The Northern Hardwood Forest Wildlife

The northern forest is made up of a mixture of hardwood and boreal forests.

The northern hardwood forest wildlife.

Most of the boreal forest range lies in canada but the southern extent reaches into northern new hampshire. The northern hardwood conifer forest is found around the refuge in the mid and upper elevations serving as a transition from the lower hemlock hardwood pine forest to the high elevation spruce fir forest. The northern hardwood forest is a general type of north american forest ecosystem found over much of southeastern and south central canada ontario and quebec extending south into the united states in northern new england new york and pennsylvania and west along the great lakes to minnesota and western ontario some ecologists consider it a transitional forest because it contains species. This is the most abundant refuge habitat type.

The hardwood forests which include oak sugar maple and beech trees are found in the southern areas of the region. Approximately 705 acres of northern hardwood conifer forest are present on the refuge. Umbagog national wildlife refuge is located in the mixed spruce fir northern hardwood forest. This marks the transition zone between the deciduous hardwood forests and the northern or boreal coniferous forests.

The area of northern hardwood forests is probably decreasing due to increasing area of conifer red. Today s forests don t support the same high diversity of wildlife species as older forests that contain a diversity of live and dead trees of different ages and sizes. The understory of the northern hardwood forest includes several species of shrub. Because of the spatial relationship between them and the fact that they share many ecological components and plant species northern hardwood forests are critical to.

Hobblebush which also occurs commonly in mixed wood forests is a native deciduous shrub which abounds in rich moist woods throughout the adirondack mountains it produces flat topped clusters of fragrant white flowers in the spring. Fragmentation is a major issue in this ecological landscape since northern hardwood swamps are typically found within a mix of forest and farmland. Dandy creek swamp in meadow valley wildlife area monroe county is one example of protected northern hardwood swamp in this ecological landscape. Fruits of beech and black cherry are especially important food sources for wildlife.

Northern hardwood forests are the matrix communities of west virginia s highlands and are important for many wildlife species adapted to a cool moist climate.