Vegetation and Deer Habitat Relations in Southern Ontario: Classification of Habitat Types

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Abstract
A functional habitat classification was derived using the parametric land classification approach. Construction of a habitat map was based on photo-ecological techniques, vegetation sampling and analysis. Cluster analysis of a similarity matrix derived from stand data summaries in the form of importance values of 580 sampling points in 32 stands located throughout the study area produced the habitat classification of 9 cluster types at a similarity coefficient of about 44 (Ward''s method of hierarchical grouping). The indicator species of the overstory, sapling, shrub and groundcover strata defined for each of the 9 vegetative cluster types were: Cluster 1, grasses/Phleum pratense/Trifolium spp.; Cluster 2, Myrica gale/Alnus rugosa-carex spp; Cluster 3, Alnus rugosa/Spiraea spp.-grasses; Cluster 4, Thuja occidentalis/Picea mariana-Alnus rugosa-Sphagnum spp.; Cluster 5, Abies balsamea/Populus spp.-Corylus cornuta-ferns; Cluster 6, Abies balsamea/Picea glauca-Nemopanthus mucronatus-ferns; Cluster 7, Acer saccharum/Betula lutea-Acer saccharum-Acer saccharum; Cluster 8, Acer saccharum/Abies balsamea-Acer saccharum-ferns; Cluster 9, B. papyrifera/Acer saccharum-C. cornuta-ferns. A large proportion of the area (57.1%) was mature forest vegetation, represented by Clusters 7 and 8. The hardwoods (Cluster 9) and mixedwoods (Cluster 5), which represented early successional stages, were well represented (13.4%). Softwoods (Cluster 6), comprised 12.5% of the study area. The lowland softwoods (Cluster 4) occurred in isolated patches throughout the area (7.2%). The remaining cluster types comprised 9.8% of the study area. The classification scheme presented provides a useful freamework for habitat evaluation related to wildlife populations, and would be considered a useful wildlife management tool.