Name:
Juniperus virginiana Forest Alliance
Reference:
Midwestern Ecology Working Group...
Description:
Forests in this alliance are strongly dominated by Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana on usually high pH, fire-suppressed sites or old fields but also mature (100+ year) stands, on limestone or chalk, mostly in blacklands, but occasionally on sandstone (e.g., in Oklahoma). This alliance is most common in old fields and pastures, successional cleared land, and other various disturbed areas, especially on calcareous rocks, but also occasionally in the Piedmont in areas influenced by mafic geology. The growth of Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana may be very dense, and the stature may be rather low. Other species that may occur in the canopy of Tennessee stands include Carya alba, Carya ovata, Cercis canadensis, and Pinus virginiana. Various oaks (including Quercus coccinea, Quercus falcata, and Quercus phellos) also may be present. The midstory is typically sparse, with canopy species as well as Cornus florida, Ilex opaca, Liquidambar styraciflua, and Prunus serotina var. serotina. Frangula caroliniana may occur in several strata. Herb distribution is patchy, and typical species include Asplenium platyneuron, Chasmanthium laxum, Eupatorium spp., Polystichum acrostichoides, and Carex spp. This vegetation is also found in the Blackbelt of Alabama, on the margins of Chalk Prairies. In the central and upper midwestern United States, stands of semi-natural vegetation dominated by Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana typically occur in old fields and other disturbed places. The vegetation may vary in structure from open-canopy woodland (particularly as it invades herbaceous old fields) to dense, closed-canopy forest. Rhus typhina may be an associate. This semi-natural red-cedar forest type is expected to be found in locally disturbed areas.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.25413.JUNIPERUSVIRGIN
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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