Ash Management Guide for Private Forest Landowners
Ash Management Guide for Private Forest Landowners Ash Management Guide for Private Forest Landowners
Chapter 5The Native PlantCommunitiesForested RichPeatland SystemAsh in the ForestedRich Peatland SystemThe range(purple) ofForested RichPeatlands inMinnesota andthose that includeash (dots).Forested Rich Peatland (FP) forestsare dominated by conifers, tamarack,northern white cedar, black spruce,and balsam fir. They occur on organicsoils that are deep, actively formingpeat. Sphagnum moss is the principlepeat-forming plant, although the woodyremains of trees and shrubs contributesignificantly to peat volume. Peat formsbecause FP sites are continuously waterlogged.By comparison to the atmosphere,water offers very little of the oxygen thatis needed to decompose plant remains -thus the buildup of organic peat. Furthermore,Sphagnum moss depletes thegroundwater of its dissolved nutrients,leaving the site acidic and so poor thatthe site cannot sustain large populationsof decomposing microbes even thoughthere is a large supply of “food.” FP sitesare, in general, poor habitat for ash trees.Like many environments, ash seedlingsare fairly common, appearing in 31% ofall FP forests. But, the chances of growinginto a tree are slim – just 4% of FP forestsactually have ash trees and, when present,they account for only 4% of the trees.Achieving tree status probably occurs onmicrosites where the peat is thin enoughSurvey Recommendations: Forested Rich PeatlandsThere will be minimal effect on Forested Rich Peatland Systems because coniferswill continue to dominate these stands. Harvest when ground is frozen ordry; however, ash is too small a component of the forested rich peatland systemto manage for its replacement.Recommended replacement trees (as ranked by the experts):Forested Rich Peatland (north only): 10 out of 11 species• Black spruce• Tamarack• White cedar• Balsam fir• White spruce• American elm (DED resistant)• Paper birch• White pine• Quaking aspen• Red maple48
for ash roots to reach mineral soil. Nearlyall occurrence of ash on FP sites is blackash. Green ash is rare and white ashdoesn’t occur in the northern part of thestate where Minnesota has its peatlands.Diversity in FP forests is 40 species in400m 2 . Some rare plants and animals aredependent upon forested rich peatlandhabitat in Minnesota.Common Trees:• Tamarack• Northern white cedar• Black spruce• Balsam fir• Paper birch• Red maple• Black ashTall shrubs:• Rough alder• Bog birch• Red-osier dogwood• Alder-leaved buckthornHalf-shrubs:• Labrador tea• Creeping snowberry• Cranberries• Mountain fly honeysuckle• Red raspberry• Velvet-leaved blueberryFerns:• Marsh fern• Crested fern• Shield fernWildflowers:• Dwarf raspberry• False Solomon’s seal• Bunchberry• Naked miterwort• StarflowerPhoto: Joy Viola/Northeastern University, Bugwood.org• Goldthread• Canada mayflower• Cowslips• Twinflower• Tufted loosestrife• Sweet-scented bedstraw• Marsh cinquefoil• Water horehound• Red-stemmed aster• Marsh bellflower• Willow-herbs• Great water dockGrasses & Sedges:• Bluejoint• Fowl manna grass• Soft-leaved sedge• Bristle-stalked sedge• Three-fruited bog sedge• Interior sedge• Poor sedgeChapter 5The Native PlantCommunitiesForested RichPeatland SystemBunchberries areindicator plants of theForested Rich PeatlandSystem.49
- 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
- Page 23 and 24: igger, then ash is not the first ch
- 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
- Page 31 and 32: will likely reduce population build
- Page 33: Chapter 5The Native PlantCommunitie
- Page 36 and 37: Chapter 5The Native PlantCommunitie
- Page 39 and 40: Wet Forest: Dieback and declineEmer
- Page 42 and 43: Chapter 5The Native PlantCommunitie
- Page 44: Chapter 5The Native PlantCommunitie
- Page 49 and 50: Mesic hardwood forests have a diver
- Page 51: the invasion of undesirable plants
- 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
<strong>for</strong> ash roots to reach mineral soil. Nearlyall occurrence of ash on FP sites is blackash. Green ash is rare and white ashdoesn’t occur in the northern part of thestate where Minnesota has its peatlands.Diversity in FP <strong>for</strong>ests is 40 species in400m 2 . Some rare plants and animals aredependent upon <strong>for</strong>ested rich peatlandhabitat in Minnesota.Common Trees:• Tamarack• Northern white cedar• Black spruce• Balsam fir• Paper birch• Red maple• Black ashTall shrubs:• Rough alder• Bog birch• Red-osier dogwood• Alder-leaved buckthornHalf-shrubs:• Labrador tea• Creeping snowberry• Cranberries• Mountain fly honeysuckle• Red raspberry• Velvet-leaved blueberryFerns:• Marsh fern• Crested fern• Shield fernWildflowers:• Dwarf raspberry• False Solomon’s seal• Bunchberry• Naked miterwort• StarflowerPhoto: Joy Viola/Northeastern University, Bugwood.org• Goldthread• Canada mayflower• Cowslips• Twinflower• Tufted loosestrife• Sweet-scented bedstraw• Marsh cinquefoil• Water horehound• Red-stemmed aster• Marsh bellflower• Willow-herbs• Great water dockGrasses & Sedges:• Bluejoint• Fowl manna grass• Soft-leaved sedge• Bristle-stalked sedge• Three-fruited bog sedge• Interior sedge• Poor sedgeChapter 5The Native PlantCommunities<strong>Forest</strong>ed RichPeatland SystemBunchberries areindicator plants of the<strong>Forest</strong>ed Rich PeatlandSystem.49
Change language