Rachel Carson NWR is approximately 35 percent tidal, 10 percent freshwater wetlands and 55 percent uplands. Tidal habitats include beach, dune, dune grassland, river, rocky shore, estuarine, bay and salt marsh. Freshwater wetlands include cattail marsh, bog, emergent scrub-shrub wetlands, pocket swamps, red maple swamps and floodplain forest. The majority of the upland forests consist of mixed oak and pine forest, however hemlock, spruce and pitch pine stands occur as well as hickory and maple forests. Viburnums, winterberry, blueberry, serviceberry, Virginia rose and male berry comprise much of the shrub understory. Other upland habitats are comprised of grassland units and thicket units. Habitats are quite diverse, containing elements from the more southern oak-pine forests and the softwood forests of the north. Southern Maine is where these two community types collide and blend, creating a wealth of biodiversity.
Exemplary Natural Communities
Coastal dune marsh ecosystem
Spartina saltmarsh
White oak – red oak forest
Dune grassland
Pitch Pine Bog
The majority of the upland forests consist of mixed oak and pine forest, however hemlock, spruce and pitch pine stands occur as well as hickory and maple forests. Viburnums, winterberry, blueberry, serviceberry, Virginia rose and male berry comprise much of the shrub understory. Other upland habitats are comprised of grassland units and thicket units. Habitats are quite diverse, containing elements from the more southern oak-pine forests and the softwood forests of the north. Southern Maine is where these two community types collide and blend, creating a wealth of biodiversity.