mapping plant alliances of the fort custer training center

Mapping Plant Alliances of the Fort Custer Training Center

Prepared by:Steve A. Thomas, Joshua G. Cohen, and Helen D. Enander

Michigan Natural Features InventoryP.O. Box 30444

Lansing, MI 48909-7944

For:Fort Custer Training Center

Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs

September 30, 2009

Report Number 2009-10

Suggested Citation: Thomas, S.A., Cohen, J.G., and H.D. Enander. 2009. Mapping Plant Alliances of the Fort CusterTraining Center. Michigan Natural Features Inventory, Report Number 2009-10, Lansing, MI. 35 pp.

Copyright 2009 Michigan State University Board of Trustees. Michigan State University Extension programs andmaterials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs,sexual orientation, marital status, or family status.

Cover photo: White Oak - (Northern Red Oak, Hickory species) Forest Alliance surrounding kettle depression wetlandwith Common Buttonbush Semipermanently Flooded Shrubland Alliance (foreground) and Leatherleaf Saturated Dwarf-shrubland Alliance (Photo by Steve A. Thomas).

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................1STUDY AREA.............................................................................................................1

Ecoregional Context............................................................................................1Historical Context............................................................................................1

METHODS........................................................................................3RESULTS................................................................................................................3DISCUSSION................................................................................................................10CONCLUSION................................................................................................................11ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..........................................................................................11REFERENCES..............................................................................................................11

TABLESTable 1. Plant alliances of the Fort Custer Training Center..................................................8

FIGURESFigure 1. Ecoregions of southern Lower Michigan...........................................................2Figure 2. Glacial landforms of Fort Custer.......................................................................4Figure 3. Vegetation circa 1800 of Fort Custer..................................................................5Figure 4. 1938 black-and-white aerial imagery of Fort Custer.............................................6Figure 5. 1998 color infrared aerial imagery of Fort Custer.................................................7Figure 6. Plant alliances of Fort Custer.............................................................................9

APPENDICESAppendix 1. Field descriptions of plant alliances from Fort Custer...................................13Appendix 2. Photographs of plant alliances from Fort Custer...........................................19

Mapping Plant Alliances of the Fort Custer Training Center, Page 1

INTRODUCTIONEfforts to conserve biological diversity and managenatural resources have often focused on protecting andmanaging natural communities. Natural communitiesconstitute the habitat in which species interact withbiotic and abiotic components and provide the criticalecosystem functions (e.g., nutrient cycling) on which alllife depends. In the past, protection and management ofnatural communities at regional and national levels hasbeen complicated by the lack of consistent definitionsfor many natural community types. The U.S. NationalVegetation Classification (USNVC) provides astandardized classification system of naturalcommunities for the U.S. that allows natural vegetationtypes to be consistently classified and mapped acrossadministrative and political boundaries (Anderson et al.1998, Grossman et al. 1998, Faber-Langendoen 2001,Rapp et al. 2005). Because the USNVC is hierarchical,it allows vegetation to be classified and mapped atmultiple scales, thus facilitating comparisons amongsites at the local, regional, and national levels.Applications of the USNVC, such as regionalassessments of conservation and restoration needsoften require mapping vegetation to the plant alliancelevel. Plant alliances are based upon dominant ordiagnostic plant species in the uppermost vegetationstrata and their link to fundamental environmentalattributes (Grossman et al. 1998).

The benefits of using a consistent hierarchically basedvegetation classification system such as the USNVCare numerous. For example, it enables comparisons ofecological community richness (number of communitiesin a given area) and variability across regions andadministrative boundaries; it provides information on thegeographic distribution of community types; and it helpselucidate relationships between natural communities andecological processes and disturbance regimes(Grossman et al. 1998). A detailed map of plantalliances at Fort Custer Training Center (FCTC) willfacilitate a more thorough understanding of itsecosystems and its importance to regional biodiversity.In addition, it will provide land managers with a usefultool for setting conservation and stewardship prioritiesand monitoring changes in the vegetation, and it willhelp facilitate communication with other agencies.

In 2009 the Michigan Natural Features Inventory(MNFI) created a digital map of plant alliances atFCTC. This work involved a combination of natural

community interpretation, GIS modeling, aerialphotograph interpretation, extensive ground truthing, andmap production. This report provides description of themethods employed to develop FCTC’s plant alliancemap, results, summary of findings, and discussion of themap’s limitations and applications.

STUDY AREAFort Custer Training Center is located between thecities of Battle Creek and Kalamazoo in thesouthwestern Lower Michigan. Approximately two-thirds of its land area lies in Kalamazoo County, and theremainder lies to the east in Calhoun County (Figure 1).FCTC includes all or portions of T1S, R9W Section 36;T1S, R8W Section 31; T2S, R9W Sections 1, 10, 11, 12,13, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, and 24; and T2S, R8WSections 6, 7, 17, 18, 19, and 20. Its 7,570 acres of landare leased by the Department of Military and VeteransAffairs (DMVA) from the Federal Government.

Ecoregional ContextFort Custer Training Center is located within the BattleCreek Outwash Plain Sub-subsection (VI.2.1) of theKalamazoo Interlobate Subsection (VI.2) of the regionallandscape ecosystems as described by Albert (1995)(Figure 1). This Sub-subsection lies within a 225-320 m(750-1050 ft) range of elevation and is underlain byMississippian-age shale (Albert 1995). The BattleCreek Outwash Plain contains relatively broad and flatoutwash plains, and steeper hill slopes and ridgesderived from ice-contact deposits and ground moraine(Figure 2) (Farrand and Bell 1982). Lakes and wetlandsfrequently occur on the outwash plain and in kettledepressions within moraines (Albert 1995, Lee et al.2002). Average annual precipitation is approximately 89cm (35 in) (NRCS 2008). The Great Lake influence onthe climate of FCTC is buffered by an approximatedistance of 64 km (40 miles) from Lake Michigan’sshore, and most precipitation is associated with passingcold fronts or air mass instability rather than lake-effectshowers. The growing season is about 151 days andaverage extreme annual minimum temperature is -23º C(9 Fº) (Albert 1995, Legge et al. 1995).

Historical ConditionsCirca 1800 vegetation types of the Battle CreekOutwash Plain Sub-subsection are mapped as oak-hickory forest, mixed oak forest, beech-sugar mapleforest, oak savanna, oak openings, and prairie in uplandareas, and mixed hardwood swamp, mixed conifer


Figure 1. Ecoregions of Southern Lower Michigan (Albert 1995). Fort Custer Training Center occurs within theBattle Creek Outwash Plain Sub-subsection (VI.2.1) of the Kalamazoo Interlobate Subsection (VI.2).


swamp, wet prairie, lakes, bogs, and shrub swamp/emergent marsh in wetland areas (Figure 3) (Comer etal. 1995). The distributions of these communities wereestablished by patterns of surface fire, hydrology,topography, and Native American activities. WithinFCTC, oak-hickory forest was often on hill slopes andridges, and was the predominant mapped cover type(approximately 60%) (Figure 3). Oak openings or mixedoak savanna were often mapped on flat to gently rollinguplands, and covered approximately 25% of FCTC.Throughout FCTC, scattered wetlands occur in drain-age ways or depressions. Most wetlands were mappedas mixed hardwood swamps (often within narrowerdrainage channels) or shrub swamp/emergent marshes(often within broader drainage channels), but smallareas of bog and lake were also mapped within depres-sions (Comer et al. 1995, Legge et al. 1995).

METHODSMichigan Natural Features Inventory staff conductedaerial photograph interpretation of 1938 black-and-whiteaerial imagery (1938 black and white panchromatic film,1:20,000, National Archives and RecordsAdministration) (Figure 4), 1998 color infrared aerialimagery (1998 Digital Orthophoto County Mosaics, leafoff, 1:12,000, 1 m pixel Michigan DNR) (Figure 5), 2005color aerial imagery (2005 NAIP Digital OrthophotoCounty Mosaics, leaf on, 1:12,000, 1 m pixel MichiganDNR), and 2005 black-and-white high resolution (1 ftpixel) aerial imagery (State of Michigan and KalamazooCounty). In addition, digitized topographic maps(1:24,000 USGS georeferenced Digital Raster Graphicsquadrangles in 8 bit TIFF file format, Michigan DNR)were inspected. Areas with unique aerial color, patternsignatures, and/or slope positions were visited,geographically recorded with GPS, described in thefield, and digitized using GIS. At least five points werevisited within each full quarter-section (160-acre squareblock) occurring within FCTC.

Areas with natural vegetation were grouped into plantalliances based upon field and alliance descriptions(NatureServe 2009). In addition to field descriptions,circa 1800 vegetation maps (Comer et al. 1995), priorMNFI surveys on FCTC, and previously mappednatural community element occurrences (Legge et al1995, Cohen et al. 2009, MNFI 2009) were reviewed tohelp determine appropriate plant alliances. Areas withanthropogenically disturbed vegetation, for which plant

alliances are inapplicable, were grouped into “disturbedunits” based upon similarity of condition. Three classesof disturbed units were identified: “field”, “developed”,and “potential plant alliance”. “Fields” were areas thatwere likely cleared and farmed and have remainedopen, many as military firing ranges or training grounds.“Developed” areas include barracks, training facilities,gravel pits, and extensively paved areas (i.e., parkinglots). Areas which had severe anthropogenicdisturbance (e.g., areas converted to row crop) thathave since developed a tree or shrub canopy have beenmapped as “potential plant alliance.” Historical aerialimagery (i.e., from 1938) was used to separate areas ofnatural plant alliance, which often appear wooded in1938 photos, from areas of potential plant alliance,which appear open in 1938 photos. Large areas of openwater were grouped into an “open water” categorywhile smaller areas of water surrounded by forest wereincluded in a “vernal wetland” unit.

Map features were digitized using ESRI ArcMap 9.2software (Environmental Systems Research Institute,2006). Areas of similar alliance type were delineatedmanually onscreen using a backdrop of the digital datamentioned previously, and a nominal minimum mappingunit of approximately > 0.5 acres.

RESULTSA total of 21 plant alliances and three disturbed unitswere identified at FCTC, and two additional categoriesof “vernal wetland” and “open water” were utilized(Table 1, Figure 6). Natural plant alliances occur onapproximately 27 % of FCTC. Among those areascontaining plant alliances, the seven upland alliancesand 16 wetland alliances (including open water andvernal wetland) cover approximately 17 % and 10 % ofthe site, respectively. By far the most common plantalliance at FCTC is the White Oak - (Northern RedOak, Hickory species) Forest Alliance (Photograph 1 inAppendix II), which constitutes approximately 12 % ofFCTC and 70 % of all areas ascribable to an uplandalliance. Among the 16 wetland alliance types,distribution was more even. The most extensive wetlandalliance was the Black Ash - Red Maple SaturatedForest Alliance (Photograph 10 in Appendix II), whichaccounted for 3 % of FCTC and containedapproximately 27 % of all wetland acreage. Red-osierDogwood - Willow species Seasonally FloodedShrubland Alliance and Tussock Sedge Seasonally


Fig

ure

2. G

laci

al la

ndfo

rms

of th

e F

ort C

uste

r T

rain

ing

Cen

ter

(Far

rand

and

Bel

l 198

2).

.


Fig

ure

3. V

eget

atio

n ci

rca

1800

of

the

For

t Cus

ter

Tra

inin

g C

ente

r an

d su

rrou

ndin

g ar

ea (

Com

er e

t al.

1995

).


Fig

ure

4. 1

938

blac

k-an

d-w

hite

aer

ial i

mag

ery

of th

e F

ort C

uste

r T

rain

ing

Cen

ter.


Fig

ure

5. 1

998

colo

r in

frar

ed a

eria

l im

ager

y of

the

For

t Cus

ter

Tra

inin

g C

ente

r.

Fo

rt C

uste

r 19

98 C

olo

r In

fra

red

Aeri

al P

ho

to

01

20.5

Miles

01

20.5

Kilom

ete

rs


All

ian

ce C

om

mon

Nam

e o

r [

Non

-All

ian

ce N

am

e]

All

ian

ce C

od

eM

NF

I N

atu

ral

Com

mu

nit

yA

creage

Percen

t A

rea

Litt

le B

lues

tem

- Y

ello

w I

ndia

ngra

ss H

erba

ceou

s A

llian

ceA

.119

8D

ry-m

esic

Pra

irie

0.

360.

00B

ig B

lues

tem

- (

Yel

low

Ind

iang

rass

) H

erba

ceou

s A

llian

ceA

.119

2M

esic

San

d Pr

airi

e2.

570.

03B

ur O

ak -

(W

hite

Oak

) W

oode

d H

erba

ceou

s A

llian

ceA

.149

1B

ur O

ak P

lain

s25

.61

0.34

Bla

ck O

ak -

(N

orth

ern

Pin

Oak

) W

oode

d H

erba

ceou

s A

llian

ceA

.149

2O

ak B

arre

ns10

0.77

1.34

Whi

te O

ak -

(N

orth

ern

Red

Oak

, Hic

kory

spe

cies

) Fo

rest

A

llian

ceA

.239

Dry

-mes

ic S

outh

ern

Fore

st88

3.84

11.7

9A

mer

ican

Bee

ch -

Sug

ar M

aple

- (

Tul

iptr

ee)

Fore

st A

llian

ceA

.227

Mes

ic S

outh

ern

Fore

st

39.5

50.

53N

orth

ern

Red

Oak

- (

Suga

r M

aple

) Fo

rest

Alli

ance

A.2

51M

esic

Sou

ther

n Fo

rest

21

6.93

2.89

[Ver

nal W

etla

nd]

NA

NA

1.55

0.02

Pin

Oak

- (

Swam

p W

hite

Oak

) Se

ason

ally

Flo

oded

For

est

Alli

ance

A.3

29W

et-m

esic

Fla

twoo

ds13

.05

0.17

Gre

en A

sh -

Am

eric

an E

lm -

(C

omm

on H

ackb

erry

, Sug

arbe

rry)

T

empo

rari

ly F

lood

ed F

ores

t Alli

ance

A.2

86Fl

oodp

lain

For

est

33.5

20.

45B

lack

Ash

- R

ed M

aple

Sat

urat

ed F

ores

t Alli

ance

A.3

47So

uthe

rn H

ardw

ood

Swam

p 20

7.02

2.76

Red

Map

le -

Gre

en A

sh S

easo

nally

Flo

oded

For

est A

llian

ceA

.316

Sout

hern

Har

dwoo

d Sw

amp

22.4

80.

30T

amar

ack

Satu

rate

d Fo

rest

Alli

ance

A

.349

Ric

h T

amar

ack

Swam

p1.

080.

01

Red

-osi

er D

ogw

ood

- W

illow

spe

cies

Sea

sona

lly F

lood

ed

Shru

blan

d A

llian

ceA

.989

Sout

hern

Shr

ub-c

arr

134.

531.

79

Com

mon

But

tonb

ush

Sem

iper

man

ently

Flo

oded

Shr

ubla

nd

Alli

ance

A

.101

1In

unda

ted

Shru

b Sw

amp

23.7

70.

32L

eath

erle

af S

atur

ated

Dw

arf-

shru

blan

d A

llian

ceA

.109

2B

og11

.19

0.15

Shru

bby-

cinq

uefo

il / (

Yel

low

Sed

ge, I

nlan

d Se

dge,

Wir

egra

ss

Sedg

e, S

teri

le S

edge

) Sa

tura

ted

Shru

b H

erba

ceou

s A

llian

ceA

.156

2Pr

airi

e Fe

n32

.98

0.44

Skun

k-ca

bbag

e -

Yel

low

Mar

sh-m

arig

old

Satu

rate

d H

erba

ceou

s A

llian

ce

A.1

694

Sout

hern

Wet

Mea

dow

17

.33

0.23

Tus

sock

Sed

ge S

easo

nally

Flo

oded

Her

bace

ous

Alli

ance

(no

n-is

olat

ed, f

ree

drai

ning

)A

.139

7So

uthe

rn W

et M

eado

w

105.

