Influence of Cover Type and Soil Type on Understory Plant Biomass and Composition in the Virginia District of the Superior National Forest

Abstract

The herbaceous and shrub vegetation of four cover types on the Virginia District of the Superior National Forest, St. Louis County, Minnesota, were investigated during July and August 1982. The cover types selected and their Forest Service identification numbers were: young quaking aspen (91-3), young jack pine (01-2), sedge meadow (263) and upland opening (251). Four stands of each cover type were examined. The major objectives of this study were: (1) the development of compositional and biomass data for the cover types and stands studied; (2) an examination of the variation in biomass production between cover types, between stands of the same cover type and within individual stands; (3) the determination of the forage value of the species found. The results provide additional compositional data for the cover types and will help support sound range management decisions while establishing a data base for the long-term evaluation of recently established grazing programs. Substantial quantities of herbaceous and shrub biomass are produced by the cover types and stands examined. Significant compositional and biomass variation exists between cover types and between stands of the same cover type.