Maritime Dune Community
S3
This example of Maritime Dune Community is small and somewhat degraded by recreational use, but is found within a complex of coastal natural communities that buffer it from the impacts of development.
The Maritime Dune Community consists of patches of herbaceous plants interspersed with areas of bare sand and shrubs. It occurs on windswept dunes within the salt spray zone, and often grades into shrubland or woodlands on more sheltered back dunes.
Sandplain Grassland
S1
This example of Sandplain Grassland is over 100 high-quality acres, covering much of the southern portion of Tuckernuck Island.  It has few invasive species and is well buffered by a variety of Maritime communities.
Sandplain Grasslands are open, essentially treeless, grass dominated communities that generally occur on sand or other dry, poor soils. Occurrences are maintained by fire, salt spray, and, now, mowing.
Acidic Shrub Fen
This example of Acidic Shrub Fen is the second largest known  in the state and contains an interesting, unusual component of more northern bog plant species.
Acidic Shrub Fens are dominated by low-growing shrubs on weak peat. These acidic peatland communities experience some groundwater and/or surface water inputs, but no calcareous seepage.
Coastal Plain Pondshore Community
This example of Coastal Plain Pond is heavily degraded by overuse for recreation and retains little of its native biodiversity.
Coastal Plain Pondshore Communities occur on exposed shores of ponds in glacial outwash in the coastal plain where water levels are controlled by seasonal groundwater changes. The herbaceous flora has a distinct southern component.
Seagrass Community
This example of Marine Subtidal Flats is the largest and most pristine in Massachusetts.
Seagrass Communities occur on estuarine or marine flats with sand or mud substrates that are submerged by, usually, less than 2m of water at high tide.
Sugar Maple - Oak - Hickory Forest
This example of Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest, though small and close to a developed area, has a tremendous diversity of slope, shade, and moisture, which has led to great floristic diversity.
Sugar Maple - Oak - Hickory Forests are diverse forests in central and eastern Massachusetts where conditions, including nutrient richness, support Northern Hardwood species mixed with species of Oak - Hickory Forests.
Calcareous Rock Cliff Community
This very small example of Calcareous Rock Cliff is in good condition, and appears unaffected by nearby recent logging. It has good species and habitat diversity and is well buffered by natural vegetation within the landscape.
Sparsely vegetated, Calcareous Rock Cliff Communities include specialized ferns and other plants that grow in cracks and on ledges in calcium-rich cliff faces. Calcareous cliff communities have more species diversity than do Acidic Rock Cliff Communities
Coastal Atlantic White Cedar Swamp
S2
This small Coastal Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is on conservation land. Dense patches of Atlantic White Cedar occur in a larger Red Maple Swamp.
Coastal Atlantic White Cedar Swamps are acidic, low nutrient basin swamps dominated by Atlantic White Cedar in the overstory and a mixture of species in the understory. This community type typically occurs in basins on the Atlantic Coastal Plain.
Sandplain Heathland
This example of Sandplain Heathland is over 100 acres, which are free of exotic species and well buffered within a larger complex of Maritime communities that are providing excellent habitat for many monitored bird populations.
Sandplain Heathlands are open, shrub dominated coastal communities. They share many species with Sandplain Grasslands, but also have many plants from the Heath family. Sparse patches of shrubs may have bare soil or lichen between them.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore, though small,  is in good condition, with a large naturally vegetated buffer and little recreational use.
Marine Intertidal Rocky Shore Community
S4
This example of Marine Intertidal Rocky Shore contains a variety of microhabitats and species diversity, but also is home to several invasive exotic species.
Marine Intertidal Rocky Shores are dominated by invertebrates and non-vascular plants, in a high-stress environment alternately covered by tides and exposed to desiccation and thermal stress.
This example of Coastal Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is exceptionally large and has excellent structural and species diversity.
Coastal Atlantic White Cedar Swamps are acidic, low nutrient basin swamps dominated by Atlantic white cedar in the overstory and a mixture of species in the understory. This community type typically occurs in basins on the Atlantic Coastal Plain.
Ridgetop Pitch Pine - Scrub Oak Community
This large example of Ridgetop Pitch Pine-Scrub Oak is in excellent condition, and supports state-listed rare species. The pines here are unusual for their dwarf form, caused by extreme exposure.
The Ridgetop Pitch Pine-Scrub Oak community occurs on acidic bedrock along mountain ridges, often in a mosaic with one of the rocky summit communities. This community is maintained by severe growing conditions.
Inland Atlantic White Cedar Swamp
This example of Inland Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is moderate sized, with mature structure and good floral diversity.
Inland Atlantic White Cedar Swamps are forested wetlands dominated by Atlantic white cedar, with hemlock, spruce, red maple, and yellow birch. As in all Atlantic White Cedar swamps, water-saturated peat overlies the mineral sediments.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in fair condition, and is degraded by artificial water withdrawals, but is in a naturally vegetated landscape.
Red Spruce Swamp
This example of Red Spruce Swamp is relatively small but pristine, and part of a much larger wetland complex.
Red Spruce Swamps are tall forested wetlands with red spruce dominant in the canopy and sphagnum covering the ground. They occur primarily in stream headwaters or in poorly drained basins in the highlands of central and western Massachusetts.
Sandplain Heathland - Inland Variant
These island shoreline occurrences of Sandplain Heathland - Inland Variant created when the surrounding land was flooded may be remnants of a previously larger occurrence on the local gravelly deposits.
Sandplain Heathland - Inland Variant is an often semi-natural, usually successional, low shrub community on gravel/sandy cliffs next to rivers or on sandplains or gravel in interior parts of the state. It usually needs management to remain tree-less.
Alluvial Atlantic White Cedar Swamp
This example of Alluvial Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is large and in good condition, despite the presence of an exotic invasive species.
Alluvial Atlantic White Cedar Swamps occur along smaller rivers and ponds where Atlantic white cedar is co-dominant with red maple. Annual floods make them more mineral-rich than other Atlantic White Cedar wetlands.
Alluvial Red Maple Swamp
This example of Alluvial Red Maple Swamp is of moderate size and quality, with a moderate level of disturbance, resulting from alterations to the hydrology of the surrounding area.
Alluvial Red Maple Swamps are a type of red maple swamp that occur in low areas along rivers and streams. Regular flooding enriches the soil with nutrients, resulting in an unusual set of associated trees and plants.
Kettlehole Level Bog
This example of Kettlehole Level Bog is of surprisingly good quality considering it is surrounded by development.
Kettlehole Level Bogs are acidic dwarf-shrub peatlands with little water input or outflow that form in circular depressions left by melting ice blocks in sandy glacial outwash. The vegetation in Kettlehole Level Bogs usually grows in rings.
This small example of Kettlehole Level Bog is in good condition, and is part of a larger mosaic of acidic wetland ecosystems. It is well buffered by natural vegetation.
Circumneutral Rocky Summit/Rock Outcrop Community
S2S3
This example of Circumneutral Rocky Summit is in excellent condition, and is very well buffered within a naturally vegetated landscape.
Sparsely vegetated, Circumneutral Rocky Summit/Rock Outcrop Communities occur on exposed circumneutral (neither acidic nor calcareous) bedrock.
Rich, Mesic Forest
This moderate-sized example of Rich, Mesic Forest is in good condition, with good species diversity,  but unfortunately is poorly buffered to the effects of development and overuse for recreation.
Rich, Mesic Forest is a western Massachusetts variant of northern hardwood forest. Sugar maple dominates the canopy. The diverse herbaceous layer includes many spring wild flowers on moist, nutrient rich slopes.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in excellent condition and has a large naturally vegetated buffer, but is threatened by municipal water withdrawals from the groundwater.
Acidic Graminoid Fen
This example of Acidic Graminoid Fen is the largest and highest-quality in the state. It provides important habitat for many species of reptiles and amphibians.
Acidic Graminoid Fens are sedge and sphagnum-dominated acidic peatlands that experience some groundwater and/or surface water flow but no calcareous seepage. Standing water is often present throughout much of the growing season.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in fair condition, with dense development and  large trampled areas along the shore, and is also negatively affected by water withdrawal by a municipal well.
Wet Meadow
This small wet meadow is in very good condition, with high floristic diversity.
Wet Meadows are graminoid wetland communities that occur in lake basins, wet depressions, along streams, and in sloughs and backwaters in river basins. The soil is saturated during the growing season but not generally inundated.
This example of Ridgetop Pitch Pine-Scrub Oak Community is small but well developed, and is extremely well buffered by over 19,000 acres of naturally forested land.  In the absence of fire suppression it will likely persist at this site.
This example of a Coastal Plain Pondshore community persists despite being degraded by heavy development and associated recreational use.
Highbush Blueberry Thicket
This example of Highbush Blueberry Thicket is in good condition, despite a railbed that runs through the community, with no invasive exotic species and surrounded by a buffer of natural vegetation.
Highbush Blueberry Thickets are dominated by tall, dense shrubs, primarily members of the blueberry family, on hummocky sphagnum moss. These acidic peatlands are generally wetter and more mineral- enriched than dwarf-shrub level bog communities.
Red Oak - Sugar Maple Transition Forest
This relatively large example of Red Oak-Sugar Maple Transition Forest is in very good condition, with many very old trees and the structural characteristics of an old growth forest.
Red Oak - Sugar Maple Transition Forests have species typical of northern hardwood forests mixed with others that are more southerly. This widespread forest type is moderate in moisture, pH, and nutrient availability.
Acidic Rock Cliff Community
In curving around the hill, this Acidic Rock Cliff is exposed to a variety of sun angles, which create a range of moisture and light conditions for various plants and animals. It is very well buffered by natural vegetation.
Vascular plants in the extremely sparsely vegetated Acidic Rock Cliff communities grow on small ledges and in crevices of acidic cliff faces that may have dense patches of lichen. Cliff communities are often between rocky outcrops and talus slopes.
This example of Calcareous Talus Forest is found on an unusual type of bedrock for Massachusetts, and consequently has an unusual array of plant species. It is in good condition, with no signs of human disturbance or invasive species.
Open Talus/Coarse Boulder Community
This small Open Talus/Coarse Boulder Community is associated with a vertical bedrock outcrop in an extensive area of upland oak forest. No invasive species were seen in the shrub and herbaceous layers.
Open Talus/Coarse Boulder Communities are sparsely vegetated communities of vines and scattered herbaceous plants on moss or lichen covered boulders with deciduous litter in crevices and no to little tree canopy.
Northern Hardwoods - Hemlock - White Pine Forest
S5
This large example of Northern Hardwoods-Hemlock-White Pine Forest is diverse and mature, and provides habitat for many common wildlife species and neotropical migrant birds. It is well buffered by a large, roadless, naturally vegetated area, and is in v
The closed canopies of Northern Hardwoods - Hemlock - White Pine Forests are generally deciduous with a mix of conifers. The shrub and herbaceous layers are sparse. They occur in cool areas or north facing slopes and ravines.
Black Gum - Pin Oak - Swamp White Oak Perched Swamp
This very large example of Black Gum-Pin Oak-Swamp White Oak "Perched" Swamp is in good condition and is mostly minimally disturbed.
Black Gum - Pin Oak - Swamp White Oak Perched swamp is an unusual type of wetland found in Massachusetts in one area of the Connecticut River Valley. This community type is dominated by red maple, with black gum, pin oak, and swamp white oak.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in fair condition, and is degraded by intensive use for cranberry production. An abandoned beach area is slowly recovering, but lacks the diversity of this community type.
This example of Alluvial Atlantic White Cedar Swamp, though small, is an interesting variant that is strongly influenced by groundwater seepage, which results in greater floristic diversity.
Level Bog
This example of Level Bog is in excellent condition, with a well developed sphagnum mat and good structural and species diversity. It is largely buffered by natural vegetation and shows little sign of human disturbance.
Level bogs are dwarf-shrub peatlands, generally with pronounced hummocks and hollows in sphagnum moss. These wetland communities are very acidic and nutrient-poor because the peat isolates them from nutrients in groundwater and streams.
Transitional Floodplain Forest
This example of Transitional Floodplain Forest is the largest and best quality of its kind in Massachusetts.
Transitional Floodplain Forests are riverside silver maple-green ash-American elm forests that experience annual floods. Of the three floodplain forest community types, these communities are intermediate in vegetation and soils.
This small example of Transitional Floodplain Forest is in good condition and is free of exotic invasive species, but is not well-buffered to the effects of development.
Despite some concentrated recreational use areas, this moderately large example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in good condition, with a large buffer of natural vegetation and good species diversity.
Calcareous Seepage Marsh
This large seepage marsh has good native diversity and some patches of non-native invasive species. It is surrounded by another priority community.
Calcareous Seepage Marshes are marshy wetlands enriched by calcareous groundwater seepage. Of the three types of calcareous fen communities described in Massachusetts, they are intermediate in richness and in botanical rarities.
Atlantic White Cedar Bog
This moderate-sized example of Atlantic White Cedar Bog is degraded by human disturbance, and is not well buffered to the effects of surrounding development.
Atlantic White Cedar Bogs are characterized by a nearly continuous heath shrub layer and an open canopy dominated by Atlantic white cedar. A carpet of sphagnum moss is underlain by deep, wet peat.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is still largely intact, despite fairly heavy development around part of Great South Pond. The shores support several rare plant species, and the pond is home to a healthy native freshwater mussel community.
Red Maple Swamp
This example of Red Maple Swamp is large, of high-quality, and is free of anthropogenic disturbance and exotic invasive species.
Red Maple Swamps are forested wetlands that are dominated by red maple. They are the most common forested wetlands in Massachusetts. This community type is highly variable in its species composition.
Salt Marsh
This example is the largest contiguous acreage of Salt Marsh on Cape Cod, and hosts diverse vascular flora, algae, and fauna.
Salt Marshes are graminoid dominated, tidally flooded coastal communities developed on peaty material in areas protected from wave energy in estuaries and behind barrier beaches.
Maritime Forest/Woodland
This example of Mariitme Forest/Woodland is in good condition and has an extensive natural buffer, although it is also threatened by exotic invasive species.
Maritime Forests/Woodlands are mixed deciduous/evergreen forests within the coastal salt spray zone. Vegetation growth is stunted by winds and salt spray, resulting in short trees < 30 ft).
This example of Acidic Shrub Fen is in fair condition, and  is degraded by its lack of buffer to development and pollution.
This is a good sized Highbush Blueberry Thicke that is continuous with other wetlands and a brook. There are nearby roads and abundant woods roads in the area.
Calcareous Rocky Summit/Rock Outcrop Community
This example of Calcareous Rocky Summit, slightly atypical in its species composition, is in excellent condition, with little impact from recreational use and no exotic invasive species. It is well buffered by natural vegetation.
Calcareous Rocky Summit/Rock Outcrop Communities are sparsely vegetated, dry, open communities, usually on steep, mid-slope calcareous ledges in the marble regions of Berkshire County.
These Maritime Forests/Woodlands are dominated by mixed pitch pine, red cedar and/or black oak. The understory is often a tangle of poison ivy and catbriers.
Maritime Forests/Woodlands are mixed deciduous/evergreen forests within the coastal salt spray zone. Vegetation growth is stunted by winds and salt spray, often resulting in short  (&lt; 30 ft) trees.
Red Maple - Black Gum Swamp
Red Maple – Black Gum Swamps are the only type of forested swamp on Nantucket. They occur in wetland basins across the island and dominate this large wetland at Squam Swamp.
Red-Maple - Black Gum Swamps are forested hummocky wetlands that occur in poorly-drained basins. Black gum is an abundant or dominant canopy tree, with red maple, growing primarily on the hummocks which results in a relatively open canopy.
Red Maple – Black Gum Swamps are the only type of forested swamp on Nantucket. They occur in wetland basins across the island, dominating this large wetland that includes areas of Shrub Swamp.
This example of Black Gum-Pin Oak-Swamp White Oak "Perched" Swamp is poorly buffered by its residential and agricultural setting, but maintains the species diversity and structure that is characteristic of this rare natural community.
This example of a Coastal Salt Pond Marsh is of moderate quality, and exists within a degraded landscape.
Hemlock Swamp
This example of Hemlock Swamp is moderate sized, but in good condition and within a very large naturally vegetated landscape.
Hemlock Swamps are acidic forested wetlands where eastern hemlock is dominant or co-dominant in the canopy. They occur in poorly drained basins throughout the state where the organic soils are saturated throughout the year.
Hemlock Forest
This large example of Hemlock Ravine is the classic ravine type, with good structural diversity and patches of old growth present. It is embedded within a very large, naturally vegetated roadless area, and is in very good condition.
Hemlock Forests are dominated by eastern hemlocks whose dense canopies restrict light and plant growth in lower layers.  These acidic  conifer forests occur statewide on north facing slopes or along north facing ravines.
This moderate sized example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in fair condition, and is degraded by an invasive species as well as by development, recreational use, and artificial water drawdowns.
Pitch Pine - Scrub Oak Community
This example of Pitch Pine-Scrub Oak is the state's largest inland occurrence of the community and includes many of the associated rare plants and invertebrates typically found in southeastern Massachusetts. It is threatened by off road vehicle use.
Pitch pine/scrub oak communities are globally rare, fire dependant shrub dominated communities, with scattered trees and occasional openings, occurring on dry, poor, usually sandy, soils. They provide habitat for many rare species.
Riverside Seep Community
Despite the presence of an exotic invasive species, this large example of a Riverside Seep has good species diversity and is well buffered by naturally forested land.
Riverside Seeps are a mixed herbaceous community that occurs at the base of steep riverbanks where groundwater seeps out of the bottom of the upland slope. This enrichment leads to high species diversity.
Mixed Oak Forest/Woodland
This large example of this community type is very well buffered by an even larger, naturally vegetated area, and is in very good condition.
Mixed Oak Forest is a broadly defined tree oak dominated community that grades into other more narrowly defined communities. They often occur in areas that burn regularly, with dry soils and exposed slopes.
This example of Circumneutral Rocky Summit is of very high quality, with good species diversity and natural disturbances such as windthrow that help this community persist. It is free of invasive species, and is well buffered by natural vegetation.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in moderately good condition, and has a small natural buffer, but parts of the shore are degraded by heavy recreational use.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in good condition, with some degradation from recreational use and water withdrawals.
This relatively small example of Maritime Dune system is in good condition, with good species diversity, natural processes, and little human disturbance.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in good to fair condition, and is not well buffered within the developed landscape.