571.

41

Tus

sock

Sed

ge S

easo

nally

Flo

oded

Her

bace

ous

Alli

ance

(i

sola

ted,

inun

date

d)A

.139

7So

uthe

rn W

et M

eado

w o

r E

mer

gent

Mar

sh32

.28

0.43

(Nar

row

leaf

Cat

tail,

Bro

adle

af C

atta

il) -

(C

lubr

ush

spec

ies)

Se

mip

erm

anen

tly F

lood

ed H

erba

ceou

s A

llian

ceA

.143

6E

mer

gent

Mar

sh48

.16

0.64

Am

eric

an W

hite

Wat

er-l

ily -

Yel

low

Pon

d-lil

y sp

ecie

s Pe

rman

ently

Flo

oded

Tem

pera

te H

erba

ceou

s A

llian

ceA

.198

4Su

bmer

gent

Mar

sh18

.21

0.24

[Ope

n W

ater

]N

AN

A72

.25

0.96

[Pot

entia

l Pla

nt A

llian

ce]

NA

NA

4721

.68

62.9

7[F

ield

]N

AN

A55

8.92

7.45

[Dev

elop

ed]

NA

NA

172.

672.

30

Tab

le 1

. Acr

eage

of

plan

t all

ianc

es o

f th

e F

ort C

uste

r T

rain

ing

Cen

ter

and

cros

swal

k to

MN

FI

natu

ral c

omm

unni

ty c

lass

ific

atio

n.


01

20.5

Miles

01

20.5

Kilom

ete

rs

Fo

rt C

uste

r

Ve

geta

tio

n A

llia

nces

Insta

lla

tio

n B

oun

dary

Alliance

Little

Blu

este

m -

Ye

llo

w I

nd

ian

gra

ss H

erb

aceo

us A

llia

nce

Big

Blu

este

m -

(Y

ello

w In

dia

ngra

ss)

He

rba

ce

ou

s A

llia

nce

Bu

r O

ak -

(W

hite O

ak)

Wo

ode

d H

erb

aceo

us A

llia

nce

Bla

ck O

ak -

(N

ort

he

rn P

in O

ak)

Wo

ode

d H

erb

aceo

us A

llia

nce

Wh

ite

Oak -

(N

ort

hern

Re

d O

ak,

Hic

kory

spe

cie

s)

Fo

rest A

llia

nce

Am

erica

n B

ee

ch

- S

ug

ar

Ma

ple

- (

Tu

liptr

ee

) F

ore

st A

llia

nce

[Ve

rna

l W

etla

nd

]

Pin

Oa

k -

(S

wam

p W

hite

Oa

k)

Sea

so

na

lly F

lood

ed F

ore

st A

llia

nce

Gre

en

Ash

- A

me

rican

Elm

- (

Com

mo

n H

ackbe

rry, S

uga

rbe

rry)

Te

mpo

rari

ly F

loo

de

d F

ore

st A

llia

nce

Red

Ma

ple

- G

ree

n A

sh S

ea

son

ally F

loo

ded

Fo

rest A

llia

nce

Tam

ara

ck S

atu

rate

d F

ore

st A

llia

nce

Red

-osie

r D

ogw

ood

- W

illo

w s

pecie

s S

easo

nally F

loo

de

d S

hru

bla

nd

Allia

nce

Com

mo

n B

utto

nbu

sh

Sem

iperm

ane

ntly F

lood

ed S

hru

bla

nd A

llia

nce

Sh

rub

by-c

inq

ue

foil /

(Y

ellow

Se

dg

e, In

land

Sed

ge,

Wire

gra

ss S

ed

ge

, S

teri

le S

edg

e)

Sa

tura

ted

Sh

rub

He

rba

ce

ou

s A

llia

nce

Sku

nk-c

ab

ba

ge -

Ye

llow

Mars

h-m

ari

go

ld S

atu

rate

d H

erb

ace

ou

s A

llia

nce

Tussock S

ed

ge

Sea

so

na

lly F

lood

ed H

erb

ace

ous A

llia

nce

(no

n-iso

late

d f

ree

dra

inin

g)

Tussock S

ed

ge

Sea

so

na

lly F

lood

ed H

erb

ace

ous A

llia

nce

(is

ola

ted,

inu

nda

ted

)

(Na

rro

wle

af

Catt

ail,

Bro

adle

af

Ca

tta

il)

- (C

lub

rush

sp

ecie

s)

Se

mip

erm

an

en

tly F

loo

de

d H

erb

aceo

us A

llia

nce

Am

erica

n W

hite W

ate

r-lily

- Y

ellow

Po

nd

-lily s

pecie

s P

erm

ane

ntly F

loo

de

d T

em

pera

te H

erb

aceo

us A

llia

nce

[Op

en W

ate

r]

[Fie

ld]

[Develo

pe

d]

[Po

ten

tial P

lant A

llia

nce

]

Le

ath

erl

ea

f S

atu

rate

d D

wa

rf-s

hru

bla

nd

Allia

nce

Nort

hern

Re

d O

ak -

(S

ug

ar

Map

le)

Fore

st A

llia

nce

Bla

ck A

sh

- R

ed

Ma

ple

Satu

rate

d F

ore

st A

llia

nce

Fig

ure

6. P

lant

all

ianc

es o

f th

e F

ort C

uste

r T

rain

ing

Cen

ter.


Flooded Herbaceous Alliance both account forapproximately 17% of all wetland area. Isolated,inundated depressions containing occurrences of theTussock Sedge Seasonally Flooded HerbaceousAlliance appeared to have significantly differentvegetation than those occurrences in non-isolated, free-draining contexts; therefore this single alliance was splitinto two subunits on both the table and map (Table 1,Figure 6). Disturbed units contain areas of developedland, open field, and potential plant alliance, which holdapproximately 2 %, 7 %, and 63 % respectively, ofFCTC’s total acreage. Field descriptions andphotographs of all alliances and mapped types found atFCTC are presented in Appendices I and II,respectively.

DISCUSSIONA plant alliance map of FCTC can provide numerousbenefits. Alliance mapping can facilitate standardizedand hierarchical assessment of ecological communityrichness, distribution, and extent across multiple spatialand temporal scales. It can play a role in a nationaleffort to map alliances. Such national efforts are ofcritical importance for conservation of locally rare andglobally rare communities (e.g., oak savanna), forproviding more accurate assessments of communityextent and distribution, for assessing the success ofrestoration efforts, and for establishing conservation andstewardship priorities. Alliance maps can serve as amonitoring tool at the local scale. For example, asecosystem management practices continue at FCTC,areas now mapped as potential plant alliance may shifttoward natural plant alliances. Periodic re-mapping ofalliances may serve as a coarse tool to track thischange through time.

The effort to develop a plant alliance map of FCTC canyield valuable lessons for similar projects. For example,not all alliance boundaries are clearly discernable onexisting aerial photography, and efforts to map similarlandscapes should take this into account and include aground truthing component to enhance the accuracy ofthe map product. Boundaries between alliances wererelatively discernable when the alliance combinationstended to be those with completely different moisturelevels (such as wetland versus upland) orphysiognomies (such as forested versus herbaceousversus open water). In contrast, those alliances withsimilar physiognomies and/or intergrading moisturelevels (such as adjacent upland forests representing two

different alliances) often looked very similar remotelyand could not be separated from imagery color orpattern alone. Also, alliance units which are small (e.g.,less than one acre) could not be reliably interpretedfrom aerial and/or topographic map imagery due toresolution of the data. Therefore, the smaller theacreage of a given alliance unit at FCTC, the less likelyit is to be shown on the map. In general, the mostdiscernable plant alliances are those that have uniqueaerial photographic signatures and/or those that occuron discrete landscape features. Few alliances at FCTChad fully unique aerial photographic signatures. Bogs(Leatherleaf Saturated Dwarf-shrubland Alliance),which have a unique reddish hue on color infraredphotographs and occur within kettle depressions, can bemapped with reasonable accuracy using aerial imageryand topographic maps. In summary, coarse plantalliance mapping can be conducted with aerial imagery,but precise determination and delineation of mostalliance types and boundaries requires mapping orsurveying in the field.

