Name:
Pinus strobus - Tsuga canadensis Forest Alliance
Reference:
Eastern Ecology Working Group of...
Description:
Forests codominated by Pinus strobus and Tsuga canadensis occurring from eastern Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan to eastern Pennsylvania and Maine, south through the Appalachians to northern Georgia and South Carolina. Isolated occurrences could potentially occur in the Cumberland Plateau of Kentucky and Tennessee. Generally, Tsuga canadensis and Pinus strobus are codominant, but other common associates can include Fagus grandifolia, Acer rubrum, Betula lenta, Betula alleghaniensis, Quercus rubra. Picea rubens is often a component in the northeastern part of range, while Liriodendron tulipifera and Betula lenta are the common associates in the southern Appalachians. Typical shrubs/saplings include Acer spicatum, Hamamelis virginiana, and Acer pensylvanicum (in the north), and Ilex opaca, Leucothoe fontanesiana, Rhododendron maximum (in the south). The herbaceous stratum may be sparse and generally depauperate, including Clintonia borealis, Cypripedium acaule, Gaultheria procumbens, Lycopodium spp., Maianthemum canadense, and Trientalis borealis (in the north), and Chimaphila maculata, Mitchella repens, Galax urceolata, Viola blanda, and Polystichum acrostichoides (in the south). Stands of this alliance are found on acidic, nutrient-poor, usually moderately well-drained soils such as sandy loams. Communities of the eastern portion of the range (New England) generally occur on well-drained midslopes, and apparently are not significantly affected by aspect. In the southern Appalachian Mountains and Cumberland Plateau, these forests occur on alluvial terraces and steep, protected gorge slopes. Communities of this alliance are commonly established following disturbance, either natural (fire, windthrow, catastrophic flood events) or anthropogenic (logging). Old-growth examples of the alliance are known, and these forests were likely to have been widespread prior to European settlement. However, without periodic disturbance, communities of this alliance will eventually succeed to other alliances (Barnes 1991).
Accession Code:
VB.CC.20557.PINUSSTROBUSTSU
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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