This example of Acidic Rock Cliff is in very good condition, with little signs of human disturbance or invasive species. It is well buffered within a naturally vegetated landscape.
This example of Kettlehole Level Bog is in good condition, with good structure and species diversity, and is partially buffered by natural vegetation.
High-terrace Floodplain Forest
This example of High-Terrace Floodplain Forest is moderate sized, but fairly disturbed with exotic invasive species present.
High-Terrace Floodplain Forests are deciduous hardwood forests that occur along riverbanks, above the zone of annual flooding. Although they do not flood annually, they flood often enough for the soil to be moderately enriched.
This example of High-terrace Floodplain Forest, though small, is in good condition with only minor levels of disturbance, but has little forested land buffering it.
This example of Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest is on a very steep, active talus slope, and has good species diversity. However it is threatened by a poor buffer to development, as well as the presence of two exotic invasive species.
The Kettlehole Level Bogs on Nantucket occur as very small examples. This type occurs in basins that usually have standing water for most or all of the year. The water tends to be fairly acidic and nutrient-poor.
This small Salt Marsh on Great Point is in a classic barrier beach position with dunes and beach and low Maritime Juniper Woodland/Shrubland, all of which change from year to year.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in excellent condition, with no artificial water withdrawals or recreational use affecting the community.
This large complex wetland has areas of very nice Inland Atlantic White Cedar Swamp in a Red Maple dominated swamp. The wetland system has forested swamp with patches of open peatland, shrublands, and emergent marshes.
This large example of Alluvial Red Maple Swamp is in excellent condition, with minimal anthropogenic disturbances, good structural and floristic diversity, and a large, naturally vegetated buffer.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in good condition, with limited development and recreational use affecting the community.
This may be the largest example of Maritime Dunes in New England. Limited human and vehicular access have left much of it in excellent condition, with concentrated areas degraded by use and invasive exotic species.
These patches of Circumneutral Rocky Summit arein very good condition, and are well buffered within a naturally vegetated landscape.
This example of Maritime Forest / Woodland has good diversity of native species mixed with invasive exotic species and is well buffered by other maritime natural communities.
Red Maple - Black Ash - Tamarack Calcareous Seepage Swamp
This example of Black Ash-Red Maple-Tamarack Seepage Swamp, though moderate-sized, is of very high-quality, and is one of the best of its kind in the state.
Red Maple - Black Ash - Tamarack Calcareous Seepage Swamps are fairly open mixed deciduous-coniferous swamps occurring in areas where there is calcium-rich groundwater seepage. This nutrient enrichment supports many rare calcium-loving plant species.
Coastal Salt Pond Community
This Coastal Salt Pond was identified through aerial interpretation and verified with site visits.
Coastal Salt Ponds are separated from the ocean by sandspits that open and close irregularly causing great variability in salinity and water levels - and vegetation - within the salt pond.
Interdunal Marsh/Swale
On Nantucket, the Interdunal Marsh/Swale community is very small and localized. Position of the swales may change over time as the dune sands shift, filling in one swale and creating another.
Interdunal Marsh/Swale communities are dominated by graminoids or shrubs in shallow depressions between sand dunes. They are part of dune systems, and the best examples are complexes of numerous swales.
Red Maple – Black Gum Swamps are the only type of forested swamp on Nantucket. They occur in wetland basins across the island. These patches dominate wetlands in the Millbrook Swamp area.
On Nantucket, Interdunal Marsh/Swales community type is very small and localized.  Position of the swales may change over time as the dune sands shift, filling in one swale and creating another.
This example of Northern Hardwoods-Hemlock-White Pine Forest is large and has a very diverse age structure, allowing it to provide habitat to a greater diversity of wildlife.
This small patch of Rich, Mesic Forest is recovering from years of anthropogenic disturbance which have resulted in exotic invasive species. However it has exceptional floral diversity and several state-listed rare species.
Red Maple – Black Gum Swamps are the only type of forested swamp on Nantucket. This cluster of small patches is part of a wetland mosaic surrounded by a larger Shrub Swamp.
Ridgetop Heathland
This very nice Ridgetop Heathland community is naturally small on a little-visited mountain summit. A stone wall crossing the community suggests that past grazing may have maintained or enlarged the occurrence.
Ridgetop Heathland is a natural or semi-natural low shrub community on bedrock that often needs management to remain open in the absence of fire. The tree canopy is absent or sparse.
This example of Acidic Graminoid Fen is large and of high quality. This sedge-dominated peatland is partially buffered by natural vegetation.
This species-diverse and disturbance-free Hemlock Swamp is of small size, but it is well buffered within a large area of natural vegetation.
Deep Emergent Marsh
This example of Deep Emergent Marsh is of exemplary species diversity, size, and quality, and is home to both state-listed rare plants and animals.
Deep Emergent Marshes are tall graminoid wetlands with deep water (up to 3 ft). They generally form in broad, flat areas along slow rivers or ponds; they often grade into Shrub Swamps.
This example of Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest is relatively good condition, despite its low diversity of species and its proximity to development. It has no exotic invasive species present and no unnatural disturbances, and is a very active talus slope.
This example of Maritime Forest/Woodland is in good condition with no exotic invasive species, but is somewhat fragmented by development.
This example of Acidic Graminoid Fen, though extremely small, is in very good condition with excellent species diversity and a large, naturally vegetated buffer of other acidic wetland types.
This small but mature example of Rich, Mesic Forest is in very good condition, with excellent structural and species diversity, and is free of exotic invasive species.
This example of Sandplain Grassland is one of the smaller occurrences on Martha's Vineyard.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore has been severely degraded by dense development around most of the pond, along with recreational use and artificial water withdrawal.
Rich Conifer Swamp
This example of Rich Conifer Swamp is in good condition, with no invasive exotic species and well-buffered within a forested landscape.
Rich Conifer Swamps are species- and nutrient-rich swamps dominated by eastern hemlock, balsam fir, or red or black spruce mixed with hardwoods including black ash. They usually have pockets of moss rather than sphagnum lawns.
Calcareous Basin Fen
This example of Calcareous Basin Fen occurs as a ring around Lake Agawam, and has very good species and habitat diversity.
Calcareous Basin Fens are sedge-shrub peatlands occurring in well-defined basins that have calcareous water inputs. These uncommon communities are the least rich of the three types of calcareous fen communities described in Massachusetts.
Despite the presence of a well and a nearby road, this example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in excellent condition, with good structural and species diversity and a fairly extensive buffer of natural vegetation.
This Alluvial Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is of moderate size and maturity. It has good species diversity, but exotics are present and it is is poorly buffered from nearby development.
Chestnut Oak Forest/Woodland
This extensive example of Chestnut Oak Forest/Woodland is in excellent condition, with intact natural processes like fire occurring and with a very large, naturally vegetated buffer.
Chestnut Oak Forest/Woodland is dominated by chestnut oak with other oaks over an often dense shrub understory. This community typically occupies dry upland sites with thin soil over acidic bedrock on ridges and upper slopes.
High-energy Riverbank Community
This example of High-Energy Riverbank is small but pristine, and well buffered within a natural landscape with intact ecosystem processes.
High-energy Riverbank Communities are dominated by a sparse mix of native and non-native species. Severe flooding and ice scour on cobble shores of steep gradient, fast flowing rivers maintain the vegetation in narrow bands.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is of moderate size, but shows little sign of human activity, is in excellent condition,  and is well buffered by natural forest.
Maritime Erosional Cliff Community
The Maritime Erosional Cliff Community has extremely sparse vegetation on cliffs being actively eroded by the sea.
This small example of Pitch Pine-Scrub Oak is an unusual inland occurrence, and includes many of the associated rare plants and invertebrates typically found in southeastern Massachusetts. It has more trees than drier occurrences.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in excellent condition, largely due to its extensive natural buffer and undeveloped shores. The major threat to this pond is illicit recreational use, especially swimming and off-road vehicle use.
Despite the presence of an exotic invasive species, this example of Level Bog is the best and largest example of its type on Cape Cod.
This small, fairly diverse example of Acidic Graminoid Fen is found within a series of marsh and swamp habitats along the upper reach of Smith Brook, and is of moderate quality.
Acidic Graminoid Fens are sedge and sphagnum-dominated acidic peatlands that experience some groundwater and/or surface water flow but no calcareous seepage.  Standing water is often present throughout much of the growing season.
Calcareous Sloping Fen
This actively grazed Calcareous Sloping Fen on conservation land has good species diversity but many non-native invasive shrubs as well.
Calcareous Sloping Fens are open, sedge-dominated wetlands occurring on slight to moderate slopes where there is calcareous groundwater seepage. They are often ‘hot spots’ for uncommon species.
This example of High Energy Riverbank is large and pristine, and is in excellent condition, with intact natural processes, high species diversity, and minimal exotic invasive species.
This moderate-sized example of Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest has good diversity, but the surrounding area is being degraded by excessive recreational use.
This example of Deep Emergent Marsh is large, diverse, and free from human disturbances or invasive exotic species.
This small example of High Energy Riverbank is in fair condition, with moderate species diversity and some human disturbance.
This moderate sized example of Black Ash-Red Maple-Tamarack Calcareous Seepage Swamp is in good condition, with minimal invasive species present.
Oak - Hickory Forest
This large example of Oak-Hickory Forest is in excellent condition, with no apparent threats, and is well buffered in a large naturally vegetated area.
Oak - Hickory Forests are dominated by a variety of oak species, with hickories present in lower densities. A subcanopy commonly present includes hop hornbeam, flowering dogwood, and shadbush.
This example of Red Maple Swamp is large, well-buffered, and free of exotic invasive species.
Acidic Rocky Summit/Rock Outcrop Community
This small example of Acidic Rocky Summit is in good condition, and is associated with a diversity of natural communities as well as with state-listed rare plants. It is in pristine condition with no evidence of human disturbance.
Vegetated with shrubs, scattered grasses, mosses, lichens and occasional trees, Acidic Rocky Summit/Rock Outcrop Communities occur on dry exposed bedrock with little soil. They often form mosaics with other ridgetop communities.
Small-river Floodplain Forest
This large but narrow example of Small-River Floodplain Forest is in good condition, but its linear shape leaves it more vulnerable to disturbance because of its larger edge area.
Small-river Floodplain Forests are seasonally flooded silver maple/green ash forests along small rivers and streams including tributaries of large rivers. Most occurrences are in relatively flat areas of the coastal plain or the Connecticut River valley.
Hickory - Hop Hornbeam Forest/Woodland
This example of Hickory-Hop Hornbeam Forest is in very good condition, and is well buffered by naturally vegetated land.
Hickory - Hop Hornbeam Forests/Woodlands are open hardwood forests dominated by various hickory species with significant hop hornbeam in the subcanopy. This community is characterized by a sparse shrub layer, and a nearly continuous cover of grasses and
This example of Level Bog occurs as several 10 acre patches of floating mat and vegetation found along the margin of a partially developed lake. It is in good condition, despite its proximity to development.
This large example of Northern Hardwoods-Hemlock-White Pine Forest has a diversity of age structures, and provides habitat to many of our more common wildlife species, such as bear, moose, deer, and neotropical migrant birds.
Forest Seep Community
This small example of Forest Seep is in good condition, and is nicely buffered within a large naturally vegetated area. It is free of exotic invasive species.
Forest Seep Communities occur as very small patches in upland forests where groundwater emerges on slopes. Wetland plants dominate the herbaceous layer under upland trees.
Brackish Tidal Marsh
This large example of Brackish Tidal Marsh is in good condition although not well buffered from development. Most of it is well protected on conservation lands of two towns.
The Brackish Tidal Marsh community is often found in stretches of coastal rivers where salt and fresh water mix, and consists of mixed herbaceous vegetation that is flooded by daily tides.
This example of Coastal Atlantic White Cedar Swamp, though small, is in good condition.
This small example of Level Bog is in good condition, with an adequate buffer of upland natural vegetation, and minimal signs of human disturbance.
This moderate-sized example of Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest is in excellent condition, with tremendous floral diversity (over 200 species present), and is well buffered by naturally vegetated land.
This is a classic example of a Level Bog community bordering a pond.  Although somewhat affected by an adjacent railroad embankment, it is considered to be of good quality.
Black Oak - Scarlet Oak Woodland
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Patches of Black Oak - Scarlet Oak Woodland were identified by aerial interpretation and site visits. They are scattered around Camp Edwards, often at the edges of widespread Pitch Pine - Oak Forest.
Black Oak - Scarlet Oak Woodland is a fairly open oak/heath community maintained by regular fire. Often occurring on dry slopes, this community grades into Mixed Oak and Pine-Oak Forests. The subcanopy is sparse, and the low shrub layer dense.
Low-energy Riverbank Community
This example of Low-Energy Riverbank is in good condition, with few exotics, and is part of a larger complex of riverine and wetland ecosystems.
Low-Energy Riverbank Communities are open herbaceous communities occurring on sandy or silty mineral soils of river and streambanks that do not experience severe flooding or ice scour.
This example of Black Gum Swamp is in moderately good condition, and has no exotic invasive species present. It is also well buffered within a naturally vegetated landscape.
Shallow Emergent Marsh
This moderate sized example of Shallow Emergent Marsh is in good condition, and is fairly well buffered within a naturally vegetated area.
The Shallow Emergent Marsh community is a graminoid/herbaceous wetland found in broad, flat areas bordering rivers or along pond margins. The mucky mineral substrate has shallow standing water throughout the growing season.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in very good condition, with moderate diversity and little impact from recreation, water withdrawal, or development.
This large example of Small-River Floodplain Forest is in good condition, is relatively undisturbed, and is well-buffered by natural forest.
This example of Pitch pine-Scrub Oak community is in good condition, with intact natural processes like fire, and good species and habitat diversity.
This small example of Level Bog is found within a larger Atlantic White Cedar Swamp.
This large example of Level Bog is largely in good condition, despite its being bisected by a rail line that disrupts its hydrology. There is great variation in the bog's development across the site.
This example of Level Bog is moderate-sized, and is in good condition with good species diversity and bog mat development.
This example of Ridgetop Pitch Pine-Scrub Oak community is small but in good condition, with evidence of important natural processes such as fire, and showing some impact of recreational use.
This example of Hickory-Hop Hornbeam Forest is large and relatively diverse, with no significant anthropogenic disturbances and a good-sized buffer to development.
This example of a Coastal Plain Pondshore is in good condition, with minimal alterations to its hydrology and little evidence of recreational activity.
High Elevation Spruce - Fir Forest/Woodland
This large but somewhat fragmented example is one of two examples of High Elevation Spruce-Fir Forest known in our state. It is in good condition but is degraded by roads, parking areas, and foot traffic associated with recreational use.
High Elevation Spruce-Fir Forests are found on the tallest, most exposed mountains in Massachusetts. Dense thickets of balsam fir and red spruce, dwarfed from high winds and exposure, characterize this community.
This example of Coastal Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is large, in good condition, and is well buffered by natural vegetation.
This small calcareous rock outcrop has good diversity and moderate landscape context in association with other priority communities.
Acidic Graminoid Fen - Spillway Fen
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This Acidic Graminoid Fen - Spillway Fen variant has a high diversity of plant species in a community developed on a man-made structure.
Acidic Graminoid Fen - Spillway Fens are shallow acidic peatlands with mixed graminoid /herbaceous vegetation that develop on spillway bedrock channels associated with large dams.
This example of Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest is in good condition, with good diversity, no exotic invasive species, and is located within a large block of natural vegetation.
This example of Shallow Emergent Marsh has intact hydrology, is free of invasive exotic plant species, and is mostly buffered by natural vegetation.
This moderate sized example of Alluvial Atlantic White Cedar Swamp has good structural diversity, is relatively undisturbed, and is well buffered by natural vegetation.
This example of Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest, though small, is in excellent condition, with good species diversity. It occurs adjacent to several other interesting natural communities, including a Circumneutral Cliff and a cold swamp.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore has excellent species diversity and size, but is degraded by water withdrawals and off-road vehicle use.
Spruce - Tamarack Bog
This extensive Spruce-Tamarack Bog forest is dominated by Black Spruce that has hybridized with Red Spruce. It is in a forested landscape, but may be subject to periodic flooding from downstream dams and contained by abutting flood control dikes.
Spruce - Tamarack Bogs are acidic forested peatlands with an overstory of black spruce and tamarack and an understory of heath shrubs on sphagnum moss. They occur in kettlehole depressions, watershed divides, and along pond margins.
This example of High-Energy Riverbank is small but pristine, and has good species diversity.
The community is structurally diverse, including high marsh and low marsh. This example of Brackish Tidal Marsh is the largest in Massachusetts, and is well buffered in the landscape, although exotic invasive species are present.
Maritime Beach Strand Community
Maritime Beach Strand communities are best represented in areas that receive minimal human impacts.
Maritime Beach Strand communities are sparsely vegetated in narrow, wrack-strewn areas seaward of dunes, but above daily high tides, often in barrier beach systems.
This moderately large example of a Black Ash-Red Maple-Tamarack Calcareous Seepage Swamp is in good condition, despite the presence of some exotic invasive species.
This large example of Acidic Rocky Summit/Rock Outcrop is in good condition, with evidence of the natural disturbance regime, fire, that can perpetuate this community type.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in excellent condition, with good diversity, little impact from human use or development, and a large naturally vegetated buffer.
This example of Kettlehole Level Bog, though quite small, is in good condition and is of regional and local significance.
This example is a high-quality, species-rich Low-energy Riverbank community, a different community with more grasses than is found on more northern islands in the Connecticut River.
This example of Level Bog is relatively large and in very good condition, with little evidence of human disturbance and a well-developed bog mat.
This small patch of Rich, Mesic Forest is a regional variant lacking the full species diversity of this community type. However it is in very good condition, with no exotic species, and is found within a very large naturally vegetated area.
This example of Forest Seep runs along a brook, and is home to healthy population of a very unusual plant species. It is in good condition, and is relatively inaccessible.
This high quality example of Acidic Graminoid Fen is well buffered, with no signs of human disturbances or invasive exotic species.
Red Maple - Black Ash Swamp
This small Black Ash Swamp in a large protected corridor has unusually high species diversity within a surrounding wetland area dominated by Red Maple Swamp. The entire wetland has a mosaic of diverse habitats with several types of NHESP priority natural
Red Maple - Black Ash Swamps are a species rich variant of Red Maple Swamps with black ash abundant in the canopy. Soils are enriched by circumneutral groundwater seepage.