Extensive anthropogenic disturbance at FCTCcontributed to the challenge of mapping plant alliances.Every area within FCTC has probably been altered tosome degree from its Presettlement character.Alterations have occurred and occur because humanactivities have altered and continue to alter naturalcommunities. These activities have included or includecrop production, livestock grazing, hydrologic alteration(i.e., draining for agriculture), logging, burning, firesuppression, and hunting. Alterations can cause theplant alliance of a given area to shift towards anotherplant alliance, or in the case of severe and sustaineddisturbance, towards an anthropogenically disturbedsystem. For example, several decades of firesuppression of Black Oak - (Northern Pin Oak)Wooded Herbaceous Alliance (oak barrens) can causeits species composition to shift toward White Oak -(Northern Red Oak, Hickory species) Forest Alliance(dry-mesic southern forest). Many areas viewed duringground truthing in FCTC appeared to have shifted dueto repeated land uses over the decades since Europeansettlement. Regardless of alliance shifts that haveoccurred, MNFI attempted to map existing plantalliances, rather than map those which were thought tohave occurred in years prior.

By acreage, the largest category on the map is thepotential plant alliance (Table 1, Figure 6). Potential


plant alliances are typically areas which were originallywooded (i.e., forest, savanna, or barrens) but werecleared for agriculture. These areas now contain nativeand/or non-native trees. Regardless of tree composition,they have in common relatively young stand age (e.g.,less than 60 years old) and relatively disturbedgroundlayer species composition, including a significantcomponent of non-native invasive shrubs. Potential plantalliances are believed to have the capacity to mature orrevert to natural plant alliances over time, dependingupon sustained management. A regiment of continuedperiodic prescribed burning and invasive species control,for example, may allow many acres of potential plantalliance to shift toward the White Oak - (Northern RedOak, Hickory species) Forest Alliance and the BlackOak - (Northern Pin Oak) Wooded HerbaceousAlliance.

Finally one should be aware of inherent limitations ofthe USNVC’s plant alliance classification system.Alliance descriptions encompass large geographicregions and numerous local plant associations. Whilethis broad approach facilitates regional communicationand comparison, alliance descriptions alone do notaddress local attributes and variability. Thus, while anunderstanding of the natural communities at FCTC canbe enhanced by a review of alliance descriptions, thesedescriptions should not be used as uniform substitutesfor other local sources of information, such as state-wide natural community classification systems orobservations of the natural communities themselves.

CONCLUSIONAs a result of this mapping project, we suggest thatcoarse-level mapping of the alliances of the FCTC areacan be conducted through aerial photographinterpretation in conjunction with ground-truthing. Thismethodology is fairly accurate for mapping boundariesbetween alliances with contrasting cover types ormoisture levels, but provides only approximate resultsfor boundaries between closely related or superficiallysimilar alliances. For higher accuracy alliance mappingwe recommend field mapping, delineation, and/orsurveying. Finally should FCTC desire a more detaileddescription and understanding of plant communitiespresent than is supplied through alliance descriptions,we recommend the development of detailed naturalcommunity descriptions through more intensive andsystematic field inspections.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSFunding for this project was generously provided by agrant from the Michigan Department of Military andVeterans Affairs. We are grateful for help provided byDMVA staff, especially Michele Richards, JohnMitchell, and Greg Huntington. Special thanks are dueto SFC Todd Vandeven, MSG Lester Alcook, SFCDerek Quinn, and SFC John Marietta at FCTC RangeControl for accommodating our field work and keepingus out of harm’s way. We appreciate the efforts ofMNFI staff Michael Kost and Phyllis Higman for inputon project design and management. Map production andreport formatting where facilitated by contributionsfrom numerous MNFI staff including Edward Schools,Rebbeca Rogers, and Kraig Korroch. We would alsolike to thank MNFI’s administrative team Sue Ridge,Connie Brinson, Nancy Toben, Brian Klatt and Yu ManLee for all their hard work.

REFERENCESAlbert, D.A. 1995. Regional landscape ecosystems of

Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin: A workingmap and classification. USDA, Forest Service,North Central Forest Experiment Station, St. Paul,MN.

Anderson, M., P. Bourgeroln, M.T. Bryer, R. Crawford,L. Engelking, D. Faber-Langendoen, M. Gallyoun,K. Goodin, D.H. Grossman, S. Landaal, K. Metzler,K.D. Patterson, M. Pyne, M. Reid, L. Sneddon, andA.S. Weakley. 1998. International classification ofecological communities: Terrestrial vegetation of theUnited States. Volume II. The National VegetationClassification Systems: List of types. The NatureConservancy, Arlington, Virginia, USA.

Cohen, J.G., R.P. O’Connor, B.J. Barton, D.L. Cuthrell,P.J. Higman, and H.D. Enander. 2009. Fort CusterVegetation and Natural Features Survey. MichiganNatural Feature Inventory Report Number 2009-04.Lansing, MI. 47 pp.

Comer, P.J., D.A. Albert, H.A. Wells, B.L. Hart, J.B.Raab, D.L. Price, D.M. Kashian, R.A. Corner, andD.W. Schuen. 1995. Vegetation circa 1800 ofMichigan. Michigan’s Native Landscape: AsInterpreted from the General Land Office Surveys1816-1856. Michigan Natural Features Inventory.Lansing, MI. 78 pp. + digital map.


Faber-Langendoen, D., ed. 2001. Plant communities ofthe Midwest: Classification in an ecological context.Association for Biodiversity Information, Arlington,VA. 61 pp. + appendix (705 pp.).

Farrand, W.R., and D.L. Bell. 1982. QuaternaryGeology of Michigan. State of MichiganDepartment of Natural Resources, GeologicalSurvey, Map (color).

Grossman D.H., D. Faber-Langendoen, A.S. Weakley,M. Anderson, P. Bourgeron, R. Crawford, K.Goodin, S. Landaal, K. Metzler, K.D. Patterson, M.Pyne, M. Reid, and L. Sneddon. 1998. Internationalclassification of ecological communities: Terrestrialvegetation of the United States. Volume I, TheNational Vegetation Classification System:Development, status, and applications. The NatureConservancy, Arlington, VA.

Lee, Y.M., P.J. Higman, M.A. Kost, A.J. Tepley, andR.R. Goforth. 2002. An Inventory of Fort CusterState Recreation Area to Identify SignificantNatural Features. Michigan Natural FeaturesInventory Report No. 2002-23. Lansing, MI. 27 pp.

Legge, J.T., P.J. Higman, P.J. Comer, M.R. Penskar,and M.L. Rabe. 1995. A Floristic and NaturalFeatures Inventory of Fort Custer Training Center,Augusta, Michigan. Michigan Natural FeaturesInventory Report No. 1995-13. Lansing, MI. 151pp. + 8 appendices.

Michigan Natural Features Inventory (MNFI). 2009.Biotics Database. Michigan Natural FeaturesInventory, Lansing, MI.

NatureServe. 2009. NatureServe Explorer: An onlineencyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 7.1.NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed: May 31,2009).

Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).2008. United States Average Annual Precipitation,1961-1990. PRISM Climate Mapping Project.Available http://www.nationalatlas.gov/natlas/Natlasstart.asp. (Accessed: June 1, 2009).

Rapp, J., D. Wang, D. Capen, E. Thompson, and T.Lautzenheiser. 2005. Evaluating error in using theNational Vegetation Classification System forecological community mapping in northern NewEngland, USA. Natural Areas Journal 25(1): 46-54.


