Spruce-fir forests are most abundant in the eastern coastal areas, comprising 

 between 55% and 60% of the commercial forest land (table 9-3; figure 9-2). 

 Along the immediate coast east of Penobscot Bay (regions 5, 6, and part of 4) 

 spruce-fir type dominates the shoreline (Davis 1966). Areas that are not 

 spruce-fir are usually successional stages, primarily aspen-birch, that if 

 given sufficient time will develop into spruce-fir forests (see "Forest 

 Succession" below). East of Machias, spruce-fir is the dominant forest type 

 both inland and along the coast but from Machias west to Penobscot Bay it is 

 replaced inland by northern hardwood types. South and west of Penobscot Bay 

 (regions 2, 3, and part of 4) spruce and fir comprise a smaller percentage of 

 the forest types (25%; see table 9-2). Where it is present in this area in 

 uniform stands it usually occurs on the tips of peninsulas and offshore 

 islands. South and west of Casco Bay (region 1), spruce-fir forests give way 

 to white pine-hemlock-hardwood forests. 



The presence of spruce and fir along the immediate coast and on offshore 

 islands is not correlated with either bedrock or soil type but seems to be due 

 to the cold, damp, microclimate created by the marine exposure (Davis 1966). 

 Competition from hardwoods is minimized because the soils are generally 

 shallow. Mature stands of spruce-fir along the coast are dominated by red 

 spruce because it is slightly more tolerant and long-lived than fir or other 

 spruces. Balsam fir and white spruce survive in openings and white spruce 

 often forms a narrow border along the immediate shoreline (Davis 1966). 



White Pine-Hemlock-Hardwood 



This forest type is one in which either eastern white pine or eastern hemlock 

 predominate. Many species of hardwoods are associated with this type but none 

 are particularly characteristic. Species associated with this type are red 

 pine, aspen, birch, maples, red oak, and elm. This type includes the oak and 

 oak-pine types described by Ferguson and Kingsley (1972). 



White pine-hemlock-hardwood type is most abundant along the southwestern coast 

 of Maine, where it comprises 26% of the forest land (table 9-2; figure 9-2). 

 Typical white pine sites are those with dry, sandy, infertile soils, which are 

 common in this area. On these sites white pine may form a climax association 

 with oaks. White pine is found also in areas that have been burned in the 

 past, but is replaced in these areas by other forest types. Many of the pine 

 forests in southern Maine are thought to be present because of fires which 

 favor the establishment of pine (see "Effects of Fire" below). Without 

 recurring fires, which kill competing hardwood trees, these stands will 

 succeed to northern hardwoods, the climax (dominate) association in this area. 

 Other sites suitable for white pine forests are oldfields, barrens, and dunes, 

 where white pine competes successfully during the early stages of succession. 

 Other species of pine (pitch, jack, and red) also are found in these 

 situations . 



Hemlock is adapted to a wide variety of edaphic and physiographic conditions. 

 It is found often in scattered groves along ravines and in less well-drained 

 areas but rarely along the immediate coast (Fowells 1965). Hemlock is 

 normally associated with the beech-birch-maple type. 



9-6 



