Ash Management Guide for Private Forest Landowners
Ash Management Guide for Private Forest Landowners Ash Management Guide for Private Forest Landowners
Chapter 5The Native PlantCommunitiesWet Forest SystemAsh in the WetForest SystemGLOSSARYpure stands: Forest, crop, orstand composed principally ofone species, conventionally atleast 80 percent based onnumbers, basal areas, orvolume.Red-osier dogwood isan indicator of the WetForest System.The range(blue) of WetForests inMinnesota andthose that includeash (dots).Wet Forest (WF) communities occurcommonly in narrow zones along themargins of lakes, rivers, and peatlands;they also occur in shallow depressionsor other settings where the water table iswithin reach of plant roots. The suppliesof groundwater and runoff typically areat their peak early in the spring and thendiminish throughout the growing season.The contribution of runoff to these systemsis greatest in northeastern Minnesota;it lessens in the southwest to the pointwhere wet forests there are fed entirely byupwelling groundwater. Black ash acts likea hydrologic pump, lowering the watertable as summer progresses. The seasonalvariability in soil moisture is a hallmarkof the WF System. This variability controlsthe availability of the oxygen.This oxygen is essential for:• roots to respire;• decomposition of organic litter; and• release of nutrients in forms that areusable by plants.This physical environment is problematicfor most of Minnesota’s trees,except for ash and northern white cedar.Consequently, it is specifically these twospecies: ash and white cedar, that tendto dominate WF sites. Oftentimes, theyare found as pure stands of those species.All plant communities designatedas “WF” sites have some ash regeneration,and over 75% have ash trees in thecanopy. Black ash is the WF specialist,occurring in 69% of all wet forests, andthe average stand is 36% black ash trees.Common Trees:• Black ash• Northern white cedar• Green ash• Balsam firPhoto: Paul Wray/Iowa State University, Bugwood.org32
• American elm• Red mapleUnderstory species:• Rough alder• Mountain maple• Beaked hazelnut• Red-osier dogwood• Swamp red current• Red raspberryGreen ash occurs in 9% of wet forestsand comprises 11% of the trees whenpresent. White ash does not occur inwet forests. In addition to ash and cedar,wet forests are usually mixed (83%) withsome other trees. Balsam fir, Americanelm, and red maple are the most importantspecies to also occur in wet forests.The ground in wet forests is coveredwith a luxurious growth of herbaceousplants that is usually dominated by eitherferns or grass-like plants.Herbaceous plants:• Lady fern• Oak fern• Shield fern• Crested fern• Woodland horsetailGrasses & Sedges:• Bluejoint grass• Graceful sedge• Bristle-stalked sedge• Bladder sedge• Long-stalked sedge• Awl-fruited sedgeWildflowers:There are two distinct seasons forwildflowers in wet forests – springand fall.In the spring, plants adapted towaterlogged soils thrive. Most noticeableare the yellow cowslips that definethe extent of wet forests on the landscapeand lend the first blush of color toa brown world recovering from winter.Annual plants that have waited all seasonfor the soils to dry can dominate the fallwet forest. The most common are:• Jewel weed• Beggar’s ticks• Dwarf raspberry• Naked miterwort• Alpine enchanter’s nightshade• Sweet-scented bedstraw• Common strawberry• Canada mayflower• Bunchberry• Water horehound• Goldthread• Red-stemmed asterPhoto: J.C. LucierWet forests are Minnesota’s mostdiverse kind of forest. On average, 50 differentspecies of plants can be found inan area the size of an urban back yard; itis not uncommon to find more than 100species. There are three reasons for thisdiversity. First, wet forests are often linearinclusions in uplands and some terrestrialplants find refuge in the driest habitatsavailable in wet forests, but many wetforest plants can’t tolerate upland conditions.Second, wet logs, pools of water,Lady fernChapter 5The Native PlantCommunitiesWet Forest System33
- Page 3 and 4: We gratefully acknowledge Melvin Ba
- Page 5 and 6: Table of ContentsChapter 1A History
- Page 7 and 8: The Delphi Survey ProcessThe Univer
- Page 9: The Emerald Ash Borer & Chestnut Bl
- Page 12 and 13: Chapter 1A History of Minnesota’s
- Page 14 and 15: Chapter 2MinnesotaAsh SpeciesIdenti
- Page 16 and 17: How to tell an ash from an ashIdent
- Page 19 and 20: Chapter 3Ash: A 21stCentury Resourc
- Page 21 and 22: Ash wood has been gathered and shap
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- Page 25 and 26: Photo by Pennsylvania Department of
- Page 27 and 28: Chapter 4The EmeraldAsh BorerA litt
- Page 29 and 30: feed on ash leaves for a few weeks
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- Page 39 and 40: Wet Forest: Dieback and declineEmer
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- Page 49 and 50: Mesic hardwood forests have a diver
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- Page 53 and 54: for ash roots to reach mineral soil
- Page 55 and 56: and re-colonize a burned landscape.