Appendix 1Field Descriptions of Plant Alliances from Fort

Custer Training Center


All

ian

ce C

om

mon

Nam

e o

r [

Non

-All

ian

ce N

am

e]

Fie

ld D

esc

rip

tion

Litt

le B

lues

tem

- Y

ello

w I

ndia

ngra

ss H

erba

ceou

s A

llian

ce

Upl

and

prai

rie.

Dry

mes

ic, s

andy

or

grav

elly

loam

s. F

lat t

o ge

ntly

or

mod

erat

ely

slop

ed.

Com

mon

spe

cies

: litt

le b

lues

tem

(A

ndro

pogo

n sc

opar

ius

), th

imbl

ewee

d (A

nem

one

cylin

dric

a),

wild

ber

gam

ot (

Mon

arda

fist

ulos

a),

bus

h cl

over

s (L

espe

deza

spp

.), a

nd I

ndia

n gr

ass

(Sor

ghas

trum

nut

ans

).

Big

Blu

este

m -

(Y

ello

w I

ndia

ngra

ss)

Her

bace

ous

Alli

ance

Upl

and

prai

rie.

Mes

ic s

oils

, gen

tly s

lope

d. C

omm

on s

peci

es: s

assa

fras

(Sa

ssaf

ras

albi

dum

),

rasp

berr

ies/

blac

kber

ries

(R

ubus

spp

.), t

all c

oreo

psis

(C

oreo

psis

trip

teri

s),

gol

den

ragw

ort

(Sen

ecio

aur

eus

), v

iole

t (V

iola

sp.

), V

irgi

nia

mou

ntai

n m

int (

Pyc

nant

hem

um v

irgi

nian

um),

go

lden

rods

(So

lidag

o sp

p.),

tick

tref

oils

(D

esm

odiu

m s

pp.)

, gol

den

alex

ande

rs (

Zizi

a au

rea

),

wild

ber

gam

ot (

Mon

arda

fist

ulos

a),

com

mon

bon

eset

(E

upat

oriu

m p

erfo

liatu

m),

gra

ss-l

eave

d go

lden

rod

(Eut

ham

ia g

ram

inifo

lia),

and

littl

e bl

uest

em (

And

ropo

gon

scop

ariu

s).

Bur

Oak

- (

Whi

te O

ak)

Woo

ded

Her

bace

ous

Alli

ance

Cur

rent

deg

rade

d fo

rm is

for

este

d up

land

s, b

ut o

ccur

red

hist

oric

ally

as

a sa

vann

a. M

esic

, oc

casi

onal

ly d

ry-m

esic

or

wet

-mes

ic. S

andy

loam

or

loam

soi

ls. O

n br

oad,

som

ewha

t fla

t ri

dges

or

shal

low

sw

ales

. Exi

stin

g de

grad

ed s

tatu

s is

due

to f

ire

supp

ress

ion.

Com

mon

spe

cies

: bu

r oa

k (Q

uerc

us m

acro

carp

a),

whi

te o

ak (

Que

rcus

alb

a),

hic

kori

es (

Car

ya s

pp.)

, and

bla

ck

wal

nut (

Jugl

ans

nigr

a).

Bla

ck O

ak -

(N

orth

ern

Pin

Oak

) W

oode

d H

erba

ceou

s A

llian

ce

Ope

n w

oodl

and

or b

arre

ns-l

ike

com

mun

ities

. Usu

ally

dry

-mes

ic to

dry

, but

occ

asio

nally

m

esic

. San

dy s

oils

with

thin

A-h

oriz

on. T

erra

in o

ften

som

ewha

t fla

t to

gent

ly r

ollin

g. C

omm

on

spec

ies:

whi

te o

ak (

Que

rcus

alb

a),

bla

ck o

ak (

Que

rcus

vel

utin

a),

Pen

nsyl

vani

a se

dge

(Car

ex

pens

ylva

nica

), I

ndia

n gr

ass

(Sor

ghas

trum

nut

ans

), ta

ll co

reop

sis

(Cor

eops

is tr

ipte

ris

), w

ild

stra

wbe

rry

(Fra

gari

a vi

rgin

iana

), a

nd w

ood

beto

ny (

Ped

icul

aris

can

aden

sis

).

Whi

te O

ak -

(N

orth

ern

Red

Oak

, Hic

kory

spe

cies

) Fo

rest

A

llian

ce

Fore

sted

upl

ands

. Usu

ally

dry

-mes

ic, o

ccas

iona

lly m

esic

, and

rar

ely

wet

-mes

ic. O

ften

on

rock

y sa

ndy

loam

s, b

ut s

omet

imes

on

loam

y sa

nds.

Oft

en o

n ge

ntle

to m

oder

ate

slop

es, a

nd

som

etim

es s

teep

slo

pes.

Com

mon

spe

cies

: bla

ck o

ak (Q

uerc

us v

elut

ina

), p

ignu

t hic

kory

(C

arya

gla

bra

), r

ed m

aple

(A

cer

rubr

um),

bla

ck c

herr

y (P

runu

s se

rotin

a),

big

-too

thed

asp

en

(Pop

ulus

gra

ndid

enta

ta),

whi

te o

ak (

Que

rcus

alb

a),

sas

safr

as (

Sass

afra

s al

bidu

m),

mul

tiflo

ra

rose

(R

osa

mul

tiflo

ra),

ras

pber

ries

/bla

ckbe

rrie

s (R

ubus

spp

.), P

enns

ylva

nia

sedg

e (C

arex

pe

nsyl

vani

ca),

bot

tlebr

ush

gras

s (H

ystr

ix p

atul

a),

and

sed

ges

(Car

ex s

pp.)

.


All

ian

ce C

om

mo

n N

am

e o

r [

No

n-A

llia

nce N

am

e]

Fie

ld D

esc

rip

tio

n

Am

eric

an B

eech

- S

ugar

Map

le -

(T

ulip

tree

) Fo

rest

A

llian

ce

Fore

sted

upl

ands

. Mes

ic o

r dr

y-m

esic

, som

etim

es w

et-m

esic

, on

sand

y or

loam

y so

ils.

Oft

en

on s

teep

slo

pes,

in r

avin

es, o

n no

rth

slop

es, a

nd w

here

ther

e is

som

e pr

otec

tion

from

fir

e.

Com

mon

spe

cies

: bas

swoo

d (T

ilia

amer

ican

a),

sug

ar m

aple

(A

cer

sacc

haru

m),

bla

ck c

herr

y (P

runu

s se

rotin

a),

red

oak

(Q

uerc

us r

ubra

), A

mer

ican

bee

ch (

Fag

us g

rand

ifolia

), tu

lip tr

ee

(Lir

iode

ndro

n tu

lipife

ra),

red

map

le (

Ace

r ru

brum

), s

omet

imes

bla

ck o

ak (Q

uerc

us v

elut

ina

) or

whi

te o

ak (

Que

rcus

alb

a),

and

spr

ing

beau

ty (

Cla

yton

ia v

irgi

nica

).

Nor

ther

n R

ed O

ak -

(Su

gar

Map

le)

Fore

st A

llian

ce

Fore

sted

upl

ands

. Wet

-mes

ic o

r so

met

imes

mes

ic o

n sa

ndy-

loam

s, s

ilt-l

oam

s, o

r sa

ndy

clay

-lo

am s

oils

. In

ravi

ne h

eads

or

land

scap

e pi

ts o

r ho

llow

s. C

omm

on s

peci

es: t

ulip

tree

(L

irio

dend

ron

tulip

ifera

), r

ed o

ak (

Que

rcus

rub

ra),

big

-too

thed

asp

en (

Pop

ulus

gr

andi

dent

ata

), b

itter

nut h

icko

ry (

Car

ya c

ordi

form

is),

whi

te a

sh (

Fra

xinu

s am

eric

ana

),

blac

k ch

erry

(P

runu

s se

rotin

a),

bla

ck w

alnu

t (Ju

glan

s ni

gra

), r

ed m

aple

(A

cer

rubr

um),

sp

iceb

ush

(Lin

dera

ben

zoin

), J

apan

ese

barb

erry

(B

erbe

ris

thun

berg

ii),

and

mul

tiflo

ra r

ose

(Ros

a m

ultif

lora

).

