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Within
Palustrine Wetlands at Sunkhaze Meadows
Forest stands within
the refuge include some old growth forest among relatively
recent cuts which took place prior to refuge establishment.
Limited forest management activities, less than 20 acres per
year, are planned to maintain some early successional stages
while allowing younger forests to age and replace the old
growth as it dies naturally.
 The peat-dominated
palustrine wetlands of Sunkhaze Meadows Refuge contain a
wide variety of vegetation. Refuge wetlands consist of wet
meadows, shrub thickets, extensive silver maple floodplain
forests, and open freshwater stream habitats along with
those plant communities associated with peatlands, such as
shrub heaths and wooded cedar and spruce bogs. In all,
eleven vegetation types or subhabitats have been identified.
Lagg: Zone where
water collects at the edge of a bog. Vegetation is variable,
but hardwoods dominate where bog vegetation comes in contact
with upland. Vegetation is indicative of semi-minerotrophic
conditions.
Forested Bog: Forested
area with more than 50% tree cover, usually either Black Spruce
(Picea mariana) and some Larch (Larix laricina) or
Northern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis). Trees usually
taller than 8 meters with a poorly-developed shrub layer.
Wooded: Tree
cover 25-50%. Shrub layer is well-developed with trees. Shrub
Heath usually dominated by Black Spruce.
Shrub Heath: Open
area dominated by low shrubs including Rhodora (Rhododendron
canadense), Leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata),
and Labrador Tea (Ledum groenlandicum). May include
scattered trees with less than 25% cover).
Robust: Area
similar to shrub heath but with more robust shrub growth than
Shrub Heath including Buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula),
Witherod (Viburnum cassinoides), and Black Chokeberry (Pyrus
melanocarpa).
Lawn: Moss, lichen
or graminoid-dominated cover type. Seasonally wet.
River Tree: Mature
forest along streams and brooks composed of Red Maple (Acer
rubrum), Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum), Red Oak (Quercus
rubra), and Black Ash (Fraxinus nigra).
Wet Meadow:
Streamside area dominated by grasses and sedges (Carex
sp.) and not more than 25% shrubs, such as Sweet Gale (Myrica
gale) and Leatherleaf. Flooded by high water levels.
Shrub Meadow: Streamside
areas dominated by graminoid species and small shrubs (no more
than 25% shrubs). Flooded by high waters in April and May.
Shrub Thicket: Area
dominated by a dense thicket of willow (Salix sp.) or
alder (Alnus sp.).
River Lagg:
Lagg-like area adjacent to streams where peatland meets upland.
Friends of
Sunkhaze Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. PO Box 450. Milford
ME 04461
info@sunkhaze.org
Sunkhaze
Meadows NWR is managed by the staff of Maine Coastal Islands
NWR. PO Box 495. Rockport ME 04856. (207) 236-6970
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