Name:
A.272
Reference:
EcoArt 2002
Description:
This alliance includes ~Quercus rubra$-dominated forest vegetation of high elevations (over 3500 feet), montane landscapes in the central and southern Appalachians. A closed to very open canopy has trees that are often gnarled and stunted, especially on ridge crests. ~Quercus rubra$ is often the only canopy tree, but other species may have minor importance, including ~Acer rubrum, Crataegus punctata, Crataegus flabellata, Betula alleghaniensis$, and ~Betula lenta$. ~Quercus alba$ is a significant component of forests at high elevations in Virginia's Ridge and Valley and at the lower elevations of associations in the Southern Blue Ridge. Forests in this alliance have variable physiognomies, ranging from open herb-dominated understories to understories dominated by dense ericaceous shrubs. If a subcanopy is present, typical species include canopy species plus ~Hamamelis virginiana, Amelanchier arborea, Acer pensylvanicum, Halesia tetraptera$, and ~Ilex montana$. In forests with little or no shrub cover, herbaceous cover is dense and diverse, composed of sedges, ferns, and tall herbs, with dominance varying within and between occurrences. Typical herbaceous species include ~Ageratina altissima var. roanensis, Oclemena acuminata (= Aster acuminatus), Eurybia chlorolepis (= Aster chlorolepis), Eurybia divaricata (= Aster divaricatus), Athyrium filix-femina ssp. asplenioides, Carex pensylvanica, Clintonia umbellulata, Collinsonia canadensis, Conopholis americana, Dennstaedtia punctilobula, Dioscorea villosa, Laportea canadensis, Lysimachia quadrifolia, Medeola virginiana, Monarda fistulosa, Potentilla canadensis, Prenanthes roanensis, Silene stellata, Solidago curtisii (= Solidago caesia var. curtisii)$, and ~Thelypteris noveboracensis$. Typical evergreen shrub dominants include ~Kalmia latifolia, Rhododendron catawbiense$, and ~Rhododendron maximum$. Deciduous shrubs include ~Rhododendron calendulaceum, Vaccinium simulatum, Vaccinium erythrocarpum, Ilex montana, Gaylussacia ursina, Rubus canadensis, Corylus cornuta$, and ~Lyonia ligustrina$. Where shrub cover is dense, the herbaceous stratum is not diverse and is typically very sparse with scattered forbs; ~Galax urceolata, Solidago curtisii, Epigaea repens, Dennstaedtia punctilobula, Conopholis americana, Thelypteris noveboracensis, Clintonia umbellulata, Eurybia divaricata$, and ~Dioscorea villosa$. Major compositional variation within these forests is related to a moisture gradient, which in turn is a function of topographic position and relative amount of solar radiation received. Forests in this alliance typically occur over well-drained, loamy soils underlain by Precambrian gneisses, schists, and granites. These soils are classified as Typic, Umbric, or Lithic Dystrochrepts, and Typic Haplumbrepts. Soils supporting these forests tend to have relatively high base status. Forests in this alliance occur on most of the major mountain ranges of the southern Appalachians at elevations of 1070-1525 m (3500-5000 feet) on broad ridges, mid to upper slope positions, and on steep rocky slopes at the heads of coves. Forests in this alliance are also known from the central (on granitic crests) and northern Blue Ridge (on middle to upper convex slopes) and in the northern Ridge and Valley. Damage by ice storms is probably the most common form of natural disturbance in these montane forests. On exposed sites these forests commonly contain, as inclusions, acidic rock outcrop communities and montane shrublands, and may grade into forests dominated by ~Tsuga caroliniana, Pinus rigida, Pinus pungens$, and ~Quercus prinus$. At higher elevations these forests often occur adjacent to or grade into forests dominated by ~Picea rubens, Abies fraseri$, or northern hardwood species (~Betula alleghaniensis, Fagus grandifolia, Aesculus flava$). In some areas, forests in this alliance are found adjacent to montane shrublands and grasslands. At low elevations, on dry sites, forests in this alliance may grade into forests dominated by mixed ~Quercus$ species. Many ~Quercus rubra$-dominated stands of today were, prior to the Chestnut Blight in the 1930s, dominated or codominated by ~Castanea dentata$ with scattered ~Quercus rubra$ and ~Acer rubrum$ in the canopy. The fungus ~Cryphonectria parasitica (= Endothia parasitica)$ eliminated ~Castanea dentata$ in the upper canopy, subsequently releasing the subcanopy ~Quercus rubra$, which eventually resulted in a nearly pure upper canopy of large ~Quercus rubra$.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.1882.A272
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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