Terrestrial, Palustrine, and Estuarine Community Types

Formal and technical descriptions of the community types in the Classification of Natural Communities of Massachusetts, Version 2.0.

Terrestrial communities occur in upland on predominantly well-drained soils. Palustrine communities are wetland communities where there is flooding or saturated soil conditions. Estuarine communities are tidal wetlands with fresh to salt water.

Community types

TerrestrialPalustrineEstuarine
Acidic Rock Cliff CommunityAcidic Graminoid FenBrackish Tidal Marsh 
Acidic Rocky Summit/Rock Outcrop CommunityAcidic Graminoid Fen - Spillway FenCoastal Salt Pond Community   
Black Oak - Scarlet Oak WoodlandAcidic Pondshore/Lakeshore CommunityFresh/Brackish Tidal Shrubland
Calcareous Rock Cliff CommunityAcidic Shrub FenFresh/Brackish Tidal Swamp 
Calcareous Rocky Summit/Rock Outcrop CommunityAlluvial Atlantic White Cedar SwampFreshwater Tidal Marsh
Chestnut Oak Forest/WoodlandAlluvial Hardwood Flat CommunityMarine Intertidal Gravel/Sand Beach Community
Circumneutral Rock Cliff CommunityAlluvial Red Maple SwampMarine Intertidal Rocky Shore Community
Circumneutral Rocky Summit/Rock Outcrop CommunityAtlantic White Cedar BogSalt Marsh 
Coastal Forest/WoodlandBlack Gum - Pin Oak - Swamp White Oak Perched SwampSeagrass Community
Cultural GrasslandCalcareous Basin Fen 
Dry, Rich Oak Forest/WoodlandCalcareous Pondshore/Lakeshore Community 
Forest Seep CommunityCalcareous Seepage Marsh 
Hemlock ForestCalcareous Sloping Fen 
Hickory - Hop Hornbeam Forest/WoodlandCoastal Atlantic White Cedar Swamp 
High Elevation Spruce - Fir Forest/WoodlandCoastal Plain Pondshore Community 
Maritime Beach Strand Community Coastal Plain Pondshore Community - Inland Variant 
Maritime Dune CommunityCobble Bar Forest 
Maritime Erosional Cliff CommunityDeep Emergent Marsh    
Maritime Forest/WoodlandFreshwater Mud Flat Community 
Maritime Juniper Woodland/ShrublandHemlock Swamp 
Maritime Pitch Pine Woodland on DunesHighbush Blueberry Thicket 
Maritime Rock Cliff Community   High-energy Riverbank Community 
Maritime ShrublandHigh-energy Rivershore Meadow 
Mixed Oak Forest/WoodlandHigh-terrace Floodplain Forest     
Northern Hardwoods - Hemlock - White Pine ForestInland Atlantic White Cedar Swamp 
Oak - Hemlock - White Pine ForestInterdunal Marsh/Swale 
Oak - Hickory ForestKettlehole Level Bog 
Oak - Tulip Tree ForestKettlehole Wet Meadow 
Open Oak Forest/WoodlandLevel Bog 
Open Talus/Coarse Boulder CommunityLow-energy Riverbank Community     
Pitch Pine - Oak Forest/WoodlandMajor-river Floodplain Forest 
Pitch Pine - Scrub Oak CommunityNorthern Atlantic White Cedar Swamp 
Red Oak - Sugar Maple Transition Forest Red Maple - Black Ash - Bur Oak Swamp 
Rich, Mesic ForestRed Maple - Black Ash - Tamarack Calcareous Seepage Swamp 
Ridgetop HeathlandRed Maple - Black Ash Swamp 
Ridgetop Pitch Pine - Scrub Oak CommunityRed Maple - Black Gum Swamp 
Riverside Rock Outcrop CommunityRed Maple Swamp     
Sandplain GrasslandRed Spruce Swamp  
Sandplain Grassland - Inland VariantRich Conifer Swamp  
Sandplain Heathland   River and Lake Drawdown Community 
Sandplain Heathland - Inland VariantRiverine Pointbar and Beach Community 
Scrub Oak ShrublandRiverside Seep Community 
Spruce - Fir - Northern Hardwoods ForestSea-level Fen    
Successional Northern Hardwood ForestShallow Emergent Marsh 
Successional White Pine Forest  Shrub Swamp  
Sugar Maple - Oak - Hickory ForestSmall-river Floodplain Forest    
White Pine - Oak ForestSpruce - Tamarack Bog 
Yellow Oak Dry Calcareous ForestTransitional Floodplain Forest 
 Wet Meadow 

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