High-energy Rivershore Meadow
High-energy Rivershore Meadows are densely vegetated by sedges and herbaceous plants in narrow bands along high-energy rivers. Flooding and ice scouring restrict growth of tall shrubs and trees.
This large example of Inland Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is in good condition with an unusual diversity of plants.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore, though small, is in good condition and is largely buffered by natural vegetation.
Circumneutral Rock Cliff Community
This example of Circumneutral Rock Cliff supports several important rare plant species, despite its degraded condition. It is being invaded by exotic plant species and is also the site of illegal garbage dumping.
Plants in the extremely sparsely vegetated Circumneutral Rock Cliff communities grow on small ledges and in crevices on a circumneutral cliff face. These communities tend to support a greater diversity of species than do Acidic Rock Cliff communities.
This example of Calcareous Basin Fen is unusual in its setting within a far more acidic community type, an Inland Atlantic White Cedar Swamp. It is in good condition and is well buffered to impacts of human development.
This is large Open Talus/Coarse Boulder Community has no disturbances or invasive species. It is in a large roadless block with rocky woodlands and dry summits.
These Salt Marsh patches on dunes and behind beaches cover much of the narrow shore around Nantucket Harbor.
Red Maple – Black Gum Swamps are the only type of forested swamp on Nantucket. These isloated small patches are west of Polpis Harbor.
Red Maple – Black Gum Swamps are the only type of forested swamp on Nantucket. They occur in wetland basins across the island. These small patches are in a wetland mosaic surrounded by Shrub Swamp.
This large example of Maritime Dunes stretches over 1000 windswept acres. It is threatened by recreational use and exotic species; however, it is in very good condition and is very well buffered by a mosaic of coastal natural communities.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in fair condition and is degraded by development, recreational use, and water withdrawals.
Freshwater Tidal Marsh
This example of Freshwater Tidal Marsh is in very good condition. It is the largest occurrence of the community type in Massachusetts.
Freshwater Tidal Marshes are mixed herbaceous marshes flooded by daily tides, and occurring in the freshwater reach of coastal rivers.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is largely undisturbed, and although portions of it sustain heavy recreational use, most of it is in very good condition.
This very small example of Rich, Mesic Forest is in good condition, and is maturing, but has several exotic invasive species present.<br />This large example of a Calcareous Talus Forest/Woodland is in very good condition, with good species diversity, mi
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore, though large, is degraded by heavy recreational use and nearby development.
Maritime Shrubland
Maritime Shrublands on Nantucket tend to be very dense thinkets of shrubs on stable soils. Occurrences along roads and near development include invasive exotic species.
Maritime Shrubland communities are dominated by patches of dense shrubs with scattered areas of more open low growth or bare ground. On rocky coastal headlands or behind dunes, they receive salt spray during storms.
This relatively small example of Hickory-Hop Hornbeam Forest is in good condition, with high species diversity and no signs of anthropogenic disturbance or exotic invasive species.
This small example of High Energy Riverbank has good diversity of species and habitats.
These areas of Salt Marsh occur behind beaches and on dunes around Madaket Harbor, occasionally associated with Shrub Swamp to the inland side.
This example of Coastal Salt Pond is large, in excellent condition, and is well buffered in a naturally vegetated setting.
This example of Kettlehole Level Bog, though quite small, is in good condition, and is part of large protected area.
This good-sized example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in excellent condition, with no artificial water withdrawals, little impact from recreational use, and a large, natural forest buffer protecting it from any impacts of development.
This moderate-sized example of High-Terrace Floodplain Forest is well-developed, with good structure and diversity and moderate levels of disturbance.
This patch of Rich, Mesic Forest is a regional variant lacking the full species diversity of this community type. However it is mature and free of exotic invasive species, and well buffered from anthropogenic disturbance.
Major-river Floodplain Forest
This example of Major-River Floodplain Forest is one of several patches along the Deerfield River. This patch is small and long, and lacks the diversity characteristic of this community.
Major-river Floodplain Forests are strongly dominated by silver maple. They occur along large rivers where soils are enriched with nutrients brought by annual floods.
This example of Small-River Floodplain Forest, though small, is in excellent condition and is well buffered by natural vegetation.
This example of Red Spruce Swamp, though small, is in excellent condition and is extremely well buffered in a large, naturally vegetated landscape. It forms the headwaters for a small stream.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in good condition, despite some development and recreational use which are degrading areas of its shoreline.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in very good condition with minimal recreational use, despite some water withdrawal.
This very good and big  Brackish Tidal Marsh is part of a large estuarine system buffered by natural vegetation. It has typical native species diversity and only a few exotic species.
This example of Kettlehole Level Bog is significant as the only bog in Camp Edwards, but it has only fair species and structural diversity.
This example of Coastal Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is in good condition and has an unusual association with an adjacent fen.
This example of Inland Atlantic White Cedar Swamp, though large, has been negatively affected by changes in its hydrology caused by the railroad grade, resulting in large stands of dead trees.
This is a large example of Forest Seep, with good species diversity and embedded within a naturally vegetated landscape. It shows no signs of human disturbance and its unique topography and hydrology provide a diversity of habitats.
This example of Calcareous Seepage Marsh is the largest and best example of this uncommon community type described in the state.
A nice Hickory-Hop hornbeam Forest/Woodland on conservation land near other good natural communities, and not far from other examples of the community type.
Red Maple – Black Gum Swamps are the only type of forested swamp on Nantucket. They occur in wetland basins across the island. These patches in Trots Swamp are surrounded by Shrub Swamp.
Red Maple – Black Gum Swamps are the only type of forested swamp on Nantucket. They occur in wetland basins across the island. This isolated patch is associated with a Shallow Emergent Marsh in a developed area of town.
This important example of Maritime Beach Strand extends over 2 miles. It is in very good condition despite heavy recreational use in some areas, provides important shorebird nesting habitat, and is well buffered by other coastal natural communities.
This example of Coastal Salt Pond is of moderate size but excellent condition and is well buffered in a naturally vegetated setting.
This relatively small example of Maritime Forest/Woodland is in fair condition, with moderate species diversity, but is within a fragmented landscape and has exotic invasive species.
This example of Major-River Floodplain Forest is one of several patches along the Deerfield River. This patch is quite small and relatively degraded.
This example of Level Bog, though young, is large and of high quality, with little evidence of human disturbance and largely well buffered by natural vegetation.
This example of a Black Gum Swamp is of excellent quality, with good structural and species diversity, and is well buffered within a naturally vegetated landscape.
This large, high-quality example of Maritime Forest occurs within a 1000-acre dune system stretching three-miles. These dunes support several other significant, high quality natural communities as well.
This small example of a Calcareous Sloping Fen is recovering well from past human disturbances, and is associated with a larger complex of calcareous wetlands.
Calcareous Sloping Fens are open, sedge-dominated wetlands occurring on slight to moderate slopes where there is calcareous groundwater seepage.  They are often ‘hot spots’ for uncommon species.
This example of the Coastal/Interdunal Marsh/Swale community is in good condition, and is well buffered within a naturally vegetated landscape.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in excellent condition, despite its location within a very small natural area. It is not influenced by any water withdrawals or recreation and has good species diversity.
This small example of Acidic Graminoid Fen is in good condition despite the presence of an invasive exotic species. It is well buffered by natural vegetation.
This example of Coastal Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is relatively large, has good structural diversity, and is well buffered by naturally vegetated land.
This example of Level Bog is small, yet good-quality, and is well buffered by surrounding forested land.
This example of Inland Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is moderately sized, of good quality, and largely undisturbed.
This small example of Sandplain Heathland was created by regular mowing, which mimics the fire or grazing this uncommon community type requires to persist.
This very small example of Kettlehole Level Bog is one of only two moated, floating bogs found on Nantucket. It is in good condition.
This example of Marine Subtidal Flats is extremely sparsely vegetated but has a rich diversity of invertebrate fauna that provide forage for many species of birds.
This mature, moderate-sized example of Small-River Floodplain Forest is in excellent condition, with good structure and diversity, and is one of the top four sites of this community type in the state.
This example of High-Energy Riverbank is in good condition, with natural processes of flood and scour that perpetuate the community, but is not well buffered on one side of the river.
This example of Acidic Graminoid Fen has good species and structural diversity, and may be reverting to an Inland Atlantic White Cedar Swamp.
This example of Atlantic White Cedar Bog is in fair condition with several patches in a larger wetland, but is not well buffered by natural vegetation.
This small example of a Black Ash-Red Maple-Tamarack Calcareous Seepage Swamp is in good condition and is associated with several state-listed plant species.
This example of Spruce-Tamarack Bog, though small, is in good condition and is on conservation land in a  938 acre roadless block.
This is a large but disturbed Acidic Shrub Fen on the margins of an impounded lake. It is surrounded by roads and development near many acres of undeveloped land.
This example of Red Maple Swamp is both mature and large, and is part of a much larger wetland complex in a 2300 acre roadless block.
This nearly pristine example of Maritime Dunes covers over 600 windswept acres. Among the dunes is another type of uncommon natural community: there are over a dozen Coastal Interdunal Marsh/Swales of various sizes and composition.
This example of Black Ash Swamp has good structural and floristic diversity, and is well buffered in a naturally vegetated landscape.
This large Ridgetop Heathland on conservation land has natural patches along the ridgeline that have been increased in size by previous farming and current management. 
This example of Acidic Shrub Fen is one of the highest-quality in the state.  This fen occurs on a well-developed floating mat without exotic species or human disturbances, and is embedded within a large unfragmented forested area.
This moderate-sized example of Small-River Floodplain Forest is one of the three best examples of this type in the state. It has good structure and diversity, and is well buffered by natural vegetation.
This small example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in excellent condition, with good diversity and minimal human disturbance.
This example of Hickory-Hop Hornbeam Forest is in good condition, with an open canopy structure that enhances the diversity of herbs growing on the forest floor. It is very well buffered to roads and development by natural forest.
Scrub Oak Shrubland
This example of Scrub Oak Shrubland is in good condition, with an unusual species diversity and evidence of natural processes. It is moderately well buffered within a naturally vegetated landscape.
Scrub Oak Shrublands, found within pitch pine - scrub oak areas, are dominated by dense shrub oaks. They occur in depressions on sandplains where localized frosts keep out competing trees and on rock outcrops.
Pitch Pine - Scrub Oak Communities at MMR are primarily mapped on outwash, with smaller areas on moraine. They occur in association with Scrub Oak Shrublands in a matrix of Pitch Pine - Oak Forest.
Pitch Pine - Scrub Oak Communities are globally rare, fire dependant shrub dominated communities with scattered trees and occasional openings, occurring on dry, poor, usually sandy, soils. They provide habitat for many rare species.
Scrub Oak Shrubland at MMR is mapped primarily on outwash surrounded by Pitch Pine - Scrub Oak Community.
Scrub Oak Shrublands, found within pitch pine - scrub oak areas, are dominated by dense shrub oaks. They occur on rock outcrops or in depressions where localized frosts keep out competing trees.
This example of Mixed Oak Forest is in good condition with high potential for natural processes like fire to occur, and occurs within a very large, roadless, and naturally vegetated area.
This example of Coastal Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is large, is in excellent condition, and is well buffered by a mosaic of wetlands.
This small patch of Rich, Mesic Forest is a regional variant lacking the full species diversity of this community type. It is recovering from past logging, and exotic invasive species are established.
This example of a Coastal Plain Pondshore community is in good condition, with minimal development and recreational impacts and largely buffered by natural vegetation.
These linear Circumneutral Rock Cliff community patches are discontinuous along a north-south running traprock ridge with a with nearly vertical upper west slop. The exposed traprock ledges are dry and open with small cracks and moist nooks.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in excellent condition, and is part of a larger complex of wetland and aquatic ecosystems.
This moderate-sized example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in fair condition, with impacts from surrounding dense development including trampling,  high recreational use, and artificial water withdrawals.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in excellent condition, with over 90% of it unaffected by any human activity. It has good diversity, largely natural hydrology, a natural buffer, and no recreational users.
This example of Northern Hardwoods-Hemlock-White Pine Forest is very large, with excellent species and habitat diversity. It is free of human disturbances and is embedded within a large, roadless, naturally vegetated area.
This small Calcareous Sloping Fen has characteristic species with only a few exotics in a forest fragment not far from the Housatonic River and a cluster of other priority natural community occurrences.
This small example of an Inland Atlantic White Cedar Swamp has good floristic diversity, although it is not well buffered in the landscape.
This relatively small example of Rich, Mesic Forest is exceptionally mature, with high species diversity and no exotic invasive species reported.
This example of a Coastal Salt Pond is unusually large, in good condition, and generally buffered from surrounding development.
This moderate-sized example of Black Gum-Pin Oak- Swamp White Oak "Perched" Swamp is of high-quality and is surrounded by both forested upland and agricultural fields.
This example of Black Ash  Swamp is small, but with good species diversity and well-buffered by natural vegetation.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in excellent condition but is threatened by illicit off-road vehicle traffic.
Kettlehole Wet Meadow
This small example of a Kettlehole Wet Meadow is in good condition, despite the presence of exotic invasive species.
Kettlehole Wet Meadows are treeless graminoid communities in small (<5 acres) depressions in stratified glacial deposits. For most of the year they look like shallow ponds but, by late summer dense graminoid vegetation covers the peaty sediments.
This large example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in good condition, with roughly half of the pondshore well-buffered by natural vegetation. It is also degraded by artificial water withdrawals.
Sea-level Fen
This example of Sea Level Fen is of good size and in good condition, despite the presence of an exotic invasive species which may pose a future threat to its persistence.
Sea-level Fens are herbaceous/graminoid peatlands that occur at the upland edges of ocean tidal marshes. The combination of upland freshwater seepage and periodic brackish overwash produces a plant community of mixed freshwater and estuarine species.
This large example of a Coastal Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is in excellent condition, with good structural and species diversity, and is well buffered within a large mosaic of various wetland types.
This example of a Black Gum Swamp is in excellent condition, with good structural and species diversity, and is well buffered within a naturally vegetated landscape.
This small example of an Atlantic White Cedar Bog occurs along a lakeshore and is well buffered within a naturally vegetated landscape.
These two patches of Scrub Oak Shrubland on rock outcrops are maintained in good condition by mowing which has kept tree species from taking over. They include small open patches dominated by heathland vegetation.
Fresh/Brackish Tidal Shrubland
This small Fresh/Brackish Tidal Shrubland was the only one identified during a survey of vegetation of the Cape Cod National Seashore and its immediate vicinity. It has been altered but retains a high diversity of shrubs.
Fresh / Brackish Tidal Shrublands are dense to open shrublands flooded by daily tides, occurring along the freshwater to brackish reach of coastal rivers.
This example of Kettlehole Level Bog, though small, is in very good condition, with good species and structural diversity.
This moderate-sized example of Transitional Floodplain Forest is in good condition, and is one of only eightof its kind known in Massachusetts.
This example of Rich, Mesic Forest, though small, is in good condition and is embedded within a large, naturally vegetated, roadless area. It is subject to little human disturbance.
This Acidic Graminoid Fen - Spillway Fen has a high diversity of plant species in a community developed on a man-made structure.
This example of a Kettlehole Wet Meadow is one of the largest and best in the state, and is in excellent condition.
This example of Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest which occurs as two patches, is of moderate size but in very good condition, with good diversity and an excellent buffer of natural vegetation.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in fair condition and is degraded by relatively dense development.
Riverside Rock Outcrop Community
This example of Riverside Rock Outcrop occurs in conjunction with other important riverine communities along the Deerfield. The presence of several such communities near each other enhances the habitat value of each.
Sparsely vegetated, Riverside Rock Outcrop communities occur in crevices where soil accumulates on flood scoured bedrock outcrops along rivers.
This is the largest and highest-quality example of Major-River Floodplain Forest currently known in Massachusetts.
This example of Riverside Seep is of good size and quality, and is partially buffered by naturally forested land.
This example of Kettlehole Level Bog is a well developed example of a northern variant of this community type, in excellent condition and extremely well buffered to human disturbance by extensive natural vegetation.
This small example of Riverside Rock Outcrop is in quite good condition, with little evidence of human disturbance and good species and habitat diversity.
This example of Marine Subtidal Flats is the largest on the north shore of Massachusetts.
Spruce - Fir - Northern Hardwoods Forest
This large example of Spruce-Fir-Northern Hardwoods Forest is in excellent condition, and is part of a large mosaic of exemplary natural communities, many of which are uncommon in Massachusetts.
Spruce - Fir - Northern Hardwoods Forests are usually found in northern, higher parts of the state, on cool, rocky soils that are acidic, nutrient poor, and somewhat dry.
This example of Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest is small, and has relatively low species diversity. However, it is located within a large roadless area and is free of exotic species and human disturbance.
This example of Maritime Forest/Woodland, though small and somewhat fragmented, occurs within a larger mosaic of natural coastal ecosystems and is in good condition.
This example of Coastal Salt Pond is large, but its condition is degraded by recreational use and other human activity.
This example of Alluvial Red Maple Swamp, though fairly large, has some signs of human disturbance and is not well buffered to surrounding development.
This moderate-sized example of Pitch Pine-Scrub Oak community is in good condition, with intact natural processes like fire and good species diversity. It is one of the larger unfragmented examples of this type on Cape Cod.
This is a very large example of Black Ash-Red Maple-Tamarack Calcareous Seepage Swamp, in good condition, and it is well buffered in a naturally vegetated landscape.
This small example of a Level Bog is in good condition despite its proximity to nearby development.
This moderately-sized occurrence of Red Spruce Swamp in good condition, though it is threatened by the impacts of nearby development.
This Coastal Salt Pond occurs on a remote sand spit in association with a salt marsh on dunes.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in good condition, with good diversity and a large naturally vegetated buffer.
This small but excellent Kettlehole Level Bog occurs within a larger wetland at the headwaters of a small stream. Typical zonation of plants occur around a central pond has classic bog species near the open water.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in good condition despite its location in a small roadless area adjacent to a large subdivision, but it is threatened by off-road vehicle use and trampling.
This example of Calcareous Sloping Fen is small but pristine, with an unusual array of plant species.
This small Hemlock Ravine is in good condition, with good size and age structure, although it has hiking trails and a small population of volunteer Norway Spruce is present.
This example of Black Gum-Pin Oak-Swamp White Oak "Perched" Swamp is of fair quality, and is partially buffered by naturally forested upland.
