangiferina have 75%, 10%, 10%, 5%, and 10% cover values respectively in the nonvascular layer.

This type C4 is found in the Tanana lowland at an average altitude of 309 meters. It most commonly occurs on alluvial/colluvial deposits (46%) but may also occur on glacial/fluvial substrates (26%), older moraines (17%), eolian deposits (5%) or lacustrine deposits (5%). The average slope is 2% with an exposure of 195 degrees. The slope ranges from 0% to 6%. The elevation of plots ranges from 198 to 479 meters, and the mean elevation is 309 meters.