Moderate-High

Northern hardwood forests are diverse and widely distributed over a variety of sites from 800 to 3500 feet in elevation. Sites can range from dry-mesic to wet-mesic conditions and nutrient-poor to enriched glaciated or unglaciated soils. The highest elevations support sugar maple, yellow birch, and American beech, sometimes mixed with or dominated by eastern hemlock. Tulip tree, basswood, northern red oak, black cherry, and white pine are often found on moist and well-drained sites, with associates of beech, sugar maple, red maple, white ash, and grey and black (sweet) birch.

Situated on the Atlantic coastal plain, this type is located within hummock-and-hollow microtopography characterized by short-term regular flooding of saline water from streams and estuaries that provide enough fresh water (i.e., saline <0.5 parts per thousand) to support trees and shrubs. Soils are poorly drained slightly acidic tidal muck consisting of variable amounts of silt, clay and fine sands mixed with root-rich peats. Many examples are dominated by baldcypress, or by pumpkin ash and red maple or green ash and red maple.

These forests occur at higher elevations (generally above 1500 feet) and are generally dominated by red spruce and balsam fir. They may also contain northern hardwood species, such as yellow birch or sugar maple.

These forests typically have saturated soils, which may also be acidic or nutrient-poor. Conifer or mixed conifer-hardwood species include black spruce, red spruce, tamarack, balsam fir, eastern hemlock, and red maple.

These forests are dominated by northern species that include red spruce, white spruce, and balsam fir. Site are typically at lower elevations in cold pockets, depressions, or valley bottoms. Hardwood species, such as yellow birch and red maple, may also be present.

Stands are dominated by red pine. Some stands have an oak component in the understory and sometimes as a co-dominant.

Stands are in low-lying sites and are dominated primarily by black ash, red maple, American elm, or a mixture of these species.

Stands are dominated by quaking aspen, bigtooth aspen, paper birch, or balsam poplar. Some stands may have codominant tree species such as balsam fir or white spruce.

This forest ecosystem is a matrix of uplands and wetlands found along creeks, small streams, and medium rivers with low to moderately high gradients and oxbows. Common species include sycamore, red maple, silver maple, river birch, boxelder, eastern hemlock, black walnut, pawpaw, American hornbeam, and American elm.