This example of Calcareous Basin Fen is very large and in very good condition, with exceptional species diversity and a large buffer of natural vegetation. Exotic invasive species here are being intensively managed.
This relatively large example of Small-River Floodplain Forest is one of the best three of this type in the state.
Shrub Swamp
This very large example of Shrub Swamp is in excellent condition and is part of a larger acidic wetlands complex.
Shrub Swamp Communities are a common and variable type of wetlands occurring on seasonally or temporarily flooded soils. They are often found in the transition zone between emergent marshes and swamp forests.
This large example of a Kettlehole Wet Meadow is relatively well buffered by surrounding forest despite occurring within a developed landscape.
This example of Salt Marsh is large for the Boston Harbor Islands and natural processes are working. The surrounding area is very disturbed with many invasive species; the salt marsh has several invasives. All salt marsh in the Harbor Islands combine as
This example of Acidic Graminoid Fen, though created by a human disturbance to the sites' hydrology, is in excellent condition with a remarkable diversity of species.
This example of Northern Hardwoods-Hemlock-White Pine Forest is in good condition, with areas of old growth, and is well buffered within a larger forested landscape.
This pond supports a small example of Coastal Plain Pondshore due to its steep shores. These areas are in good condition.
This small example of Calcareous Sloping Fen is of good quality, with high floral diversity and a buffer of natural vegetation protecting it from human disturbance in adjacent uplands.
This small example of a Coastal Plain Pondshore is in excellent condition, and is well buffered within a natural landscape. Its only major threat is trampling and erosion from off-road vehicle use.
This example of Major-river Floodplain Forest occurs in patches along the Deerfield River. At least one of these patches is very large, of high-quality, and is free of exotic species and human disturbances.
This important example of Spruce-Fir-Northern Hardwoods Forest is considered old growth, with many trees 200-300 years old. It is in excellent condition with great structural diversity.
This example of Freshwater Tidal Marsh is of moderate size, and  is in fairly good condition despite having little buffering by naturally vegetated land.
This example of Acidic Rocky Summit occurs in a mosaic with Ridgetop Pitch Pine-Scrub Oak along on the ridge of Tom Ball Mountain, and is well buffered by 4,000 acres of forest. It has evidence of fire and good pitch pine regeneration.
This large, minimally impacted example of Maritime Beach Strand is considered to be one of the best examples of this community, and has an unusual association of plant species.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore persists in fair condition despite its lack of buffer from roads and development, and its heavy recreational use.
This small example of Black Gum Swamp is free of exotic invasive species, and is part of a larger mosaic of wetland types.
This example of Spruce-Tamarack Bog, though small and recovering from past disturbances, is one of only a few of its kind known in the state.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore, though large, is in poor condition, and is extremely degraded by overdevelopment and heavy recreational use.
This good-sized example of Acidic Rocky Summit occurs in patches along a ridgeline that is a mosaic of natural communities. They are free of human disturbance and have intact potential for natural ecosystem processes, such as fire.
Oak - Hemlock - White Pine Forest
Site 1: This example of Oak-Hemlock-White Pine is moderate-sized, with moderate species diversity. Browsing by deer, as well as gypsy moth damage, are threats to this community.  Site 2: This large example of Acidic Talus Slope is moderately diverse and
Oak - Hemlock - White Pine Forest is a mixed conifer-hardwood community common on dry, acidic, low-nutrient mid-slopes in the eastern and south-central of the state. At higher elevations, this forest is found on south facing slopes.
This example of Level Bog is in good condition and is well buffered by naturally forested upland.
This example of Maple - Black Ash Swamp is relatively undisturbed and of high quality, and consists of several seepy areas occurring along a slope above floodplain forest.
This large Spruce-Tamarack Bog Forest occurs along a stream and is underlain by sphagnum moss. The tree canopy is open, shrubs dense, and an herb layer that exhibits high cover and diversity. Beaver occasionally flood parts of the community.
This example of Rich Conifer Swamp, though quite small, is a mature, uneven-aged forest with good species diversity and little signs of human disturbance. It is located within a larger wetland complex in a large roadless area.
This example of Alluvial Red Maple Swamp is moderate sized and has high floral diversity.
This small but extremely important example of Riverside Rock Outcrop has a unique community of arctic and alpine mosses that are found nowhere else in southern New England. They are living relicts of the last glacial period.
This example of Maritime Dune system is the fourth largest  in the state.  Its 900 acres of Beach Grass and Golden Heather are poorly buffered from development, and are heavily disturbed by human impacts and invasive plant species.
This example of Black Ash - Red Maple - Tamarack Calcareous Seepage Swamp is moderate-sized and of good-quality, with a partially forested buffer. It is particularly unusual this far east in the state.
Much of this moderate sized Major-River Floodplain Forest is on conservation land. Although the sparse shrub layer is dominated by non-native species typical native species are abundant in the herbaceous layer.
Maritime Pitch Pine Woodland on Dunes
This excellent occurrence of Maritime Pitch Pine on Dunes community occurs within the matrix barrier beach dune system in a mosaic with other community types. The most distinct examples of the community are towards the east.
Maritime Pitch Pine Woodlands on Dunes have scattered pitch pines, many with partially buried trunks. Between pines there is bare sand with sparse, low growing, drought tolerant plants, fungi, and lichens.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in fair to poor condition due to extensive damage from off-road vehicles.
This example of High-Energy Riverbank is in excellent condition, with high species and habitat diversity and a large buffer of natural forest.
This moderate sized example of Alluvial Red Maple Swamp is structurally and floristically diverse, with few exotic invasive species, and is well buffered by natural vegetation.
This example of Acidic Graminoid Fen is of good quality, and is very well buffered within a larger complex of acidic wetlands.
This example of an Acidic Shrub Fen is in good condition, and has a well-developed open sphagnum mat.
This small but nearly pristine example of Coastal Plain Pond is in excellent condition and is well buffered by natural vegetation. Illicit recreational use is its most significant management concern.
This example of Ridgetop Pitch Pine-Scrub Oak has an unusual diversity of plant species. It is in good condition, despite heavy recreational use, and is well buffered within a naturally vegetated landscape.
This excellent representation of the type occurs as patches within the large Hockomock Swamp. The patches are variable in types of locations: pond margins, basins, and parts of gradients from open peat, through shrub fens to swamp forest.
This example of Acidic Shrub Fen is in good condition, despite its residential setting, and is part of a larger complex of acidic wetland ecosystems
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in fair condition, and is degraded by the dense development surrounding the pond.
This example of Alluvial Red Maple Swamp has good floral diversity and is the largest on the Blackstone River in Massachusetts.
This example of the community type is the largest acreage of Salt Marsh between Boston and Cape Cod.
This large Coastal Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is part of an extensive mosaic of wetland types, and is well buffered within this natural vegetation.
The Maritime Shrubland community covers much of southwest side of the island. Although it is currently dominated by Staghorn sumac, the community appears to be succeeding to an aspen-gray birch woodland with many invasive exotic species.
This small example of Acidic Graminoid Fen is in relatively pristine condition, with good species and structural diversity and an adequate buffer of natural vegetation.
This relatively small example of Kettlehole Level Bog is in good condition, with good habitat and species diversity, and has the classic structural development of this community type.
This small example of Rich, Mesic Forest is a regional variant lacking the full species diversity of its community type. It is in poor condition, and is degraded by runoff from a nearby road causing erosion and gullying, as well as garbage dumping.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore has been degraded by ditching and water withdrawals for an adjacent cranberry bog farm, but areas of shoreline persist in fair condition.
This mature example of Rich, Mesic Forest is a regional variant lacking the full species diversity of its community type. It is structurally and topographically diverse, despite past logging, and exotic invasive species are established.
Although this example of Coastal Salt Pond is small and embedded in a developed landscape, it is in good condition.
Coastal Forest/Woodland
This example of Coastal Forest occurs within a mosaic of other significant coastal natural communities, which are all somewhat degraded by recreational use and development.
Coastal Forests are mixed deciduous communities, often shorter than forests further inland, but taller than maritime forests. They may have dense shrubs and vines. This community is found in sheltered areas along the coast.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in very good condition, with little impact from human use or development and a  naturally vegetated buffer.
This example of High-terrace Floodplain Forest is of moderate quality, and is minimally impacted by human disturbances or invasive exotic species.
This example of Red Spruce Swamp is in good condition but is threatened by polluted runoff and other impacts of the  surrounding development.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in fair condition, with only a small buffer of natural vegetation, artificial water drawdown, and little signs of recreational use.
This fairly large example of Shallow Emergent Marsh is in good condition and is largely well buffered by natural vegetation.
This example of Black Oak-Scarlet Oak Forest is in good condition, with very high species diversity.
Although small, this example of Northern Hardwoods-Hemlock-White Pine Forest contains one of Massachusetts' few remaining old-growth stands.  Within this forest, tree diameters exceed 1 meter, and Hemlocks have been aged at over 300 years.
This occurrence of Major-River Floodplain Forest is well-developed, with only a few exotic invasive plant species restricted to small sections where disturbances such as trails exist. It is the second-best example of this type in Massachusetts.
This large example of Level Bog is in excellent condition, with an extensive buffer of natural vegetation and high species and structural diversity.
This example of Saline/Brackish Flats is in excellent condition, and harbors an excellent diversity of marine fauna and algae in a variety of microhabitats. Horseshoe crabs are abundant here, as are shorebirds during migration.
This small example of Calcareous Rock Cliff is in good condition, with no exotic invasive species or other unnatural disturbances. It is well buffered by natural vegetation.
This example of Acidic Rocky Summit has unusual topographic diversity, with cliffs, caves, and seeps. It is in good condition and is well buffered with other interesting natural communities.
This moderate sized patch of Ridgetop Pitch Pitch Pine - Scrub Oak community is in good condition is in a large protected landscape, although abutting a road. There are nearby good quality examples of other uncommon ridgetop communities.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in fair condition and is threatened by development and recreational use.
This example of Freshwater Tidal Marsh is of part of a larger complex of estuarine and riverine natural communities, and is unusually large for Massachusetts.
This example of Coastal Salt Pond is small but is in good condition.
This large example of Alluvial Red Maple Swamp has mature stands, is well buffered within a larger wetland complex, and has no exotic invasive species.
This example of Riverside Rock Outcrop has associated  Riverside Seep patches that support an unusual assemblage of plant species.  These two riverside communities are of good quality and are partially buffered by forested land.
This example of Acidic Graminoid Fen is in very good condition but is inadequately buffered to nearby development. It is threatened by trampling and polluted runoff.
This example of Coastal Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is large and in good condition, within a larger wetland complex that provides a good buffer to development.
This example of Calcareous Seepage Marsh is unusual in that it consists of three floating mats of vegetation in Three Mile Pond, which has calcareous bedrock. It is in very good condition with an extensive buffer of natural vegetation.
This small example of Black Gum-Pin Oak-Swamp White Oak "Perched" Swamp is heavily disturbed by past and current human activity.
This small patch of Rich, Mesic Forest is a regional variant lacking the full species diversity of this community type. However it is mature and free of exotic invasive species, and is well buffered from anthropogenic disturbance.
This example of Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest is good, with diversity and only scattered exotic invasives. It is in a large forested area, but there is a road downslope 130m.
This relatively small example of Maritime Dune Community is in good condition. Access is limited despite the presence of several trails and a road.
This example of Major-River Floodplain Forest is moderate-sized and in good condition.
This example of Acidic Graminoid Fen, though small, is in excellent condition, with good species and habitat diversity, and minimal impact from human disturbances. It is well buffered by natural vegetation.
This example of Black Ash-Red Maple-Tamarack Calcareous Seepage Swamp is large and of excellent quality, with good structural and species diversity, including several state-listed rare species.
This example of Inland Atlantic White Cedar Swamp, though small, is in good condition.
This example of Ridgetop Pitch Pine-Scrub Oak Community is in excellent condition, with good regeneration and minimal human disturbances. It is buffered by over 12,000 acres of natural vegetation.
This example of Sandplain Heathlands is in good condition, and is part of a mosaic of globally important sandplain natural communities. It is severely threatened by soil erosion and destruction by dirt bikes and off road vehicles.
This example of High Elevation Spruce-Fir Forest is the largest in the state. It is unfragmented and it is extremely well buffered within a naturally vegetated landscape.
This example of High-Energy Riverbank is in good condition, but is threatened by upstream manipulations of water flow.
This small example of Acidic Graminoid Fen is in fair condition, with exotic invasive species present and little buffer to the surrounding dense development.
This extraordinarily large and pristine example of Acidic Graminoid Fen is sedge dominated with scattered shrubs. It is within a 1117 acre roadless block and invasive species are not present and it has an intact hydrological system.
This example of Rich, Mesic Forest is of moderate size, but in very good condition, with topographical diversity - rock outcrops, gullies, and the like - that provides a rich array of microhabitats for various unusual plant species.
This very small example of Calcareous Rock Cliff is in excellent condition and exists in a mosaic with several other important calcareous communities. Together they provide a significant amount of habitat for many unusual and rare plants and animals.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore, though tiny, is part of a group of ponds that dot the landscape, and is in excellent condition. They are well buffered in a naturally vegetated landscape and not degraded by any recreational use.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in good condition, with no hydrologic disturbances and within a small naturally vegetated area.
This good example of a Coastal Plain Pondshore occurs around White Pond, a clear-water kettlehole pond and two small pondlets associated with it. The classic pondshore vegetation occurs in narrow sandy margins that are only partially vegetated.
This example of Shrub Swamp is large and is in excellent condition, with relatively little human disturbance and an intact natural hydrologic system.
This large example of Hickory-Hop Hornbeam Forest occurs across a gradient of soil fertility which causes additional species diversity. It shows signs of past natural disturbance that has enhanced the species diversity found here.
This example of Small-River Floodplain Forest, though small, is relatively undisturbed and is well buffered by surrounding natural vegetation.
This Pitch PIne - Scrub Oak Community includes most of the pitch pine (Pinus rigida) forests or woodlands on Nantucket.
This extensive Acidic Shrub Fen is in good condition, with minimal human disturbance, and is well buffered by an upland forest and a forested bog.
This small example of Scrub Oak Shrubland is in very good condition, with good species diversity and intact natural processes such as fire and hydrology. It is well buffered by natural vegetation in a larger landscape.
This example of an Alluvial Atlantic White Cedar Swamp, though extremely small, is in excellent condition and is very well buffered by natural vegetation.
This example of Sandplain Grassland  is considered to be the largest and best in the state, and possibly in New England.  This very rare natural community harbors many state-listed plant and animal species.
This example of Ridgetop Pitch Pine-Scrub Oak Community is one of the largest and best of its kind in the state. It burns fairly regularly, increasing its potential to persist here.
This example of a Coastal Salt Pond Marsh is of moderate quality, and lacks the characteristic diversity of the community type.
This moderate-sized example of Sandplain Grassland is in excellent condition, with good species diversity and a large naturally vegetated buffer. It has few exotic species and little human disturbance.
This example of a Level Bog is well-known and much-visited.  Although moderate levels of disturbances from trampling are affecting the peat layer, this bog remains a high-quality example of this natural community.
This large, well-developed bog mat supports several rare plant species. This bog grades into a small shrub swamp, and the entire wetland complex is moderately buffered by natural vegetation.
Calcareous Pondshore/Lakeshore Community
This is the largest example of Calcareous Pondshore/Lakeshore in Massachusetts, and despite the presence of an exotic invasive species, it is in relatively good condition.
Calcareous Pondshore/Lakeshore Communities consist of shrubby, herbaceous, or graminoid vegetation along shores of hard water lakes. These communities are saturated for much of the year with some plants emerging only during low water.
This example of Sandplain Heathland is recovering from years of disturbance associated with past military use. It is in fair condition.
This large and diverse example of Alluvial Red Maple Swamp is somewhat ecologically compromised by upstream and downstream alterations to its hydrology.
This large example of Highbush Blueberry Thicket is in good condition, is well buffered by natural vegetation, and is part of a larger complex of wetland ecosystems that provides a diversity of habitats.
Despite the presence of some exotic invasive species, this large example of the Coastal/Interdunal Marsh/Swale community is in good condition, with excellent structural and species diversity and a sizable naturally vegetated buffer.
This example of Alluvial Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is the largest and highest-quality recorded in the state.  Its 76 acres are largely buffered by natural vegetation.
This large Red Spruce Swamp is in good condition in a largely forested area, but abuts an old railroad grade and has nearby roads and trails.
This example of Coastal Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is relatively small and disturbed by logging.
This example of Oak-Hickory Forest is a relatively large patch of second growth forest, in good condition, which together with adjoining wetlands provides a significant diversity of habitat types across a good-sized roadless area.
This regionally significant example of Forest Seep is exceptionally diverse and is in good condition, despite the presence of exotic invasive species. It is well buffered by natural vegetation.
This large example of Hickory-Hop Hornbeam Forest is in excellent condition, with high structural and species diversity, despite its lack of an adequate buffer.
This example of Kettlehole Level Bog, though not well buffered, is a large and classic example of its type, with good structural diversity and bog mat development.
Acidic Pondshore/Lakeshore Community
This example of Inland Acidic Pondshore/Lakeshore is extensive, in very good condition, and within a large complex of various wetland types that buffer it from development.
The Acidic Pondshore/Lakeshore Community includes all freshwater pond shorelines that do not meet the tighter definitions of more specialized communities. The broadly defined, variable community type occurs statewide.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is unusual in having completely unaltered hydrology, and is also extremely well buffered within a naturally vegetated large roadless area. As a result it is in excellent condition.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is heavily degraded by intensive recreational use, and is surrounded by dense development.
This moderate-sized example of Small-River Floodplain Forest is in good condition except for the presence of exotic invasive species. It would be a good site for a restoration/invasive eradication project.
This small example of Pitch Pine-Scrub Oak is degraded by a poor buffer to surrounding development.
This mature example of Hickory-Hop Hornbeam Forest has high species diversity and little sign of anthropogenic disturbance. It is part of a larger mosaic of natural communities that provide it with a good buffer to human impacts.
This small example of Mariitme Forest/Woodland has good species diversity, but is threatened by an invasive exotic species.
This moderate sized example of Inland Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is in good condition.
This example of Red Spruce Swamp is one of the larger in the state, and is in good condition despite historical logging in the area.
This example of Atlantic White Cedar Bog consists of several small patches, but is in good condition and is an unusual occurrence for Cape Cod.