[Ver

nal W

etla

nd]

Wet

, inu

ndat

ed p

ocke

ts s

urro

unde

d by

upl

and

fore

st. S

andy

cla

y bo

ttom

s. L

arge

ly u

nveg

etat

ed

in s

prin

g bu

t by

sum

mer

like

ly to

con

tain

spe

cies

suc

h as

fal

se n

ettle

(B

oehm

eria

cyl

indr

ica

),

clea

rwee

ds (

Pile

a sp

p.),

jew

elw

eed

(Im

patie

ns c

apen

sis

), a

nd tr

ees

seed

lings

suc

h as

red

m

aple

(A

cer

rubr

um).

Pin

Oak

- (

Swam

p W

hite

Oak

) Se

ason

ally

Flo

oded

For

est

Alli

ance

Fore

sted

wet

land

s. U

sual

ly w

et-m

esic

. Soi

l with

rel

ativ

ely

high

cla

y co

nten

t. C

hara

cter

ized

by

flat

are

as o

r pi

t and

mou

nd to

pogr

aphy

. Com

mon

spe

cies

: bitt

ernu

t hic

kory

(C

arya

co

rdifo

rmis

), r

ed m

aple

(A

cer

rubr

um),

red

oak

(Q

uerc

us r

ubra

), s

ugar

map

le (

Ace

r sa

ccha

rum

), s

wam

p w

hite

oak

(Q

uerc

us b

icol

or),

spi

cebu

sh (

Lin

dera

ben

zoin

), s

edge

(C

arex

br

omoi

des

), r

agw

ort (

Sene

cio

sp.)

, sku

nk c

abba

ge (

Sym

ploc

arpu

s fo

etid

us),

and

Pen

nsyl

vani

a se

dge

(Car

ex p

ensy

lvan

ica

).

Gre

en A

sh -

Am

eric

an E

lm -

(C

omm

on H

ackb

erry

, Su

garb

erry

) T

empo

rari

ly F

lood

ed F

ores

t Alli

ance

Fore

sted

wet

land

s. W

et to

wet

-mes

ic te

rrac

es a

djac

ent t

o st

ream

s. M

uck

soil

or h

igh

orga

nic

min

eral

soi

l. Fl

at to

gen

tly s

lope

d. C

omm

on s

peci

es: A

mer

ican

elm

(U

lmus

am

eric

ana

),

bass

woo

d (T

ilia

amer

ican

a),

bla

ck w

alnu

t (Ju

glan

s ni

gra

), r

ed m

aple

(A

cer

rubr

um),

sw

amp

whi

te o

ak (

Que

rcus

bic

olor

), h

ackb

erry

(C

eltis

occ

iden

talis

), tu

lip tr

ee (

Liri

oden

dron

tu

lipife

ra),

mus

clew

ood

(Car

pinu

s ca

rolin

iana

), s

pice

bush

(L

inde

ra b

enzo

in),

poi

son

ivy

(Tox

icod

endr

on r

adic

ans

), a

nd s

kunk

cab

bage

(Sy

mpl

ocar

pus

foet

idus

). O

n sl

ight

ly h

ighe

r po

ints

, sug

ar m

aple

(A

cer

sacc

haru

m),

bla

ck c

herr

y (P

runu

s se

rotin

a),

and

red

oak

(Q

uerc

us

rubr

a).


All

ian

ce C

om

mo

n N

am

e o

r [

No

n-A

llia

nce N

am

e]

Fie

ld D

esc

rip

tio

n

Bla

ck A

sh -

Red

Map

le S

atur

ated

For

est A

llian

ce

Fore

sted

or

dens

ely

shru

bby

wet

land

s w

ith g

roun

dwat

er f

low

at o

r be

low

the

surf

ace.

Muc

k so

ils o

n ge

ntle

to s

teep

slo

pes.

Com

mon

spe

cies

: red

oak

(Q

uerc

us r

ubra

), m

uscl

ewoo

d (C

arpi

nus

caro

linia

na),

iron

woo

d (O

stry

a vi

rgin

iana

), c

hinq

uapi

n oa

k (Q

uerc

us

mue

hlen

berg

ii),

bas

swoo

d (T

ilia

amer

ican

a),

sha

gbar

k hi

ckor

y (C

arya

ova

ta),

bla

ck a

sh

(Fra

xinu

s ni

gra

), r

ed m

aple

(A

cer

rubr

um),

sw

amp

whi

te o

ak (

Que

rcus

bic

olor

) (i

n m

ore

open

are

as),

spi

cebu

sh (

Lind

era

benz

oin

), s

kunk

cab

bage

(Sy

mpl

ocar

pus

foet

idus

), s

harp

-lo

bed

hepa

tica

(Hep

atic

a ac

utilo

ba),

sed

ges

(Car

ex s

pp.)

, gol

den

ragw

ort (

Sene

cio

aure

us),

an

d sp

ring

cre

ss (

Car

dam

ine

sp.)

.

Red

Map

le -

Gre

en A

sh S

easo

nally

Flo

oded

For

est

Alli

ance

Fore

sted

wet

land

s w

ith 1

to 2

fee

t of

stan

ding

wat

er in

spr

ing.

San

dy c

lay

botto

ms.

Occ

ur in

de

pres

sion

s. O

ften

few

er tr

ees

in a

reas

of

deep

er w

ater

. Com

mon

spe

cies

: Am

eric

an e

lm

(Ulm

us a

mer

ican

a),

gre

en a

sh (

Fra

xinu

s pe

nnsy

lvan

ica

), p

each

-lea

ved

will

ow o

r bl

ack

will

ow (

Salix

am

ygda

loid

es o

r Sa

lix n

igra

). E

dges

con

tain

bla

ck w

alnu

t (Ju

glan

s ni

gra

),

hack

berr

y (C

eltis

occ

iden

talis

), a

nd s

hagb

ark

hick

ory

(Car

ya o

vata

).

Tam

arac

k Sa

tura

ted

Fore

st A

llian

ce

Fore

sted

and

shr

ubby

wet

land

s. W

et d

ue to

hig

h w

ater

tabl

es o

r se

ason

al in

unda

tion.

Occ

urin

g on

muc

ks o

r hi

ghly

org

anic

min

eral

soi

ls. F

lat t

opog

raph

y. C

omm

on s

peci

es: t

amar

ack

(Lar

ix

lari

cina

), p

each

-lea

ved

will

ow o

r bl

ack

will

ow (

Salix

am

ygda

loid

es o

r Sa

lix n

igra

), g

reen

as

h (F

raxi

nus

penn

sylv

anic

a),

Am

eric

an e

lm (

Ulm

us a

mer

ican

a),

red

map

le (

Ace

r ru

brum

),

puss

y w

illow

(Sa

lix d

isco

lor

), s

ilky

dogw

ood

(Cor

nus

amom

um),

red

-osi

er d

ogw

ood

(Cor

nus

stol

onife

ra),

gra

y do

gwoo

d (C

ornu

s fo

emin

a),

poi

son

sum

ac (

Toxi

code

ndro

n ve

rnix

), s

edge

s (C

arex

spp

.), b

luej

oint

gra

ss (

Cal

amag

rost

is c

anad

ensi

s),

woo

l-gr

ass

(Sci

rpus

cyp

erin

us),

an

d go

lden

rods

(So

lidag

o sp

p.).

Red

-osi

er D

ogw

ood

- W

illow

spe

cies

Sea

sona

lly F

lood

ed

Shru

blan

d A

llian

ce

Shru

bby

wet

land

s. W

et d

ue to

hig

h w

ater

tabl

es o

r se

ason

al in

unda

tion.

Occ

urin

g on

muc

ks o

r hi

ghly

org

anic

min

eral

soi

ls. F

lat t

o ge

ntly

slo

ped.

