Vegetation and deer habitat relations in southern Ontario: classification of habitat types.

Published online
01 Jan 1977
Content type
Journal article
Journal title
Journal of Applied Ecology
DOI
10.2307/2402555

Author(s)
Stocker, M. & Gilbert, F. F. & Smith, D. W.

Publication language
English
Location
Canada & Ontario

Abstract

A functional habitat classification was derived using the parametric land classification approach. Construction of a habitat map was based on photoecological techniques, vegetation sampling and analysis. Cluster analysis of a similarity matrix derived from stand data summaries in the form of importance values of 580 sampling points in 32 stands located throughout the study area of Golden Valley, S. Ontario, produced the habitat classification of 9 cluster types. The indicator species of the overstory, sapling, shrub and groundcover strata defined for each of the types were: Cluster 1, grasses/Phleum pratense/Trifolium spp.; Cluster 2, Myrica gale/Alnus rugosa-Carex spp.; Cluster 3, Alnus rugosa/Spiraea spp.-grasses; Cluster 4, Thuja occidentalis/Picea mariana-Alnus rugosa-Sphagnum spp.; Cluster 5, Abies balsamea/Populus spp.-Corylus cornuta-ferns; Cluster 6, Abies balsamea/Picea glauca-Nemopanthus mucronatus-ferns; Cluster 7, Acer saccharum/Betula lutea-Acer saccharum-A. saccharum; Cluster 8, Acer saccharum/Abies balsamea-Acer saccharum-ferns; Cluster 9, Betula papyrifera/Acer saccharum-Corylus cornuta-ferns. A large proportion of the area (57.1%) was mature forest vegetation, represented by Clusters 7 and 8. The hardwoods (Cluster 9) and mixedwoods (Cluster 5), which represented early successional stages, were well represented (13.4%). Softwoods (Cluster 6), comprised 12.5% of the study area. The lowland softwoods (Cluster 4) occurred in isolated patches throughout the area (7.2%). The remaining cluster types comprised 9.8% of the study area. It was concluded that the classification scheme presented provides a useful framework for habitat evaluation related to wildlife populations, and in this respect would be considered a useful wildlife management tool.

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