This moderate-sized example of Acidic Rocky Summit is associated with an Acidic Talus slope, and is surrounded by one of the largest and most mature Northern Hardwoods - Hemlock - White Pine forests in the state.
This example of Forest Seep is moderate-sized and mature, with good structural and species diversity, and is well buffered by natural vegetation. It is also free of human disturbances, including exotic species.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is primarily in good condition and is fairly well buffered in the landscape, despite some recreational use and water withdrawal.
This large example of Maritime Beach Strand is in excellent condition due to the lack of human access. There is good species composition, natural processes are intact, and there is very little human disturbance.
This example of Coastal Atlantic White Cedar Swamp, though moderate-sized, is in excellent condition and has well developed structural diversity and intact hydrology.
This large example of Spruce-Fir-Northern Hardwoods Forest is in very good condition, despite the presence of a paved road and several hiking trails. It is otherwise very well buffered in a naturally vegetated landscape.
This example of Marine Intertidal Rocky Shore is the best quality of its kind in Massachusetts.  It contains a variety of microhabitats and species diversity, and is greatly influenced by the range of the tides.
This example of Level Bog is of good-quality, with a small open sphagnum mat, and is well buffered by a forested swamp and upland woods.
This large Shrub Swamp is in excellent condition in a broad wetland extending along a stream above a pond. It has diverse structure and abuts other, less common community types.
This Highbush Blueberry Thicketis part of a large wetland mosaic with good community occurrences surrounded by residential development on the uplands.
This example of Atlantic White Cedar Bog is moderately sized and in fair condition.
This large example of a Coastal Salt Pond is quite large and supports a diverse community of plants and animals. It is also well buffered from development by a large, naturally vegetated landscape.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in fair condition, but is poorly buffered to the impacts of dense development and is particularly vulnerable to runoff from the surrounding golf course.
This small example of Hickory - Hop Hornbeam Forest/Woodland, on the top of a serpentine knoll, has high diversity with scattered invasive exotic species. The surrounding land includes development and successional forest.
This example of High-Terrace Floodplain Forest is quite small and in somewhat degraded condition.
This is a relatively large example of Shrub Swamp, with good species diversity, little sign of human disturbance, and a large buffer of natural vegetation.
This example of Acidic Rocky Summit/Rock Outcrop  is in good condition, with good species and topographical diversity. It has been relatively undisturbed since the formation of the Quabbin Reservoir.
This large example of Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest is in very good condition, with an excellent buffer of natural vegetation and no exotic species reported.
Cobble Bar Forest
This example of Cobble Bar Forest is good sized, with excellent diversity and structure, and is relatively well buffered within a natural landscape.
Cobble Bar Forests occur on bands of cobble-sized rocks, or other coarse material, deposited along powerful rivers during annual flood events. Their open canopies typically include sycamores and cottonwoods with silver maple, green ash, and elm.
This example of Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest, though small, is in very good condition. It has excellent diversity and no exotic invasive species, but has only a small buffer to development.
These patchy occurrences of Maritime Forest/Woodland are on marsh island uplands on conservation land succeeding from past agricultural use.
This excellent but small example of Hemlock Ravine community is in a very rocky area on the edge of a gorge. The mostly open understory has patches of young trees growing around tip-ups and large downed logs.
This large Brackish Tidal Marsh has ditches throughout which continue to affect the vegetation with dense cattails along the ditches and occasional patches of Phragmites.
This Rich Conifer Swamp is very park-like with a scattered understory and areas of dense shrubs. There is good habitat variability and no exotics were seen.
This small patch of Hickory - Hop Hornbeam Woods occurs within a very large roadless block and is surrounded by intact oak-dominated forest.
This pristine Kettlehole Level Bog is surrounded by dry oak and pine forest on outwash. There are no invasive species or signs of disturbance despite proximity to roads.<br>
This high-quality example of Kettlehole Level Bog is worthy of statewide recognition, not only due to its excellent condition and lack of disturbances, but also because it is one of only two moated, floating bogs on Nantucket.
This moderate-sized example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in good condition, with primarily naturally vegetated land buffering it from development.
This moderate-sized Spruce-Tamarack Bog is on the edge of a large area, but abuts a road. It has good species diversity and few exotics.
This example of Low-Energy Riverbank is moderate sized and is an unusual variant of this community type that experiences periodic flooding, resulting in an unusual species composition.
This small example of Calcareous Rock Cliff is in good condition, with moderate species diversity and no unnatural disturbances present. It is well buffered by natural forestland.
This relatively small example of Small-River Floodplain Forest is in good condition and is well buffered by natural vegetation with clusters of vernal pools, adding to its habitat value.
This moderate sized example of Alluvial Red Maple Swamp has exotic invasive species and is not well buffered from development within the landscape.
This small patch of Rich, Mesic Forest is a regional variant lacking the full species diversity of this community type. However it is mature and free of exotic invasive species, and is partially buffered from anthropogenic disturbance.
This large, young example of Coastal Forest is mixed with Red Maple Swamp growing among stone walls on old agricultural fields.
Fire has maintained this moderate-sized Chestnut Forest in an open condition, within a large roadless block with other good quality priority and common community types. Native diversity is good with no exotic invasives.
This Coastal Interdunal Marsh/Swale community is made up of several relatively large swales in a  mosaic with other dune communities in a heavily used and fragmented dune system.<br>
This example of Kettlehole Level Bog, although poorly buffered, is in good condition with a well-developed bog mat.
This example of Red Maple Swamp is of excellent quality, with good species diversity, and is well buffered within 600 acres of naturally forested land.
This high quality example of High Energy Riverbank is large and pristine, and is influenced by intact natural processes that perpetuate it.
This example of Acidic Rocky Summit/Rock Outcrop is large and in very good condition, with little human disturbance beyond a low density trail system. It is well buffered within a larger naturally vegetated area.
This example of Major-River Floodplain Forest is an extremely small remnant of a once larger forest, and it is degraded by exotic invasive species.
This example of Inland Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is moderately sized and largely undisturbed.
This large example of Alluvial Red Maple Swamp has good floristic diversity, though it shows negative impacts of recreational use and has exotic invasive species present.
This example of Black Ash-Red Maple-Tamarack Calcareous Seepage Swamp is the largest in the state, and is part of a larger complex of enriched wetland types.
This moderate sized example of an Alluvial Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is in good condition, despite its history of anthropogenic disturbance associated with the nearby dam.
This small example of Acidic Graminoid Fen is of high quality and is relatively undisturbed by humans. It has good species and structural diversity, and is well buffered by natural vegetation.
This moderate sized Major-river Floodplain Forest on protected conservation land is intact with adjacent forested land. Although there are some invasive species, native diversity is good and there is a good natural flooding regime.
This fairly small Red Spruce Swamp is in good condition, on conservation land although abutting a road. It forms the headwaters for a stream that flows south.
This large example of Low-Energy Riverbank is of excellent quality, with few exotic species, good species diversity, excellent buffering within a natural landscape, and intact natural hydrologic processes.
This example of Ridgetop Pitch Pine-Scrub Oak community is small and has been degraded by trampling from intensive recreational use, but will likely persist at this site.
This example of Shallow Emergent Marsh is large and narrow, with good habitat diversity, including shrub patches and open water in addition to the predominant meadow-like marsh.
This small, bare example of Acidic Rock Cliff is a pristine example of this community type, and is very well buffered in the landscape. It shows no sign of human disturbance.
This example of a Coastal Plain Pondshore is in excellent condition, with minimal alterations to its hydrology and good species diversity.
This small but excellent occurrence of Hickory-Hop Hornbeam Forest/Woodland has no invasive species and is within the many acre Wachusett Reservation. It is part of a forest mosaic, mostly within a Circumneutral Talus Forest.
This large example of an Atlantic White Cedar Bog is in good condition and occurs within a complex of other peatland types, enhancing their overall habitat value.
This relatively large example of Forest Seep is in good condition, with abundant and diverse moss species present. It appears undisturbed by humans and is well buffered within a naturally vegetated landscape.
This example of Major-River Floodplain Forest is large and in excellent condition with good floral diversity, with the exception of some recreational use areas that have been trampled and are being invaded by exotic species.
This large Rich Conifer Swamp is in good condition on protected land near a road but in a predominately forested landscape.
This large Red Spruce Swamp extends into New Hampshire. It is in good condition and surrounded by forests and is largely undisturbed by scattered development along nearby roads.
This large Red Spruce Swamp is a very nice mixed Hemlock-Red Spruce Swamp with variable stand composition. It is almost abuts a Black Gum Swamp, another NHESP Priority Natural Community.
This example of High-Energy Riverbank is extensive and relatively pristine, although some invasive exotic species are present and there are some upstream dams affecting the natural flood processes.
This example of Calcareous Sloping Fen is in good condition, with no evidence of recent human disturbance.
This large example of Maritime Dunes stretches over 2000 windswept acres. Lack of human and vehicular access has left it in excellent condition, and it is very well buffered by a mosaic of coastal natural communities.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in good condition, with an excellent buffer and little evidence of recreational use, but is degraded by artificial water withdrawals.
This is a large and pristine example of Acidic Shrub Fen, with good structural and species diversity and an adequate buffer of natural vegetation protecting it from the impacts of development and pollution.
This small example of a Major-River Floodplain Forest has excellent species diversity but is severely degraded by camping and associated clearings that are trampled and invaded by exotic species.
This example of Major-river Floodplain Forest is of good quality, although its narrow shape is poorly buffered from surrounding development.
This large example of Red Oak-Sugar Maple Transition Forest is in good condition, with excellent species diversity.
This small example of Transitional Floodplain Forest is moderately degraded, but is one of only five examples of this community type known in the state.
This example of Kettlehole Level Bog is fairly large, with classic zoned vegetation structure and good species diversity. Although on protected land, tt is only moderately buffered from nearby roads by upland forest.
This example of Hickory-Hop Hornbeam Forest is large, and despite evidence of some human disturbance, is in very good condition, with few exotic invasives, and good species diversity.
This example of Northern Hardwoods-Hemlock-White Pine Forest is very large and in excellent condition. It has good species and habitat diversity and is embedded within a large, roadless, naturally vegetated area.
This young example of Oak-Hickory Forest is recovering well from past anthropogenic disturbances, including logging. It is in good condition and has a naturally vegetated buffer.
This extensive example of Oak-Hickory Forest is part of a larger complex of natural communities that is one of the largest relatively undisturbed landscapes in the state. Excellent regeneration of canopy tree species is occurring in this forest.
This Cobble Bar Forest occurs in patches along straight stretches of the Westfield River and is in good condition despite a few invasives.
This small example of High-Energy Riverbank is in fair condition, but exotic invasive species are present and it is not well buffered by natural vegetation.
This example of High-Terrace Floodplain Forest is in good condition, with moderate diversity and good buffering by natural vegetation.
The mapped patches of this High-Terrace Floodplain Forest extend along the river with scattered smaller patches unmapped among them. Sometimes dense exotic invasive species mix with the expected native species.
These very small, remnant High-terrace Floodplain Forest patches are on slightly elevated islands surrounded by floodplain forests and wetlands near agricultural fields. They are largely free of invasives.
This patch of Rich, Mesic Forest is surrounded by a large area of northern hardwood forest. There are scattered invasive species throughout this working forest.
The community is structurally diverse, including high marsh and low marsh. This example of a Brackish Tidal Marsh is quite small, the hydrology of the site is influenced by an artificial impoundment, and exotic invasive species are present.
This example of Black Gum Swamp is relatively small, but is in good condition and is well buffered in a natural landscape.
This small example of a Kettlehole Wet Meadow is in relatively good condition, with good species diversity and adequate buffering by natural vegetation.
This small example of an Inland Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is one of a very few high elevation sites in Massachusetts. It is an isolated wetland in good condition surrounded by working forest.
The natural processes are intact in this small example of Salt Marsh, and the buffering is good, but dense Phragmites detracts from the example.  All salt marsh in the Harbor Islands combine as one occurrence.
This moderate sized occurrence is on a very steep rock slope with plants growing on in cracks and on ledges. No disturbances or exotic species occur. It is in a large roadless block.
This example of this community is in good condition and is the eastern-most example of its type in the state.
This is a large and diverse circumneutral rock outcrop with an open caopy that supports excellent species diversity. The occurrence is in a large, naturally forested, roadless block and has no invasive species.
This small calcareous sloping fen is in a pipeline cut maintained by mowing the surrounding agriculture field. It has diverse native species and some invasive exotics.
This is a large example of a good-quality Black Ash - Red Maple - Tamarack Calcareous Seepage Swamp that is associated with several state-listed plant species.
These excellent Intertidal Flats have scattered patches of marine algae with a wide variety of marine invertebrates that burrow in the sandy substrate and attract shorebirds, particularly during migration. Ocean currents and storms move these intertidal
Despite this small example of Brackish Tidal Marsh's abundance of non-native species it supports a good diversity of native plants.
This very small example of Hickory - Hop Hornbeam Forest / Woodlands abuts and blends into a Circumneutral Talus Forest and other oak forest types. It has good species diversity and is in a large roadless block.
This occurrence of Maritime Dune Community is a good representative of a Buzzards Bay variant of dune communities: it is a single low dune at the top of the beach, separating the beach from salt marsh.
This large Red Spruce Swamp is in excellent conditon on protected land and is surrounded by forest.
This large Spruce-Tamarack Bog has an interrupted canopy of spruce over dense to open shrubs on Sphagnum moss. There are wood roads throughout the uplands and nearby wetlands have old ditches.
This example of Acidic Graminoid Fen is part of an acidic peatland complex, along with a Level Bog. This wetland is relatively isolated from disturbances by a moderate buffer of natural vegetation.
This very small Kettlehole Level Bog is surrounded by White Pine - Oak Forest. It has typical bog species on sphagnum moss. Other species indicate groundwater influence in parts of the bog.
This multi-patch Level Bog is part of a wetland mosaic with a mix of Priority and common community types around Willis Pond. Most of the bog areas are on protected land.
This large, mature Red Spruce Swamp with pit and mound microtopography is fairly well buffered by a large block of moderately logged upland forest.
This small variant of Coastal Forest is dominated by Red Maple but has fairly typical species diversity. No obvious disturbances or invasive species were noted.
This species rich Deep Emergent Marsh is part of a large wetland system. Purple Loosestrife is abundant and a dam has altered natural water levels.
This small Kettlehole Level Bog is in a large sandplain with other acidic wetlands. The species composition is good despite previous disturbance and a nearby road.<br>
This cluster of Kettlehole Level Bogs is in pitted outwash surrounded by a large pitch pine/scrub oak community. The typical bog vegetation is consistent among the kettleholes.
Dry, Rich Oak Forest/Woodland
This moderate-sized example of Dry, Rich Oak Forest contains diverse habitat and a good diversity of species. Only one exotic invasive was noted.
Dry, Rich Oak Forests are deciduous, predominantly oak, forests with rich understories of herbaceous plants and graminoids. The shrub layer has fewer Heath family, or Ericaceous, plants than other oak forests.
This large occurrence of Rich, Mesic Forest has good species diversity. The landscape includes working forest and is partly included in a BioMap2 Landscape Block.
This moderate-sized Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest has a few exotics scattered throughout the two patches.The forest is on a ridge in a large block with some roads nearby.It has good diversity of specialized species.
This occurrence of Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest has typical boulder-size gradients and associated diversity of coverage of characteristic species. The lower portion has had invasive species control efforts.
This Level Bog occurs as patches on the edges of Muddy Pond, mixed with other Priority and more common community types. Although a railbed splits the pond, the bog community appears stable and diverse.
Northern: This small but good occurrence of Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest abuts other uncommon forest types within a large forested block.  Southern: This naturally small Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest is in very good condition in a large block of unfr
This Coastal plain pondshore community occurs on a kettlehole pond in pine barrens with only minor development and a high percentage of conservation ownership. The pondshore is narrow but extends around the pond.
This moderately-sized example of Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest has good diversity of native species and scattered invasives. Although abutting conservation land, there is nearby development.
This small example of Acidic Shrub Fen is in good condition but has nearby development, from which it has only a narrow wooded buffer. It is in a wetland mosaic with a Spruce-Tamarack Bog, which together identify an important ecosystem.
This Acidic Graminoid Fen has species typical of the community type and good habitat variability despite being adjacent to a road.
This relatively small example of a Black Gum Swamp is in good condition, with few exotics and good species diversity. It is also well buffered within a naturally vegetated landscape.
This Level Bog is around a pond in a wetland/upland complex that is divided by a railbed and a road. It has good species diversity and community structure.
This example of Coastal Atlantic White Cedar Swamp, though small, is of high quality.
This is a small, but high quality example of a Coastal Plain Pondshore, surrounded by a wooded upland buffer.
This fairly large Red Spruce Swamp is a nice mixed conifer swamp with adjoining lowland conifer woods. The southern part is on protected land, but there is a nearby road with development to the north.<br />
This very large example of a Red Spruce Swamp has no exotic species and is largely surounded by forest.
This example of Hickory - Hop Hornbeam Forest / Woodland is on a slope abutting a Rich, Mesic Forest.  These priority community occurrences are within a very large tract of protected upland forest.
These patches of AWC Bogs are part of a large wetland mosaic with good community occurrences surrounded by residential development on the uplands.
This small example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in good condition but is not well buffered by natural vegetation to the impacts of development, which include polluted runoff and trampling from recreational use.
This Red Spruce Swamp is fairly large, very nice, and structurally varied site in a largely wooded landscape.
This moderately sized Rich Conifer Swamp is a very nice occurrence of the community, and quite unusual for eastern Franklin County.
This example of Acidic Rocky Summit/Rock Outcrop is in very good condition, with little signs of human disturbance despite a well used hiking trail. It has good species diversity and also provides a lovely view of the Berkshires.
This Atlantic White Cedar Bog is in a mosiac with other peatland communities. It is in good condition and is fairly well buffered by natural vegetation.
This moderate-sized Transitional Floodplain Forest has good diversity of native species, but abundant invasives and portions of what may have been floodplain forest were lost in construction of the powerline right of way.
This moderate-sized example of Ridgetop Pitch Pine-Scrub Oak Community is well developed, and the potential for natural disturbances, such as fire, is high. It is minimally impacted by humans, despite the presence of a hiking trail.
This example of Transitional Floodplain Forest is relatively large and in good condition, and is one of only five of this community type known in the state.
This example of Major-River Floodplain Forest is of good size and good condition, and is one of the few large remaining examples of floodplain forest on the Housatonic River.
