Name:
Quercus alba - (Quercus rubra, Carya spp.) Forest Alliance
Reference:
Midwestern Ecology Working Group...
Description:
This alliance is widely distributed in the eastern United States and portions of adjacent Canada and includes dry mesic to mesic upland oak forests dominated by Quercus alba and/or Quercus rubra, with or without Carya species. Stands are 15-25 m tall, with a closed, deciduous canopy. The shrub and herbaceous strata are typically well-developed. Quercus alba usually dominates the stands, either alone or in combination with Quercus rubra (especially on moister sites) and sometimes Quercus velutina and Quercus falcata (especially on drier sites). Some associations in this alliance are dominated by Quercus rubra, although Quercus alba is usually also a canopy component. Carya species (particularly Carya alba, Carya glabra or Carya ovata) are typically common either in the canopy or subcanopy. In the southeastern United States, this alliance covers dry-mesic forests of the Piedmont, low Appalachian Mountains, and the Cumberland and Interior Low Plateau, and mesic oak-hickory forests of the Blue Ridge and the interior highlands of the Ozarks and Ouachita Mountains. Associated species include Carya glabra, Carya ovata, Carya alba, Fraxinus americana, Acer rubrum, Acer leucoderme, Cornus florida, Nyssa sylvatica, Ostrya virginiana, Calycanthus floridus, Pyrularia pubera, Tilia americana var. caroliniana, Oxydendrum arboreum, Kalmia latifolia, and others. This alliance is found throughout the midwestern United States on moderately rich, upland sites. Typical associates include Fraxinus americana, Ulmus americana, Tilia americana, Acer saccharum, Acer rubrum, and more locally, Quercus macrocarpa and Quercus ellipsoidalis.Stands are found on gentle to moderately steep lower to upper slopes on uplands and on steep valley sides. The soils are moderately deep to deep and vary from silts to clays and loams. The parent material ranges from glaciated till to limestone, shale, sandstone and other bedrock types. In the midwestern United States, many stands are succeeding to types dominated by Acer saccharum, Tilia americana, Acer rubrum, and other mesic tree associates. This succession may be delayed by fire and grazing. In the eastern and southeastern United States, Liriodendron tulipifera, Liquidambar styraciflua, Fraxinus americana, Acer rubrum, and other mesic associates often increase after disturbances, such as clearcutting or windstorms, especially in the absence of fire and in areas adjacent to creeks and rivers.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.17915.QUERCUSALBAQUER
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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