White spruce and black spruce may be present. In closed forest stands, Calamagrostis canadensis dominates the herb layer, and mosses and lichens are rare. Forests dominated by black spruce or a mixture of black spruce and paper birch colonize poorly drained areas. Sphagnum mosses may occur on the wetter sites. When present, the tall shrub component consists of alder and willow.
Herbaceous species vary with forest type.
Feathermosses are found in some of these communities. Dry to mesic sites support mesic graminoid, graminoid herbaceous, and low scrub graminoid communities. Nonsphagnaceous mosses are common in all of these community types. Lichens may be common or absent. Feathermosses form a patchy layer on the ground.