This example of Major-River Floodplain Forest has good structure and diversity, but is not well buffered from development.
This large example of Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest is in excellent condition, and provides a diversity of habitat for wildlife. It has little current human disturbance and few exotic invasive species.
This large Hemlock Swamp is in very good condition and surrounded by forest with a few roads and scattered development. It is partly within Otis State Forest.
These patches of Transitional Floodplain Forest include structural and species diversity with areas of a shrubby community variant. Flooding occurs and there are few invasives.
Riverine Pointbar and Beach Community
This Riverine Point Bar and Beach Community is in very good condition with few invasive species, which is unusual for the community type. It has a diversity of species reflecting differences in substrate and levels of disturbance from ice scour and flood
Riverine Pointbar and Beach communities occur on exposed sand or gravel river bars and beaches on all sizes of high-energy streams during low water periods. This often sparsely vegetated community tends to get larger as summer progresses.
These good patches of Alluvial Red Maple Swamp are in a mosaic with other floodplain and wetland communities on protected land. The canopy has the expected native species, but invasives limit diversity in the shrub layer.
The vegetation of this very nice Kettlehole Level Bog has typical concentric ring zonation around a center with sphagnum, low bog shrubs and scattered Black Spruce. This community is in a mosaic of good wetland communities on protected land along a river
This example of Freshwater Tidal Marsh is relatively large and in good condition. It is the largest community of this type north of Boston.
This well developed example of Level Bog is in good condition despite its proximity to development.
Despite the presence of  invasive species, this example of Black Ash-Red Maple-Tamarack Calcareous Seepage Swamp is one of the highest quality in the state, for its large size, extensive natural buffer, and many state-listed rare species.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in good condition, with excellent species diversity and structure, a decent buffer of natural vegetation, and less water withdrawal than many other ponds.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in very good condition with good species diversity, despite some water withdrawal, recreational use, and nearby development.
This pondshore community is in good condition despite being heavily used and being in a Zone II of a public water supply well. It supports good patches of typical coastal plain pondshore vegetation.
This nice, moderate-sized Red Spruce Swamp is less exclusively spruce-fir dominated than many sites with its more mixed overstory. White Pine in the mixed canopy and small tree diameters indicate disturbance in the recent past.
This Rich, Mesic Forest includes four somewhat different patches, separated by other priority forest types. The area is a selectively logged. It is on the edge of a large forest block that includes conservation land.
This relatively large example of Black Gum Swamp is of excellent qualtiy, with no invasive exotics, in a good landscape setting.
This Mixed Oak Forest is the dominant community type in the area. This extensive occurrence has intact natural processes and widespread logging. There are few exotic species.
This small example of Calcareous Rock Cliff is in good condition, despite its minimal buffer to human disturbances. It is free of exotic invasive species and has several unusual plant species present.
This example of Alluvial Red Maple Swamp is of excellent quality and is associated with several small oxbow ponds.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in good condition, with only moderate levels of development and hydrologic disturbance affecting it.
This example of Ridgetop Pitch Pine-Scrub Oak Community is small but well developed, and is well buffered by naturally forested land.  In the absence of fire suppression it will likely persist at this site.
This very nice occurrence of an AWC Bog is in the large Westboro Cedar Swamp with several other types of priority natural communities as well as Shrub Swamps and Red Maple Swamps. It includes species typical of both bogs and AWC swamps.
These patches of disturbed Transitional Floodplain Forest combine to a good size. There are many invasive, exotic species along with a good diversity of native species and microhabitats.
This example of Circumneutral Rock Cliff is open, dry, and west-facing, with many associated rare plants. Although these popular cliffs are somewhat disturbed by trampling, they remain a good-quality natural community.
This example of Circumneutral Rocky Summit is in good condition, and is  well buffered within a naturally vegetated landscape.
This large and important example of Maritime Beach Strand is seriously degraded by recreational vehicle use. The areas restricted for rare bird breeding habitat have good quality Strand community as well.
Maritime Juniper Woodland/Shrubland
This example of Maritime Juniper Woodland/Shrubland is in excellent condition and is part of a large complex of maritime communities that together provide habitat for many unusual, important, and/or rare species of plants and animals.
The Maritime Juniper Woodland/Shrubland is a predominantly evergreen community within the coastal salt spray zone.  The trees tend to be short (less than 15 feet) and scattered, with the tops sculpted by winds and salt spray.
This example of Maritime Juniper Woodland/Shrubland, though somewhat small, is in good condition. As one of two reported occurrences in the state, it represents an important and unusual community type in Massachusetts.
This example of Inland Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is in a large wetland mosaic with AWC Bogs, Acidic Shrub Fen and other wetland types. The landscape and hydrology are relatively intact despite surrounding upland development.
This moderate-sized Rich, Mesic Forest community is surrounded by a working northern hardwoods forest with intermittent streams and a beaver pond. Diversity is good with a few scattered invasives near the edge.
This small Riverine Pointbar and Beach community is on a sandbar next to a Major River Floodplain Forest. Vegetation is patchy with open sand and gravel as the river naturally recedes and floods, but many of the species are exotics.
This small example of High-terrace Floodplain Forest is maintained by a natural flooding regime in a large forested landscape, although near development. Exotic invasives have increased over the past decade.
These patches of Inland Atlantic White Cedar Swamp together make a good sized community within a large and protected Red Maple Swamp with a nearby patch of Atlantic White Cedar Bog. The AWC Swamp is on military land in a mostly developed landscape.
This large example of High-Terrace Floodplain Forest is in discontinuous patches on low bluffs along the Westfield River. It has many exotics and probably does not flood. It is surrounded by forest with development outside the park.<br /><br />This moder
This moderate-sized Rich, Mesic Forest is next to a road in a large forested area. It has tall trees forming a closed canopy but with abundant native weedy and early successional species.
This nice, diverse example of an Inland Atlantic White Cedar Swamp grades into a red maple swamp in the adjoining wetlands. Surrounding oak-pine forest buffers the wetlands from development to the east.
Alluvial Hardwood Flat Community
This small Alluvial Hardwood Flat community is in good condition in a large state forest. Although it has been has been impacted by beaver flooding, in the long run that may maintain the community along this stream.
Alluvial Hardwood Flat Communities are fairly open hardwood forests on alluvial flats along small rivers and large streams.
This medium sized Red Spruce Swamp is in very good condition on protected land with only a few roads in the surrounding forest.
This excellent but small High-Terrace Floodplain Forest has good species diversity. It is upstream from obvious effects of a dam and no exotics were seen in the occurrence. The size may have been reduced by old land use and highway building.
This example of Ridgetop Pitch Pine Scrub Oak is small but has good regeneration, and has the potential to occupy more area if the ridgeline burns. It is very well buffered within a naturally vegetated landscape.
This small Calcareous Rocky Summit/Rock Outcrop is within a forest patch in a predominately agricultural area, not far from other occurrences of the community.
This very nice Acidic Graminoid Fen is near the western edge of the five thousand acre Hockomock Swamp adjacent to patches of Coastal Atlantic White Cedar Swamp and dense Acidic Shrub Swamp, all surrounded by Red Maple Swamp.
This small, highly variable Transitional Floodplain Forest has some forest buffer and an unusual species mix including areas of successional forest. Natural flooding helps maintain the community.
This small bog in the midst of an urban park is in very good condition despite occasional buckthorn plants. It is protected and buffered from disturbance by a surrounding shrub swamp.
At over 16,000 acres this example of Salt Marsh is the largest in New England. It is generally in good condition and largely under conservation ownership.
This moderate sized Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest is in a good condition with good landscape on protected land with other conservation and developed land around it. It has a typical rich species mix for the community type with variable substrate of boul
This fair-sized Ridgetop Pitch Pine Scrub Oak community exhibits excellent structure and diversity, has no invasive species, is well-buffered by an unfragmented tract of 1000 acres of upland forest, and shows little sign of human disturbance.
This Inland Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is in a large wetland complex that includes several types of peatland communities. Despite its densely developed setting, it is in excellent condition, with good species and structural diversity.
This small Spruce-Tamarack Bog is in a larger wetland mosaic that includes a nearby Acidic Shrub Fen: together these communities identify a sensitive ecosystem. Nearby residential development and gravel pits could alter water levels and increase nutrient
This example of Ridgetop Pitch Pine-Scrub Oak Community is large, diverse, and high-quality, and is surrounded by a moderately large area of fairly natural forested land.
This extremely small occurrence of a Sea-Level Fen has good species diversity but nearby invasive Phragmites may threaten the community. It is well buffered from developed areas by protected land. It is one of very few occurrences known in Massachusetts.
This large, but fragmented, example of Alluvial Red Maple Swamp occurs widely throughout the Charles River marshlands towards the upland from marshes and shrub swamps. There are two variants within this occurrence, one with fairly open canopy, the other
This small Acidic Shrub Fen is the only sphagnum peatland community in the Army Corps' Charles River Area G marshlands. It has typical fen species and no invasives although the surrounding marshes have abundant exotic species.
These two patches of Red Spruce Swamp within a corridor of conservation land are in very good condition. They are in a mosaic with other priority and more common natural communities, that together provide diverse conditions for constituent species.
This is very good, large example of a Black Ash-Red Maple-Tamarack calcareous community. It is very diverse with only scattered invasive species despite being surrounded by roads and abutting a rail line.
Maritime Juniper Woodlands on Langlee and Ragged Islands are combined as one community occurrence that has an unusual plant assemblage for the Boston Harbor Islands, with a higher proportion of native species than most upland communities there.
This young example of a Rich Mesic Forest has good indicator species and abundant invasives. Patches of large White Pine indicate past more open land use.
This very good example of Maritime Shrubland is the largest in NHESP's database and the only one on bedrock.  It is threatened by trampling caused by recreational use.
Yellow Oak Dry Calcareous Forest
This small Yellow Oak Dry Calcareous Forest is in good condition with few exotics in a somewhat fragmented landscape. There are other good communities on the cobble and nearby wetlands are forested.
Yellow Oak Dry Calcareous Forests usually occur on well-drained slopes underlain by calcareous rocks. They are dry, often open, oak - sugar maple forests with a rich understory.
This young occurrence of Black Oak - Scarlet Oak Woodland is on two upland islands in the Merrimack River with few exotics and good natural diversity.
This Coastal Plain Pondshore community has a band of typical species around an extremely clear pond with a sandy bottom. A small beach and houses near the pond detract from the quality of the community, although buffering vegetation occurs around much of
This very small Inland Atlantic White Cedar Swamp with hemlock and black gum is in good condition without exotics. It is on protected land near other, larger examples of the community.
This example of Major-River Floodplain Forest is one of only five high quality examples of this type in the state, and is one of the largest on the Housatonic River.
Oak - Tulip Tree Forest
This large occurrence of Oak - Tulip Tree Forest is in very good shape, on protected land in a matrix of Mixed Oak Forest, although in an increasingly urban landscape.
Oak - Tulip Tree Forests are characterized by tall, often emergent, Tulip Trees, mature Red Oaks, and scattered other trees. Our occurrences are small patches on moist warm slopes in southern and western Massachusetts.
This very nice, large bog has patches of dense shrubs above a continuous layer of Sphagnum supporting typical bog species on variably thick peat in a mosaic with other wetlands. It is in a largely natural setting.
This very nice and large Wet Meadow is in a beaver wetland system. The vegetation is variable and likely shifts over time as beaver activity changes.
This Highbush Blueberry Thicket is in a wetland mosaic with a Level Bog and swamp forests in a large Landscape Block that includes a large, protected working forest.
These well protected patches of Calcareous Rocky Summit/Rock Outcrop Community are on steep-sided rock knolls with rounded tops with boulders and thin soils. The knolls support mosaics of community types in various stages of succession.
These patches combine to make a very good, large example of High-terrace Floodplain Forest along the river with other floodplain and wetland forests. There are few invasives.
This good sized Hickory - Hop Hornbeam Forest/Woodland is in a large protected open space. It is on a steep slope with Hickories dominating the canopy and abundant hop hornbeams in the subcanopy.
This small occurrence of Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest/Woodland is in very good condition in an excellent landscape, below a rock outcrop and a large patch of Oak Hickory Forest.
This mature Rich Conifer Swamp has trees elevated on hummocks in a wetland mosaic with a good calcareous seepage swamp. Much of the landscape surrounding this occurrence is developed.
This example of Acidic Rocky Summit is large, diverse, and important, but is sadly being severely degraded by intensive ATV use. This trampling and erosion is a serious threat to this community's long term viability.
This example of Major-River Floodplain Forest is of moderate size but is in poor condition, with many exotic invasive species present.
This large Rich Conifer Swamp in a good landscape is in very good condition despite some invasive species being present.
The multiple patches of this high quality Calcareous Rocky Summit/Rock Outcrop Community has diverse species.The surrounding forest includes other occurrences of the community type.
This small Yellow Oak Dry Calcareous Forest is in good condition with very good regeneration of the forest species and few invasives. Despite its size, it is probably the best occurrence of the type in Massachusetts.
Two patches make up this moderate-sized Alluvial Hardwood Flat on protected land surrounded by upland forest along a stream. Characteristic species are mixed with scattered invasive species. Succession to surrounding forest types may occur.
This example of Level Bog is one of the best of its kind in the state, due to its diversity of species and habitats, its well developed sphagnum layer, and its relatively extensive buffer of natural vegetation.
This small patch of Rich, Mesic Forest is a regional variant lacking the full species diversity of this community type. It is threatened by exotic invasive species and is not well buffered from anthropogenic disturbance.
This large example of Rich, Mesic Forest is recovering well from past logging, and despite the presence of one invasive exotic species, it has good long-term potential.
This is a moderate sized example of Rich, Mesic Forest in good condition, with good species diversity and located in a large roadless area. However, exotic invasive species are present, and it is located on the edge of this roadless block.
This small example of Small-River Floodplain Forest is in good condition.
This example of Small-River Floodplain Forest, though quite small, is an unusual variant of the community dominated by Green Ash. It is in relatively good condition and is well buffered by the surrounding landscape.
This large example of Calcareous Forest Seep is very significant, and has great species diversity as well as a rare plant species. It is threatened by trampling from a nearby hiking trail, as well as by an exotic species.
This example of Calcareous Sloping Fen is small but part of a larger wetland complex.
This example of Circumneutral Talus Forest is very large, and despite evidence of some human disturbance, is in good condition, with good species and habitat diversity.
This small example of Level Bog is in good condition, and is buffered by extensive forest that is regenerating after being logged.
This Spruce-Tamarack Bog is on floating sphagnum and leatherleaf islands. Although small, it is in a mosaic with a Level Bog. An old rail bed crosses the wetland.
This small Yellow Oak Dry Calcareous Forest is surrounded by a moderately-sized forest, with houses, roads and fields nearby. It has a rich understory with some invasives.
Due to its isolation from roads and footpaths, this exemplary Red Spruce Swamp is very intact and free of threats, and may afford important habitat for amphibians. Invasive species are not prevalent in the Reservation.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in fair condition, and is degraded by recreational use and development.
This large, mature example of Spruce-Fir-Northern Hardwoods Forest is in excellent condition, with good structural and species diversity. It is well buffered within the landscape and shows little sign of human disturbance.
This example of Red Spruce Swamp is relatively large and in excellent condition, and is surrounded by an extensive forested landscape.
This example of Level Bog is large and in good condition, despite its lack of a naturally vegetated forest buffer between it and surrounding roads and development.
This small example of Level Bog is in fair condition, with some signs of human disturbance, but is well moderately well buffered within a naturally vegetated setting.
This small example of Maritime Shrubland is found in a mosaic of coastal natural communities, and is in good condition with no exotic invasive species. It is somewhat buffered within a small naturally vegetated area.
This relatively large example of Maritime Shrubland is found in a mosaic of coastal natural communities, and is in good condition with no exotic invasive species. It is well buffered within a naturally vegetated area.
This excellent example of a Salt Marsh is large and intact with little evidence of degradation. It is mostly on protected land.
This example of Highbush Blueberry thicket is large and well-buffered by natural vegetation. It is in very good to excellent condition, with good species diversity, few exotics and little evidence of current human disturbance.
This moderate-sized example of a Major-River Floodplain Forest has excellent species diversity and  is in good condition, although there are some invasive exotic species present. The greatest threat to this community is camping.
This mature example Northern Hardwoods-Hemlock-White Pine Forest is of high-quality and is embedded within a large tract of unfragmented forest.
This example of Northern Hardwoods-Hemlock-White Pine Forest, though small, is old growth. It is well buffered within a larger, younger Hemlock forest.
This example of Calcareous Rock Cliff is associated with topographical diversity that includes seepy areas and a talus slope, providing an array of unusual habitat types. It is in good condition and is well buffered by natural vegetation.
This degraded example of High-Terrace Floodplain Forest has many invasive exotics among the diverse native species.
Despite the presence of several invasive exotic species, this large example of Rich, Mesic Forest is significant because of its size and species diversity.
This example of Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest has two good quality patches, with a mature and healthy canopy and few invasive species. This locally uncommon community is embedded within over 2000 acres of unfragmented forest.
This nice but small mixed headwater Red Spruce Swamp has varied vegetation with a Sphagnum groundlayer. It is near but not on protected land.
This small Rich Conifer Swamp occurs with several priority natural communities in the Housatonic floodplain. It has species reflecting more nutrient availability than is usual for the community type.
This moderately sized Ridgetop Pitch Pine-Scrub Oak Community in a large protected forest is unusual in its area. Species diversity is appropriate for the community with different species dominating in different parts of  the occurrence.
This mature Hemlock Swamp occurs in patches around a large Red Spruce Swamp and is fairly well buffered by a large block of moderately logged upland forest. The swamp forest floor is covered by mosses in a pit and mound microtopography.
This fairly large Level Bog appears transitional in response to changes in water levels. The extensive Sphagnum peat mat has degraded areas and many of the trees are now snags. The resulting habitat mix includes species not normally found on bogs.
This very small Oak-Tulip Tree Forest is in very good condition on conservation land not far from roads. This eastern-most known occurrence of the community in Massachusetts has several locally uncommon species usually found in cooler areas.
Most of this nice, moderate sized high elevation, headwaters Red Spruce Swamp is on protected land in an extensive surrounding managed forest.
This moderate sized Wet Meadow is in a very nice wetland complex. The community composition is dynamic over time in response to varying water levels.
This moderately sized Calcareous Sloping Fen is the northern most of 3 good occurrences on steeper slopes than other wetlands in the extensive surrounding forest.
This is the smallest of 3 good patches of Calcareous Sloping Fen on steeper slopes than other wetlands in the extensive surrounding forest.
This is the largest of three good patches of Calcareous Sloping Fen with characteristic species occurring on steeper slopes than other wetlands in the extensive surrounding forest.
There are three good patches of Calcareous Sloping Fen with characteristic species occurring on steeper slopes than other wetlands in the extensive surrounding forest. <br>
This small but exquisite graminoid peatland has Threeway Sedge over sphagnum that dominates its appearance. It is in good condition, with appropriate species, connected to other wetlands in a long protected property.<br>
This large example of Maritime Forest occurs as patches within a mosaic of other significant maritime natural communities, which are all somewhat degraded by recreational use and development.
This small occurrence of Ridgetop Pitch Pine Scrub Oak community is on a popular trail in southeastern Middlesex Fells. It is surrounded by an oak forest with other rock outcrop communities nearby.
This small Red Spruce Swamp is one of several wetlands in depressions along the ridge line of Saddle Ball Mountain. Surrounded by a good example of High-elevatation Spruce-Fir Forest and within an extensive landscape of protected lands, these pocket swam
This small Hickory-Hop hornbeam forest/woodland is somewhat atypical in having many tree oaks in the canopy, but has the usual sedge and forb herbaceous layer.
These multiple patches of Inland Atlantic White Cedar Swamp are in a large wetland that in the past was probably continuous Atlantic White Cedar Swamp. Upland forest surrounds the wetlands. Patches on conservation lands protect the swamp and its species.
This occurrence of young Coastal Forest is on protected land where roads and some openings had been put in for a development. Former use as farm land is apparent from old stone walls, foundations, and fields. There is good diversity of native species wit
This large but fragmented occurrence of Maritime Pitch Pine on Dune community is on land primarily used for recreation. It is part of a mosaic of barrier beach communities that all have good structure and appropriate species maintained by wind and salt s
This small Red Spruce Swamp is in good condition, but although the immediate surroundings are mostly forested, the landscape is quite developed.
This moderately sized Red Spruce Swamp has scattered hemlock and Balsam Fir mixed with old spruce trees. Some areas have rich site indicators. Upland northern hardwood forest surrounds the swamp.
This very large Red Spruce Swamp consists of two large parts within 100m of each other. Both are in excellent condition. The landscape is largely forested but with nearby roads and residences.
This small Red Spruce Swamp has dense stands of spruce 'bog forest' and areas of regeneration from past logging. The surrounding landscape is largely wooded with scttered development.
This small patch of Hickory-Hop Hornbeam Forest/Woodland is next to a nice Circumneutral Rocky Summit and has few obvious human impacts other than a trail along the edge.
These very small patches of Ridgetop Pitch Pine Scrub Oak community occur throughout the Middlesex Fells on rock outcrops where they are mixed with other open and closed summit communities that have maintained themselves for many years. Succession to mor
The patches of this Maritime Forest / Woodland are somewhat variable and combine to include the classic species diversity of the type. They are part of a mosaic of coastal natural communites, mostly in good condition despite being heavily used for recrea
This moderate sized Coastal Plain Pondshore has steep slopes that limit the community development to a narrow band around the pond.
This moderately sized Coastal Plain Pondshore is in very good condition with multiple vegetation zones and few invasive plant species. As with most of many nearby ponds, there is some wooded buffer within a mostly developed area.
This partially protected Coastal Plain Pondshore has good species diversity in low water years. Steep shores limit the community development in wetter years.
Coastal Plain Pondshore Community - Inland Variant
These two connected basins support Coastal Plain Pondshore Community - Inland Variant in a highly developed area among athletic fields, roads, and businesses. Despite the poor landscape, key species of the community persist.
Coastal Plain Pondshore Community - Inland Variant occur in zones around ponds on sand and gravel outwash plains in inland Massachusetts. Coastal plain species grow in them, but include fewer specialists than in the main Coastal Plain Pondshore Community
This Coastal Plain Pondshore has the best developed natural community in its cluster of coastal plain ponds although the vegetation zones are narrow due to steep shores.
This steep-sided Coastal Plain Pondshore is near the edge of the Cape Cod National Seashore in a cluster of coastal plain ponds used for recreation. The small size of the community is mostly due to the steep shoreline.
This nice little Acidic Graminoid Fen is the  appropriate size for its location in a kettlehole in a Pitch Pine woodland. The sphagnum peat supports an unusual mix of species.
This Coastal Plain Pondshore is in a small cluster of Coastal Plain Ponds, but in a developed landscape. Although there the shorelines are steep there is a good diversity of characteristic species in dry years.
These two connected coastal plain pondshores are of the muddy shore pond type. Abutting a highway with over half their shorelines developed, they are not in very good condition despite having some of their shores in conservation ownership.
Expected native species occur in this small Sandplain Heathland along with invasive exotics. Trees are being removed to keep the habitat open and the heathland species present.
This fairly large Red Spruce Swamp surrounds a very nice Level Bog, both in extensive forest on conservation land. The Spruce Swamp has mature Red Spruce and other characteristic species.
This very nice Red Spruce Swamp is one of the largest spruce swamps in Massachusetts.
This very large Hemlock Swamp has aspects of a mixed swamp with indicators of rich conditions. Some of the scattered Red Spruce trees are larger than at many sites. It is mostly on protected land, but there is development and roads nearby.
This long, narrow Rich Conifer Swamp is surrounded by forest, but abuts roads on both ends. It has typical species of an enriched conifer swamp.
These patches of Scrub Oak Shrubland on conservation land are maintaining themselves in frost pockets within a surrounding oak pine forest that provides some buffer to the surrounding residential area.
This large Red Spruce Swamp is on a headwaters divide with an extensive bog and pond to south, and pond to the north. It is in very good condition in a largely wooded surrounding landscape.
Northern Atlantic White Cedar Swamp
This example of Northern Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is the only one known in the state. It abuts a large Red Spruce Swamp and is surrounded by forest with some residential development along roads and around ponds.
Northern Atlantic White Cedar Swamps are a type of mixed conifer swamp with Atlantic white cedar in the tree canopy. This nutrient-poor community type is restricted to basins at high elevations.
This fairly small Red Spruce Swamp is in good condition on protected land in a large forest with nearby roads and trails.
This fairly small Red Spruce Swamp is very nice, in a well forested landscape, with some areas of rich conifer swamp.
This large Atlantic White Cedar Bog is part of a much larger wetland, mostly Red Maple Swamp, and near patches of Inland AWC Swamp. Although in a mostly developed area, the AWC Bog is on Army National Guard property and near town conservation land.
This example of Calcareous Rock Cliff is in good condition, and is highly vegetated with a diverse assemblage of plant species. Good examples of other priority and more common communities are nearby.
This moderate sized High-terrace Floodplain Forest abuts a good example of a Major-river Floodplain Forest. It has good species diversity and relatively few invasives.
This large Alluvial Hardwood Flat community is in an extensive area of conservation land. Although it is next to a road, regular natural flooding events maintain the high diversity of native species with few exotics.
This very small occurrence of Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest has some invasives issues, but is embedded within an excellent landscape setting with other Priority Natural Communities.
This excellent Coastal Plain Pondshore community on conservation land has its best developed vegetation zones in shallow areas at the ends of the pond and only patchily along the steep sides.
This small occurrence of Calcareous Rock Cliff Community consists of several patches that are in good condition with another priority natural community on protected land.
The community is structurally diverse, including high marsh and low marsh. This example of a Brackish Tidal Marsh is fairly large but is not well buffered and contains invasive exotic species.
This example of Coastal Salt Pond is large, but its condition is degraded by recreational use, adjacent development, and other human activity.
These two small patches of Alluvial Hardwood Flats are  very young and have many non-native species. They are mostly in a state forest along a nice stream.
This small but very nice Coastal Salt Pond is partially on conservation land with little development around it. It is in very good condition with many other good coastal natural communities in the area.
This Inland Variant of the Coastal Plain Pondshore Community occurs in a shallow, muddy pond with shrub islands and mud flats that extend into shallow bays. It is in a very developed landscape with a fringe of forest around some parts.
This Coastal Plain Pondshore is in a cluster of coastal plain ponds on conservation land. Steeply sloped shorelines and heavy use combine to keep the community small and patchy.
The large pond with this large Coastal Plain Pondshore is the town reservoir with restricted access in protected forest that surrounds the pond.
This 2-acre Calcareous Sloping Fen is reasonably sized for the community type. It has diverse native species, but invasive exotics are advancing into the community. Seepage of calcium rich water, the main requirement to maintain the community, continues.
This moderate sized occurrence of Black Ash Swamp is a well established, good representative of the type in a mosaic with other wetland communities. It is partially on protected land with little nearby development.
These small patches of an inland version of Sandplain Heathland appear to be remnants of a larger, and once more widespread community on sandy outwash in the North Quabbin. Surrounding shorelines as well as nearby ridgetops and powerlines have similar ha
This nice, but very small occurrence of Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest is on the edge of good surrounding forest with many trails. Nearby exotic species are not found in the less disturbed parts of the community. The size appears to be natural.
This large Acidic Graminoid Fen is part of a larger wetland complex that includes ponds, forested swamps, and streams. It abuts forested and developed land, and has a good diversity of species.
Freshwater Mud Flat Community
This small example of a Mud Flat community is very diverse with scattered invasive species. It is in good condition on protected land with natural flooding and siltation regimes.
Freshwater Mud Flat Communities have low, sparse annual herbaceous vegetation growing on patches of recently exposed muddy sediments in ponds and streams. Mud Flat size and boundaries change seasonally and annually, as do their species.
This occurrence of Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest consists of patches associated with rock outcrops within a matrix oak forest. Although the area is heavily used for recreation and is being developed around the edges, the patches are in good condition.
This example of Level Bog is of moderate quality, and is found within a beautiful, isolated pond with high scenic value.
This example of Circumneutral Rock Cliff is primarily unvegetated bare rock. It is well buffered within a naturally vegetated landscape and shows little sign of human disturbance.
These 5 patches of Rich, Mesic Forest only sum to a moderate size. They are within a large BioMap2 Forest Block and CNL Forested Landscape on protected conservation land and support a good diversity of species.
These patches of Mud Flat are conservation land that is flooded regularly and part of floodplain system with a very good example of a large Major-River Floodplain Forest. Small size is the main constraint on the quality of this occurrence.
This occurrence of Coastal Plain Pondshore - Inland Variant - has more buffer from development than other occurrences in the Connecticut River Valley. However, the long term viability of the full set of species and ecosystem services is doubtful.
This small occurrence of Circumneutral Rocky Summit/Rock Outcrop community is one of several scattered throughout the Middlesex Fells which also has patches of related Acidic Rocky Summits and Ridgetop Pitch Pine Scrub Oak communities.
Open Oak Forest/Woodland
This moderate sized occurrence of Open Oak Forest/Woodland is in a heavily used urban park. It is part of a mosaic of oak communities on rocky outcrops with few invasive species.
Open Oak Forests/Woodlands are savanna or park-like communities often on hill slopes with short trees scattered over a grassy or low shrub understory around small rock outcrops. They often occur between a rocky summit and the surrounding taller forest.
This is a large, rich Northern Hardwoods-Hemlock-White Pine Forest on protected land in a very large Landsape Block. It is second growth throughout with very few invasive species and excellent diversity.
This small but representative Red Spruce Swamp is one of several in a large, forested area.
Together five patches of this Acidic Shrub Fen make a large occurrence with a nice diversity of species around Beaver Pond. Eutrophication of the pond may hinder long-term persistence of the current peatland community.
This moderately sized example of Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest is naturally patchy on and below rock outcrops within a matrix forest. On conservation land, it is surrounded by development and a highway.
This fairly large Red Spruce Swamp is surrounded by forest with some residential development along roads and near ponds. It adjoins the state's only known Northern Atlantic White Cedar Swamp.
This tiny example of Sandplain Heathland is on conservation land in a mosaic of communities. Succession to pine woodland is likely to continue without disturbance.
This excellent occurrence of a Hickory-Hop Hornbeam Forest/Woodland is in a large forest block in a mosaic with several other Priority Natural Communities.
This small occurrence of a Dry, Rich Oak Forest/Woodland is in excellent condition in a mosaic with NHESP Priority Natural Communities in a large landscape block of continuous forest.
This very small occurrence of Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest below cliffs has species indicating the presence of more nutrients or less acidic conditions than found above the cliffs. It also has several invasive species.
This small Acidic Graminoid Fen is in good condition on a floating mat in an old interdunal depression in the Cape Cod National Seashore.
This very small high-elevation Calcareous Sloping Fen includes several of the community’s usual characteristic species. It is near other types of NHESP Priority natural communities on protected land in a large landscape block.
This small but very nice Scrub Oak Shrubland occurs in one of several frost pockets in the area where cold air drainage helps maintain the shrubland conditions. The surrounding Landscape Block includes a good variety of scrub oak and other sandplain natu
This example of Shrub Swamp is relatively large and pristine, with good habitat and species diversity and no exotic invasive species.
This small example of Alluvial Red Maple Swamp is in good condition but is crossed by two roads and is not well buffered by natural vegetation.
This young, moderate-sized example of Alluvial Red Maple Swamp appears to be free of exotic invasive species.
This good sized example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in fair condition, and is being degraded primarily by heavy recreational use and moderate development.
This example of Northern Hardwoods-Hemlock-White Pine forest is large and unfragmented. Large tracts of this forest type are important habitat for Massachusetts' more common species such as bear, deer, moose, and neo-tropical migrant birds.
This example of Saline/Brackish Flats is in excellent condition, and harbors an excellent diversity of marine fauna and algae in a variety of microhabitats.
This mature, relatively large example of Forest Seep is free of anthropogenic disturbances, including exotic species, and is well buffered by natural vegetation.
This example of Acidic Shrub Fen is of high quality and is well buffered by a surrounding Atlantic White Cedar Swamp.
Fresh/Brackish Tidal Swamp
The large, highly unusual tidal swamp includes 3 variants in a continuum from upland to streamside. The wetlands are well buffered in a well developed landscape.
Fresh / Brackish Tidal Swamps occur along free-flowing coastal rivers at the upper limit of tidal influence and are flooded by daily tides.  These low-statured forested wetlands often have a dense shrub understory.
This example of Black Ash-Red Maple-Tamarack Calcareous Seepage Swamp is in good condition, with good floristic diversity, and is part of a larger complex of mineral- and species- rich wetland types.
This large example of Rich, Mesic Forest has great structural and age diversity, with areas recovering from past disturbances. It is generally in good condition, largely buffered by naturally vegetated areas, and with few exotic invasive species.
This Coastal Plain Pondshore community is surrounded by a golf course and residences. Diverstiy has been lost over the past decades and some pondshore species previously present no longer occur there.
This Coastal Plain Pondshore is partially on protected land with well developed vegetation zonation. It is near a cluster of other Coastal Plain Ponds, but is somewhat developed and near a highway.
This Coastal Plain Pondshore is the type that develops on mucky shores. Although roads abut much of the pond, about a third of the shore is on watershed protection land.
This Coastal Plain Pondshore is on conservation land in a cluster of other coastal plain ponds. Steep shore lines and heavy recreational use restrict the community development.
This Coastal Plain Pondshore has well developed vegetation zones, although the rare species formerly found there have not been relocated and are now considered to be Historic. It is in a residential area close to a highway with no conservation land on th
This Coastal Plain Pondshore has well developed vegetation zones and good native biodiversity. While it is near large areas of protected open space, only small parts of the shore are protected. Adjacent housing and cranberry bogs could alter natural wate
This large Coastal Plain Pondshore is entirely within Nickerson State Park where it is in a cluster with other coastal plain ponds. Cliff Pond is heavily used for recreation.
This Coastal Plain Pondshore is in a small cluster of Coastal Plain Ponds with some conservation land around them. Fairly steep sides limit the community development in most years and new development nearby may lead to more use of the pondshore.
This small Coastal Plain Pondshore is on conservation land and supports appropriate and diverse plants and animals.
This moderate sized occurrence of Acidic Graminoid Fen has dense sedges growing on the peat. It is within BioMap2 Core Habitat that includes high quality wetlands, in a Landscape Block in Critical Natural Landscape.
This moderate sized occurrence of Rich, Mesic Forest is in very good condition in a large landscape block. It is an unusual variation of the community with fir in the understory.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in fair condition, and is degraded by surrounding development, recreational use, and artificial water withdrawals.
This occurrence of Hickory-Hop hornbeam Forest/woodland is in very good condition in an excellent landscape situation abutting a patch of Rich, Mesic Forest on conservation land.
A small but quite nice occurrence of Rich, Mesic Forest in a large, forested landscape.
This moderate sized occurrence of Rich, Mesic Forest has good species diversity in an area with a history of logging. It is partly in a BioMap2 Landscape Block, and partly in conservation ownership.
The Coastal Plain Pondshore Community - Inland Variant at Lake Lorraine and Five Mile Pond occurs in narrow bands in patches along heavily used shoreline and on shallow bays where the community develops when water levels go down in the summer.
This large occurrence of Rich, Mesic Forest has a diverse herbaceous layer. It is unusal in being on a west-facing slope. Unfortunately there are many invasive species present.
This small occurrence of Rich, Mesic Forest is in good condition in a large landscape block, although not far from a major road.
These patches of Rich, Mesic Forest support a good diversity of species and sum to a large occurrence in a large, protected forest. The patchiness is probably natural.
Although this moderate sized occurrence of Rich, Mesic Forestis is on protected land, it has many exotic, invasive species along with many appropriate native herbaceous plants.
These patches of Rich, Mesic Forest sum to a moderate size. The herbaceous layer is fairly diverse and typical of Rich, Mesic Forest although past land use likely affected the composition of the canopy.
This large occurrence of Rich, Mesic Forest is in a forested landscape on protected open space. It has a very good diversity of appropriate native species and few invasive exotics.
This very small but good occurrence of Rich, Mesic Forest abuts a good occurrence of Hickory-Hop Hornbeam Forest. They are on a large, protected block of land in a very large surrounding forest.
This moderate-sized example of Dry, Rich Oak Forest is in good condition, with very high species diversity in the understory.
This Inland Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is in good condition and is mostly on conservation land. There are many patches of the community in the area. Although there are cut stumps, some large AWC trees remain.
This example of Inland Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is small but in good condition.
