The Maine Eastern Coastal Biophysical Region is part of the Northeastern Mixed Forest Province and the Fundy Coastal and Interior Ecoregion Section. There are 3 Forest Provinces, 6 Ecoregion Sections, and 19 Biophysical Regions in Maine.
Province: Northeastern Mixed Forest
The Northeastern Mixed Forest Province is characterized by a modified continental climatic regime with a maritime influence along the Atlantic Ocean. Winters are moderately long with continual ground snow cover. Annual precipitation is generally equally distributed with a peak during summer. Vegetation of this area consists of forests that provide a transition between boreal conifers and broadleaf deciduous.
Ecoregion Section: Fundy Coastal and Interior
The Fundy Coastal and Interior is a glacially scoured and dissected peneplain with gently rolling topography characterized ab low ridges surrounded by poorly drained and relatively flat terrain. Most bedrock is igneous. More precipitation occurs in winter than summer and days with fog are greater here than elsewhere in province. Natural vegetation is mostly forests of spruce-fir, maple-beech-birch, and aspen-birch cover types.
Biophysical Region: Maine Eastern Coastal
The Maine Eastern Coastal Biophysical Region has an 81% forested share. 48% of those acres are in the spruce-fir cover type.
The top three tree species in this region (based on the stocking of live trees per average forested acre) are:
- Balsam Fir (46 trees per acre)
- Red Spruce (35 trees per acre)
- Red Maple (31 trees per acre)
This graph shows major tree species/species groups, live tree stocking (trees/acre), and how much they contribute to the overall stocking for the Maine Eastern Coastal Biophysical Region:
* All data are based on the Maine Forest Inventory & Analysis, 2015 (United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service)
Check out the other bioregion in the Northeastern Mixed Forest Province and the Fundy Coastal and Interior Ecoregion Section: