Forest Community Classification of the Porcupine River Drainage, Interior Alaska, and Its Application to Forest Management

摘要

The forest vegetation of 3,600,000 hectares in northeast interior Alaska was classified. A total of 365 plots located in a stratified random design were run through the ordination programs SIMORD and TWINSPAN. Atotal of 40 forest communities were described vegetatively and, to a limited extent, environmentally. The area covered by each community was similar, ranging from 0.29 to 4.29 percent. A large number of mixed spruce communities were described and suggested to be the result of the study area's proximity to the northern limit of black spruce (Picea mariana). Average above-ground tree biomass and productivity were estimated for each community.