This Coastal Plain Pondshore is around a large pond in a cluster of coastal plain ponds. Trampling fragments the community and decreases its functional size.
Although this example of Transitional Floodplain Forest is small, it is one of only four good examples of floodplain forest on the Housatonic River.
This relatively large example of Forest Seep is in good condition, though it is a young stand. It is free of disturbance, including exotic species, and is well buffered by natural vegetation.
This large Coastal Atlantic White Cedar Swamp occurs in patches within a Red Maple swamp on conservation land surrounded by roads and residences.
Five kettleholes together support a very good example of Kettlehole Level Bog with a variety of successional stages on protected open space.
This very good example of Sandplain Heathland - Inland Variant is on a dry riverside bluff. Although this site is next to railroad tracks, it is somewhat buffered within a small but good quality Black Oak - Scarlet Oak Forest.
This small Acidic Graminoid Fen on conservation land has atypical species dominance for a peat mat, verging on shallow marsh conditions although the quaking mat supports expected species as well.
This small Black Gum Swamp is in good condition on the edge of a large conservation parcel where it is one of only a few wetlands.
This moderate-sized High-terrace Floodplain Forest has been fragmented and has many exotics in it. It abuts other types of Priority Natural Communities on conservation land.
This moderately-sized Acidic Graminoid Fen is in a working forest in a large undeveloped landscape block. The hydrology appears to have stabilized after the abutting road was built. No exotics were noted.
This Red Spruce Swamp occurrence is relatively diverse with good habitat variability and few exotics, but abuts a road and has had hydrologic disturbance.
This large example of Hickory-Hop-hornbeam Forest is of excellent quality and is associated with many state-listed rare species.
This example of Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest is in good condition, despite its proximity to development. It is of moderate size and an invasive exotic species is present.
These small patches of Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest are fragmented both naturally and by land use with other tiny patches at the bases of nearby rock outcrops. Most of the mapped area is on conservation land.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in good condition, with little impact from human use or development and a partially naturally vegetated buffer.
This example of Sandplain Grassland is in excellent condition, and occurs within a mosaic of significant natural communities including Sandplain Heathlands. Natural processes are intact here, and human disturbance is minimal.
This large example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in very good condition, with a small natural buffer around most of the pond, no artificial water withdrawals, and limited recreational use.
This example of Black Ash-Red Maple-Tamarack Calcareous Seepage Swamp is in good condition.
This example of Kettlehole Level Bog, though quite small, is in excellent condition, shows no signs of human disturbance, and is surrounded by an intact natural forest ecosystem.
This large example of Northern Hardwoods-Hemlock-White Pine Forest has excellent species and habitat diversity, with areas of older forest. It is well buffered by natural vegetation.
This large and rich example of a Rich Conifer Swamp has a calcareous influence.  Invasive species are at very low levels.  It is bisected by a road and a shrubby utility easement.
This example of Shrub Swamp is in excellent condition, and is an unusual and large variant enriched by groundwater seepage and dominated by Canadian Burnet.
This example of Acidic Rocky Summit is quite large and in very good condition, and is well buffered within a naturally vegetated landscape. Ragged Mountain is made of a variety of bedrock types that has led to an unusual juxtaposition of communities.
These very good patches of Rich, Mesic Forest make a large occurrence that is well buffered in a naturally forested landscape. Few exotic invasive species are present.
This example of Northern Hardwoods-Hemlock-White Pine Forest is found on an unusual type of bedrock for Massachusetts in a mosaic with several other types of natural communities. It is in good condition, with no signs of human disturbance or invasive spe
This example of High-Energy Riverbank is in excellent condition, with high species diversity, intact natural processes of flood and scour, and is well buffered by natural vegetation.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in excellent condition, with little impact from human use or development and a large naturally vegetated buffer.
A small, yet good-quality, example of Rich Mesic Forest occurs along this long and narrow shore of the Green River.
This Spruce-Tamarack Bog occurs as two main patches within a large wetland complex. Both are in good condition. Although there is nearby development, there is also protected open space to the west and north.
This example of a Hickory - Hop Hornbeam Forest/Woodland is large and beautiful with patches scattered on the hill, one of the state's best examples of the community-type.
This Maritime Beach Strand is typical and representative of those found on the Boston Harbor Islands. Non-native plant species are commonly mixed with the typical native beach species. The condition is likely to continue to improve after a long history o
This moderately-sized Yellow Oak Dry Calcareous Forest community is in good condition despite a lot of invasive plants. The scattered patches are within a larger forest area.
This cluster of small patches of Kettlehole Level Bogs is in pitted outwash surrounded by a large pitch pine/scrub oak community. There is a nearby road and houses surround one patch.
This example of Level Bog is part of a larger complex of acidic wetlands that offers a diversity of habitat types and  is well buffered by surrounding natural vegetation.
This large, inland version of a Sandplain Heathland is on a sandplain with frost pockets. Grazing and fire have contributed to shaping the vegetation that grows naturally on the dry conditions.
This small Ridgetop Pitch Pine - Scrub Oak Community is well buffered by large rocky woodlands. No invasive species are present. Hiking trails are abundant in the surrounding forest and cross the community.
Multiple patches of this occurrence of Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest occur within a large contiguous forest area. Diversity of native species is good, but some patches are impacted by invasives.
This large example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in very good condition despite some development and recreational use. It also experiences artificial water drawdown from a municipal well.
This Maritime Shrubland Community is very exposed to storms. Its lack of diversity with few trees is typical of the Staghorn sumac communities of the outer Harbor islands as is its thick undergrowth of non-native grass.
This example of Acidic Shrub Fen, though small, is in good condition, with a well-developed sphagnum peat matt, and is fairly well buffered by natural vegetation.
This large example of Circumneutral Talus Forest is on an active talus slope, unstable and growing. The community here is still developing but has great long term potential for biodiversity.
This large Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest in a 1000+ acre roadless block has mature trees in the canopy and moderate species diversity.
This large example is the most significant level bog in eastern Massachusetts. Despite its densely developed setting, it is in nearly pristine condition, with good species and structural diversity, and is part of a larger complex of acidic wetlands.
Maritime Rock Cliff Community
This Maritime Rock Cliff Community with a sparse mixture of native and non-native plants is on steep slate cliffs. Although sparse, herbaceous plants predominate on lower parts of the cliff with shrubs and vines denser higher and in more sheltered spots.
Sparsely vegetated Maritime Rock Cliff Communities are in cracks and ledges of seawards cliffs on rocky headlands above the tidal and salt spray zones. The low, scattered plants are salt and wind hardy.
This small community occurrence is part of a larger wetland system within a large roadless block. There is good diversity with no exotics.
This example of Inland Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is fairly large and in excellent condition, with good diversity and structure, and little sign of human disturbance.
This example of Marine Intertidal Flat is in good condition and is fairly well-buffered against development in the surrounding landscape.
This example of Level Bog is small and in fair condition, but is well buffered by extensive natural vegetation.
This example of Acidic Rocky Summit is diverse, disturbance-free, and of high quality. There is also evidence that natural processes that can perpetuate this community type, such as fire, are intact here.
This example of Red Spruce Swamp is large, relatively pristine, and is part of a larger wetland complex.
This example of Black Gum-Pin Oak-Swamp White Oak "Perched" Swamp is moderately disturbed and has an exotic invasive species present.
This example of Acidic Graminoid Fen is small but part of a larger complex of acidic peatlands that includes a relatively uncommon Atlantic White Cedar Bog. It is in good condition.
Despite the presence of invasive exotic species, this extensive example of Deep Emergent Marsh is in excellent condition with high plant species diversity, and is an important area for several of Massachusetts' rare birds.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is primarily in good condition, but is degraded by water withdrawals and recreational use.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in excellent condition, with good species diversity and buffering by natural vegetation, along with little impact from recreational use.
This example of Freshwater Tidal Marsh is of high-quality because of its excellent species diversity, absence of invasive exotic species, and association with many state-listed rare species, in spite of a somewhat urbanized landscape.
This is a large example of Acidic Shrub Fen that is part of a larger mosaic of acidic wetland ecosystems. Despite the presence of some exotic invasive species, it is in very good condition.
This example of Chestnut Oak Forest is unusual in the southeast, and has good species diversity and a good-sized buffer of natural vegetation.
This moderate-sized example of Acidic Shrub Fen is in good condition, but is threatened by the lack of buffer to developed areas and by polluted runoff.
This relatively large example of Rich, Mesic Forest is in good condition, with exceptional species diversity. It is threatened by trampling from hikers, as well as by several exotic invasive species that have taken hold.
This example of Acidic Shrub Fen is in fair to good condition, and with a very good buffer of natural upland vegetation and no exotic invasive species present.
This example of Acidic Graminoid Fen is a small, yet species-rich, community on the edge of a larger wetland along the Quinebaug River.
This relatively small example of Alluvial Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is in good condition, but is not well buffered by natural vegetation in the landscape.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in excellent condition, with no recreational use affecting the community, and within a large naturally vegetated area.
This small example of Kettlehole Level Bog is in fair condition, is not buffered from surrounding dense development, and has fair species diversity.
This example of Major-River Floodplain Forest is one of several patches along the Deerfield River. This patch is small, fragmented, and degraded.
This small example of High-Energy Riverbank is in fair condition, but an exotic invasive species is present, and the natural hydrology has been altered by upstream dams.
This example of Level Bog is very small and shows signs of human disturbance from recreation.
This example of Hemlock Ravine is a variant of the community that occurs midslope on small hills. It has the classic near- monoculture of Eastern Hemlock, with no anthropogenic disturbances reported.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in good condition, with large areas of intact pondshore and minimal artificial water withdrawals.
The community is structurally diverse, including high marsh and low marsh. This example is small, not well buffered, and has some unusual native plant species as well as some exotic invasive species.
This is a high-quality example of Level Bog, embedded within over 3000 acres of forested land.  This Bog is in good condition with an undisturbed, well-developed floating mat supporting fair species diversity.
This example of Coastal Salt Pond is in good condition and supports a diversity of graminoid vegetation and shorebirds.
This example of High-Energy Riverbank is in excellent condition, with high species diversity, intact natural processes of flood and scour, and a naturally vegetated buffer.
This example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in good condition, but is degraded by water withdrawals and recreational use.
Despite the presence of a municipal well, this example of Coastal Plain Pondshore is in excellent condition, with good species diversity and a naturally vegetated buffer protecting it from development.
This large occurrence of a globally rare Sea Level Fen has high native diversity among some exotics. Although it has been altered by ditching and filling in a developed landscape, it continues to be an identifiable example of the community type.
This excellent though moderate-sized example of Hemlock Ravine has large, old hemlock and pine trees among moss and fern covered boulders on steep slopes.
These small patches of Rich, Mesic Forest are mature, free of exotic invasive species, and well buffered in surrounding forest. The occurrence is a regional variant lacking the full species diversity of this community type.
This small, but not tiny, Sandplain Heathland is recovering from past disturbance. It will need management of pines and invasive exotic species to remain as an open heathland.
Although somewhat fragmented, these patches of Maritime Shrubland are in a mosaic with other shoreline communities on conservation land.
These two patches of Coastal Atlantic White Cedar Swamp are in good condition with better landscape around the western patch. Being near each other as well as other types of uncommon natural communities enhances their value for biodiversity protection.
There are patches of Coastal Plain Pondshore Community-Inland Variant around Loon Pond, fragmented by heavily used shorelines.The steep shoreline has limited breadth for development of the community.
This moderate sized Kettlehole Level Bog is in a large conservation area that includes other peatlands and wetlands. However, it is in withdrawal zones for multiple municipal wells.
This globally important example of Pitch Pine-Scrub Oak Community is the largest of its kind remaining in the northeast.  Many other rare community types occur within it, as well as many state-endangered insects.
This example of Level Bog is large and in good condition, and is well buffered by natural vegetation. It is also significant as part of a cluster of bogs that together represent a great diversity of habitat types for many species.
This Coastal Atlantic White Cedar Swamp on conservation land abuts developed land. In 2012 many trees tipped over in a storm; it is not clear if it will replace itself or change to a different vegetation type.
This large Sugar Maple-Oak-Hickory Forest is within a north-south corridor of working forest that includes other examples of priority forest types. The diversity of specialized species is good for central Massachusetts. This large roadless site has small
This is a good example of a variant of Acidic Graminoid Fen dominated by Water Willow. It has good structural characteristics and no exotic invasive species.
This example of Acidic Shrub Fen is exceptionally large, and is extremely well buffered by natural vegetation. It is in good condition, with good species and structural diversity and little evidence of human disturbance.
The Maritime Juniper Woodland on Rocky Neck's open ledges is a narrow band along the rocky headlands.  Invasive species are uncommon, except for English oak which threaten the community by overshading cedars and other plants dependant on direct sunlight.
This example of a Kettlehole Wet Meadow, though on the small side, is in excellent condition, with good species diversity and a minimum of exotic invasive species.
This example of Rich, Mesic Forest is in very good condition, with no exotic invasive species, and is associated with several state-listed plants. It is recovering well from past logging disturbance and old logging roads are present.
This occurrence of Rich, Mesic Forest includes a northern variation of the community type. The patches are relatively diverse and mature, free of invasive species, and recovering well from past selective logging.
Red Maple - Black Ash - Bur Oak Swamp
This large example of Red Maple-Black Ash-Bur Oak Swamp is in excellent condition, with minimal exotic invasive species present, and is well buffered within a naturally vegetated landscape.
Red Maple-Black Ash-Bur Oak Swamps are mostly deciduous forests of circumneutral (somewhat calcium enriched) wetlands. Trees growing on hummocks form an almost continuous canopy over variable shrub and diverse dense herbaceous layers.
This example of Northern Hardwoods-Hemlock-White Pine Forest contains patches of old growth forest, and together with surrounding natural communities provides an important diversity of habitats across the landscape.
These two fairly small patches of Kettlehole Level Bog are close enough together to exchange species. They contain typical bog species and none indicating site enrichment.
This example of Yellow oak dry calcareous forest has good species diversity, despite its moderate size and the presence of invasive exotic species.
This Red Maple-Black Ash-Bur Oak Swamp is our only known occurrence in a mosaic with other floodplain communities. Adjacent railroad and scattered exotics detract from the good surroundings. <br />
These remnant High-terrace Floodplain Forest patches are on slightly elevated areas adjacent to floodplain forests and oxbows near agricultural fields and a highway. They flood occasionally. Unfortunately they contain abundant invasives.
This Oak - Hickory Forest occurs as many small pockets in the upland edges around a large salt marsh. The salt marsh, brooks, other wetlands, and roads separate the patches. Old mining depressions occur throughout.
This example of Alluvial Red Maple Swamp, though bisected by a road, is in excellent condition and is otherwise well buffered to human development.
This large Coastal Atlantic White Cedar Swamp is in good condition, and is part of a larger complex of acidic wetlands including bog areas with Atlantic White Cedar Bog and Acidic Graminoid Fen.
Three patches make up this moderate-sized Alluvial Hardwood Flat on protected land. The community is in good condition with a scattering of Glossy Buckthorn. Succession to surrounding forest types could occur if the flooding regime were to change.
This example of Acidic Rocky Summit is large and diverse. It shows signs of human disturbance, but is in generally good condition and surrounded by other good community occurrences.
This Deep Emergent Marsh has areas of high quality habitat, but they are interspersed with large patches of Phragmites.
This nice Open Oak Woodland dominates the summit and south slope of a small mountain with rock outcrops. Imbedded in a forested area, much of the occurrence is on protected land.
This moderate sized Red Spruce Swamp is a good example of this northern community type. It is near protected open space with undeveloped forest directly around it.
This exemplary Red Spruce Swamp is part of an extensive wetland complex, in a wooded landscape with little evidence of human disturbance.
This large Red Spruce Swamp is inside an even larger wetland forming the headwaters of two brooks. Despite an aqueduct that runs across the bog, it is in very good shape with good regeneration.
This naturally small Acidic Graminoid Fen is in a large forest that includes nearby areas with similar vegetation.
This large Level Bog is part of a good quality wetland mosaic with an adjacent Spruce-Tamarack Bog. It is  surrounded by successional forest in open space protected for flood control and drinking water supply.
This small occurrence of Rich, Mesic Forest occurs as patches in a matrix northern hardwoods forest. It is in a large, forested block with little disturbance.
These small patches of Mud Flat are very diverse with no exotic species. Natural processes, such as flooding, control the communtiy size and distribution in the former reservoir.
This is a nice example of a patchy Acidic Rocky Summit/Rock Outcrop community with multiple other examples throughout the Fells. The individual patches are small to tiny, but appropriately sized for their locations.
This Hemlock Swamp is embedded within an extensive, maturing Oak-Hemlock-White Pine Forest, which itself has excellent habitat diversity, including drainages, small ravines, and vernal pools.
These two small patches of Ridgetop Pitch Pine-Scrub Oak Community are near each other in northwestern Middlesex Fells. They occur in a matrix of oak forest on exposed bedrock.
This example of Maritime Forest/Woodland is moderate-sized and has intact ecosystem processes, such as hydrology and maritime influence, although it has several exotic invasive species.
This occurrence of Ridgetop Pitch Pine Scrub Oak Community is naturally patchy on ridgetops within a large forested area. It is a very good example of the community with little anthropogenic disturbance.
This Acidic Graminoid Fen is on protected land in a matrix of oak forest. It appears that flooding within the past few years killed much of the surface sphagnum moss, leaving scattered sedges and rushes occupying the peat surface.
This Coastal Plain Pondshore community occurs in patches along the shore of this large pond. Many typical shore line species appear in low water years.
This large Coastal Plain Pondshore has a variety of substrates that support good but small, isolated patches of the community separated by beaches and other shoreline development.
This small Coastal Plain Pondshore is in a cluster of Coastal Plain Ponds. It is partially on conservation and water department land, but parts are developed and used for recreation.
These patches of Maritime Dune Community are in a mosaic of coastal communities abutting a Maritime Shrubland.  The community is on conservation land heavily used for recreation with trails throughout.
This large example of a Calcareous Sloping Fen occurs in a narrow band between the upland and encroaching Phragmites. Seepage from the upland appears to maintain the lime-dependent community; it does not occur on the other side of the wetland.
This mucky variant Coastal Plain Pondshore is in very good condition on protected open space, with other good pondshores nearby.
This Coastal Plain Pondshore is in a cluster of Coastal Plain Ponds on conservation land. Steep shores and heavy foot traffic combine to limit the area of community development.