Can

incl

ude

scat

tere

d tr

ees

and

patc

hes

of

wet

mea

dow

. Com

mon

spe

cies

: pea

ch-l

eave

d or

bla

ck w

illow

(Sal

ix a

myg

dalo

ides

or

Salix

ni

gra

), g

reen

ash

(F

raxi

nus

penn

sylv

anic

a),

Am

eric

an e

lm (

Ulm

us a

mer

ican

a),

red

map

le

(Ace

r ru

brum

), p

ussy

will

ow (

Salix

dis

colo

r),

silk

y do

gwoo

d (C

ornu

s am

omum

), r

ed-o

sier

do

gwoo

d (C

ornu

s st

olon

ifera

), g

ray

dogw

ood

(Cor

nus

foem

ina

), p

oiso

n su

mac

(T

oxic

oden

dron

ver

nix

), s

edge

s (C

arex

spp

.), b

luej

oint

gra

ss (

Cal

amag

rost

is c

anad

ensi

s),

w

ool-

gras

s (S

cirp

us c

yper

inus

), a

nd g

olde

nrod

s (S

olid

ago

spp.

).

Com

mon

But

tonb

ush

Sem

iper

man

ently

Flo

oded

Sh

rubl

and

Alli

ance

Shru

bby

wet

land

s. W

et a

nd in

unda

ted

in s

prin

g (2

4" to

36"

or

mor

e st

andi

ng w

ater

in d

eepe

st

area

s). C

laye

y or

silt

y lo

am b

otto

ms.

Clo

sed

depr

essi

ons.

Com

mon

spe

cies

: bu

ttonb

ush

(Cep

hala

nthu

s oc

cide

ntal

is),

sou

ther

n bl

ue f

lag

(Iri

s vi

rgin

ica

), a

nd s

mal

l duc

kwee

d (L

emna

m

inor

).


All

ian

ce C

om

mo

n N

am

e o

r [

No

n-A

llia

nce N

am

e]

Fie

ld D

esc

rip

tio

n

Lea

ther

leaf

Sat

urat

ed D

war

f-sh

rubl

and

Alli

ance

Shru

bby

inun

date

d w

etla

nds

(24"

to 3

6" o

r m

ore

stan

ding

wat

er in

dee

pest

are

as).

Veg

etat

ion

mas

s an

d pe

at m

ay b

e fl

oatin

g on

wat

er s

urfa

ce. C

lose

d de

pres

sion

s. D

omin

ant s

peci

es:

leat

herl

eaf

(Cha

mae

daph

ne c

alyc

ulat

a)

and

mos

ses

(Sph

agnu

m s

pp.)

.

Shru

bby-

cinq

uefo

il / (

Yel

low

Sed

ge, I

nlan

d Se

dge,

W

ireg

rass

Sed

ge, S

teri

le S

edge

) Sa

tura

ted

Shru

b H

erba

ceou

s A

llian

ce

Ope

n to

sem

i-sh

rubb

y w

etla

nds

with

gro

undw

ater

flo

w a

t or

belo

w th

e su

rfac

e. M

uck

or m

arl

soils

on

gent

le to

mod

erat

e sl

opes

. Com

mon

spe

cies

: shr

ubby

cin

quef

oil (

Pot

entil

la fr

utic

osa

),

big

blue

stem

(A

ndro

pogo

n ge

rard

ii),

sed

ges

(Car

ex s

pp.)

, spi

ke-r

ushe

s (E

leoc

hari

s sp

p.),

and

O

hio

gold

enro

d (S

olid

ago

ohio

ensi

s).

Skun

k-ca

bbag

e -

Yel

low

Mar

sh-m

arig

old

Satu

rate

d H

erba

ceou

s A

llian

ce

Ope

n to

sem

i-sh

rubb

y w

etla

nds

with

gro

undw

ater

flo

w a

t or

belo

w th

e su

rfac

e. M

uck

soils

on

gent

le to

mod

erat

e sl

opes

. Com

mon

spe

cies

: poi

son

sum

ac (

Toxi

code

ndro

n ve

rnix

), s

ilky

dogw

ood

(Cor

nus

amom

um),

will

ows

(Sal

ix s

pp.)

, spi

cebu

sh (

Lind

era

benz

oin

), r

ed-o

sier

do

gwoo

d (C

ornu

s st

olon

ifera

), w

inte

rber

ry (

Ilex

ver

ticill

ata

), e

lder

berr

y (S

ambu

cus

cana

dens

is),

mar

sh ti

mot

hy/s

atin

gra

ss (

Muh

lenb

ergi

a sp

p.),

sku

nk c

abba

ge (

Sym

ploc

arpu

s fo

etid

us),

sw

amp

gold

enro

d (S

olid

ago

patu

la),

spr

ing

cres

s (C

arda

min

e sp

.), g

olde

n ra

gwor

t (S

enec

io a

ureu

s),

mar

sh m

arig

old

(Cal

tha

palu

stri

s),

sed

ges

(Car

ex s

pp.)

, will

owhe

rb

(Epi

lobi

um c

olor

atum

), s

ensi

tive

fern

(O

nocl

ea s

ensi

bilis

), a

nd jo

e-py

ewee

d (E

upat

oriu

m

mac

ulat

um).

Tus

sock

Sed

ge S

easo

nally

Flo

oded

Her

bace

ous

Alli

ance

(n

on-i

sola

ted,

fre

e dr

aini

ng)

Wet

, hig

hly

orga

nic

soils

, ope

n w

etla

nd w

ith s

ome

shru

bs a

t lea

st o

n ed

ges.

Oft

en g

ently

sl

oped

with

slo

w s

urfa

ce o

r gr

ound

wat

er m

ovem

ent.

Com

mon

spe

cies

: poi

son

sum

ac

(Tox

icod

endr

on v

erni

x),

red

-osi

er d

ogw

ood

(Cor

nus

stol

onife

ra),

will

ows

(Sal

ix s

pp.)

, tu

ssoc

k se

dge

(Car

ex s

tric

ta),

lake

sed

ge (

Car

ex la

cust

ris

), b

road

-lea

ved

cat-

tail

(Typ

ha

latif

olia

), jo

e-py

ewee

d (E

upat

oriu

m m

acul

atum

), a

nd b

luej

oint

gra

ss (

Cal

amag

rost

is

cana

dens

is).

Tus

sock

Sed

ge S

easo

nally

Flo

oded

Her

bace

ous

Alli

ance

(i

sola

ted,

inun

date

d)

Wet

, sea

sona

lly f

lood

ed w

etla

nds.

Oft

en w

ith 1

2" o

r m

ore

stan

ding

wat

er in

spr

ing,

but

like

ly

only

sat

urat

ed b

y su

mm

er. C

laye

y or

silt

y lo

am b

otto

ms.

Clo

sed

depr

essi

ons.

Com

mon

sp

ecie

s: w

illow

s (S

alix

spp

.), d

ewbe

rry

(Rub

us p

ensy

lvan

icus

), b

luej

oint

gra

ss

(Cal

amag

rost

is c

anad

ensi

s),

bro

ad-l

eave

d ca

t-ta

il (T

ypha

latif

olia

), r

eed

cana

ry g

rass

(P

hala

ris

arun

dina

cea

), la

te g

olde

nrod

(So

lidag

o gi

gant

ea),

and

stin

ging

net

tle (

Urt

ica

dioi

ca).

(Nar

row

leaf

Cat

tail,

Bro

adle

af C

atta

il) -

(C

lubr

ush

spec

ies)

Sem

iper

man

ently

Flo

oded

Her

bace

ous

Alli

ance

Wet

mar

shes

. Inu

ndat

ed to

a d

epth

of

appr

oxim

atel

y 12

" to

24"

in s

prin

g. P

roba

bly

satu

rate

d th

roug

h th

e gr

owin

g se

ason

. Muc

ky s

oils

on

lake

or

pond

mar

gins

or

som

etim

es w

ithin

clo

sed

depr

essi

ons.

