What is the Acadian Forest Region?

Melanie on an expedition in a black
spruce stand, Black Brook, NB

The Acadian Forest Region stretches primarily from New York through New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine and includes all the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Closely related to the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence and Boreal regions it is a transition forest that contains a diverse collection of trees, shrubs and other plants. The Acadian Forest Region is characterized by the presence of red spruce and other trees like yellow birch, balsam fir and sugar maple. Other associated tree species include red pine, eastern white pine, eastern hemlock and beech. These trees live an average of 150 years with shade tolerant old growth living as old as 400 years.

Typical herbaceous plants of the Acadian Forest are showy lady’s slipper and the round-leaved orchid. Common species include bunchberry, mayflower and low bush blueberry.

It is interesting to note that undisturbed Acadian Forest may be the rarest forest type in North American. Settled in by Europeans in the 1600’s, much of the forest was harvested to support the new inhabitants. Tall straight pines were cut for ship masts and forests were cleared to make way for agriculture and urban development. As western North America was being discovered the Acadian Forest Region was already drastically changed.