- Page 57: A general overview of ash species d
- Page 61 and 62: Survey Recommendations: WildlifeUnt
- Page 63 and 64: Chapter 7Other Implicationsof EAB a
- Page 65 and 66: Windthrow MortalityAll hardwood for
- Page 67 and 68: • Create conditions favorable for
- Page 69 and 70: Appendix BQuestions & Answers about
- Page 71 and 72: Appendix CMinnesota Department of N
- Page 73 and 74: GLOSSARYabiotic: Nonliving parts of
• American elm• Red mapleUnderstory species:• Rough alder• Mountain maple• Beaked hazelnut• Red-osier dogwood• Swamp red current• Red raspberryGreen ash occurs in 9% of wet <strong>for</strong>estsand comprises 11% of the trees whenpresent. White ash does not occur inwet <strong>for</strong>ests. In addition to ash and cedar,wet <strong>for</strong>ests are usually mixed (83%) withsome other trees. Balsam fir, Americanelm, and red maple are the most importantspecies to also occur in wet <strong>for</strong>ests.The ground in wet <strong>for</strong>ests is coveredwith a luxurious growth of herbaceousplants that is usually dominated by eitherferns or grass-like plants.Herbaceous plants:• Lady fern• Oak fern• Shield fern• Crested fern• Woodland horsetailGrasses & Sedges:• Bluejoint grass• Graceful sedge• Bristle-stalked sedge• Bladder sedge• Long-stalked sedge• Awl-fruited sedgeWildflowers:There are two distinct seasons <strong>for</strong>wildflowers in wet <strong>for</strong>ests – springand fall.In the spring, plants adapted towaterlogged soils thrive. Most noticeableare the yellow cowslips that definethe extent of wet <strong>for</strong>ests on the landscapeand lend the first blush of color toa brown world recovering from winter.Annual plants that have waited all season<strong>for</strong> the soils to dry can dominate the fallwet <strong>for</strong>est. The most common are:• Jewel weed• Beggar’s ticks• Dwarf raspberry• Naked miterwort• Alpine enchanter’s nightshade• Sweet-scented bedstraw• Common strawberry• Canada mayflower• Bunchberry• Water horehound• Goldthread• Red-stemmed asterPhoto: J.C. LucierWet <strong>for</strong>ests are Minnesota’s mostdiverse kind of <strong>for</strong>est. On average, 50 differentspecies of plants can be found inan area the size of an urban back yard; itis not uncommon to find more than 100species. There are three reasons <strong>for</strong> thisdiversity. First, wet <strong>for</strong>ests are often linearinclusions in uplands and some terrestrialplants find refuge in the driest habitatsavailable in wet <strong>for</strong>ests, but many wet<strong>for</strong>est plants can’t tolerate upland conditions.Second, wet logs, pools of water,Lady fernChapter 5The Native PlantCommunitiesWet <strong>Forest</strong> System33
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