Com

mon

spe

cies

: bro

ad-l

eave

d ca

t-ta

il (T

ypha

latif

olia

), w

horl

ed lo

oses

trif

e (D

ecod

on v

ertic

illat

us),

and

bul

rush

es (

Scho

enop

lect

us s

pp.)

.

Am

eric

an W

hite

Wat

er-l

ily -

Yel

low

Pon

d-lil

y sp

ecie

s Pe

rman

ently

Flo

oded

Tem

pera

te H

erba

ceou

s A

llian

cePo

nded

are

as w

ith s

ubm

erge

nt o

r fl

oatin

g-le

aved

pla

nts.

Sev

eral

fee

t of

wat

er d

epth

in s

prin

g an

d lik

ely

thro

ugho

ut g

row

ing

seas

on. D

omin

ated

by

yello

w p

ond-

lily

(Nup

har

sp.)

.

[Ope

n W

ater

]L

akes

, pon

ds, o

r ot

her

wat

er b

odie

s w

ith n

o ap

pare

nt v

eget

atio

n.


All

ian

ce C

om

mon

Nam

e o

r [

Non

-All

ian

ce N

am

e]

Fie

ld D

esc

rip

tion

[Pot

entia

l Pla

nt A

llian

ce]

Adv

entiv

e or

pla

nted

woo

dlan

ds o

r sh

rubl

ands

. Usu

ally

dry

-mes

ic o

r m

esic

, occ

asio

nally

wet

-m

esic

. Usu

ally

occ

ur o

n lo

amy

sand

s or

san

dy lo

ams

on f

lat o

r ge

ntly

slo

ping

are

as. C

omm

on

spec

ies:

bla

ck o

ak (

Que

rcus

vel

utin

a),

bla

ck c

herr

y (P

runu

s se

rotin

a),

bla

ck w

alnu

t (Ju

glan

s ni

gra

), w

hite

pin

e (P

inus

str

obus

), b

lack

locu

st (

Rob

inia

pse

udoa

caci

a),

red

ced

ar

(Jun

iper

us v

irgi

nian

a),

sas

safr

as (

Sass

afra

s al

bidu

m),

pig

nut h

icko

ry (

Car

ya g

labr

a),

bla

ck

rasp

berr

y (R

ubus

occ

iden

talis

), E

uras

ian

hone

ysuc

kle

(Lon

icer

a m

aack

ii),

Jap

anes

e ba

rber

ry

(Ber

beri

s th

unbe

rgii

), m

ultif

lora

ros

e (R

osa

mul

tiflo

ra),

orc

hard

gras

s (D

acty

lis g

lom

erat

a),

ta

ll go

lden

rod

(Sol

idag

o al

tissi

ma

), a

nd g

arlic

mus

tard

(A

lliar

ia p

etio

lata

).

[Fie

ld]

Fiel

ds c

onta

inin

g na

tive

and

non-

nativ

e gr

amin

oid,

her

bace

ous,

and

shr

ub s

peci

es. U

sual

ly d

ry-

mes

ic w

ith s

andy

soi

ls o

n fl

atte

r ar

eas.

Cou

ld tr

ansf

orm

into

nat

ive

woo

ded

or p

rair

ie ty

pe

depe

ndin

g up

on m

anag

emen

t. So

me

of th

ese

area

s ha

ve b

een

plan

ted

with

nat

ive

prai

rie

gras

s.

Com

mon

spe

cies

: ras

pber

ries

/bla

ckbe

rrie

s (R

ubus

spp

.), s

potte

d kn

apw

eed

(Cen

taur

ea

mac

ulos

a),

wild

ber

gam

ot (

Mon

arda

fist

ulos

a),

bus

h cl

over

s (L

espe

deza

spp

.), w

ild c

arro

t (D

aucu

s ca

rota

), ti

mot

hy (

Phl

eum

pra

tens

e),

qua

ck g

rass

(A

grop

yron

rep

ens

), b

ig b

lues

tem

(A

ndro

pogo

n ge

rard

ii),

bro

omse

dge

(And

ropo

gon

virg

inic

us),

Can

ada

blue

gras

s (P

oa

com

pres

sa),

and

sm

ooth

bro

me

(Bro

mus

iner

mis

).

[Dev

elop

ed]

Dev

elop

ed a

reas

with

bui

ldin

gs, g

rave

l pits

, par

king

lots

, etc

.


Appendix 2Photographs of Plant Alliances from Fort Custer

Training Center


Photograph 1. Little Bluestem - Yellow Indiangrass Herbaceous Alliance (Photo bySteve A. Thomas)

Photograph 2. Big Bluestem (Yellow Indiangrass) Herbaceous Alliance (Photo by Joshua G.Cohen)


Photographs 3 and 4. Black Oak - (Northern Pin Oak) Wooded Herbaceous Alliance(Top photo by Steve A. Thomas and bottom photo by Joshua G. Cohen)


Photographs 5 and 6. White Oak - (Northern Red Oak, Hickory species) Forest Alliance(Top photo by Steve A. Thomas and bottom photo by Joshua G. Cohen)


Photograph 7. American Beech - Sugar Maple - (Tuliptree) Forest Alliance (Photo by SteveA. Thomas)

Photograph 8. Northern Red Oak - (Sugar Maple) Forest Alliance (Photo by Steve A. Thomas)


Photographs 9 and 10. Vernal Wetland (Top photo by Steve A. Thomas and bottomphoto by Joshua G. Cohen)


Photograph 11. Pin Oak - (Swamp White Oak) Seasonally Flooded Forest Alliance(Photo by Steve A. Thomas)

Photograph 12. Green Ash - American Elm - (Common Hackberry, Sugarberry) Tempo-rarily Flooded Forest Alliance (Photo by Steve A. Thomas)


Photograph 14. Black Ash - Red Maple Saturated Forest Alliance (Photo by Steve A.Thomas)

Photograph 13. Green Ash - American Elm - (Common Hackberry, Sugarberry) Tempo-rarily Flooded Forest Alliance (Photo by Joshua G. Cohen)


Photograph 15. Red Maple - Green Ash Seasonally Flooded Forest Alliance (Photo bySteve A. Thomas)

Photograph 16. Tamarack Saturated Forest Alliance (Photo by Joshua G. Cohen)


Photographs 17 and 18. Red-osier Dogwood - Willow species Seasonally FloodedShrubland Alliance (Top photo by Steve A. Thomas and bottom photo by Joshua G. Cohen)


Photographs 19 and 20. Common Buttonbush Semipermanently Flooded ShrublandAlliance (Top photo by Steve A. Thomas and bottom photo by Joshua G. Cohen)


Photograph 21. Leatherleaf Saturated Dwarf-shrubland Alliance (Photo by Joshua G. Cohen)

Photograph 22. Shrubby-cinquefoil / (Yellow Sedge, Inland Sedge, Wiregrass Sedge, SterileSedge) Saturated Shrub Herbaceous Alliance (Photo by Joshua G. Cohen)


Photographs 23 and 24. Skunk-cabbage - Yellow Marsh-marigold Saturated HerbaceousAlliance (Top photo by Steve A. Thomas and bottom photo by Joshua G. Cohen)


Photographs 25 and 26. Tussock Sedge Seasonally Flooded Herbaceous Alliance (non-isolated, free draining) (Top photo by Steve A. Thomas and bottom photo by Joshua G. Cohen)


Photograph 27. Tussock Sedge Seasonally Flooded Herbaceous Alliance (isolated,inundated) (Photo by Steve A. Thomas)

Photograph 28. (Narrowleaf Cattail, Broadleaf Cattail) - (Clubrush species)Semipermanently Flooded Herbaceous Alliance in foreground and Open Water in back-ground (Photo by Steve A. Thomas)


Photograph 29. American White Water-lily - Yellow Pond-lily species PermanentlyFlooded Temperate Herbaceous Alliance (beyond inundated sedge tussocks) (Photo bySteve A. Thomas)

Photograph 30. Potential plant alliance (Photo by Steve A. Thomas)


Photograph 31. Field (Photo by Steve A. Thomas)

mapping plant alliances of the fort custer training center

Documents