Name:
Quercus rubra - Acer saccharum - Fagus grandifolia / Viburnum acerifolium Forest
Reference:
Eastern Ecology Working Group of...
Description:
Transitional between temperate and boreal regions, these mesic forests of oak and northern hardwoods, sometimes mixed with hemlock or pine, are distributed across the glaciated northeastern United States. They occur on slightly acidic, well-drained loamy and often rocky soils of intermediate fertility, most often positioned on midslopes and coves. Soil depth is often shallow, but some stands occur on deep tills. Most are at low to mid elevations, usually under 520 m (1700 feet), but in the southern portion of their distribution they may range up to 765 m (2500 feet). The deciduous-to-mixed canopy is mostly closed, and the lower layers are variable in extent. Tall shrubs are well-represented, although scattered, with occasional denser patches. Herbs are sparse and bryoids are nearly absent. Ericads and other dwarf-shrubs are also nearly absent, a characteristic that distinguishes this association from most other red oak forests in the Northeast. Canopy composition is a variable mixture of <i>Quercus rubra</i> (usually at least 30% of the canopy), <i>Fagus grandifolia, Acer saccharum, Acer rubrum</i>, and in some stands <i>Pinus strobus</i> or <i>Tsuga canadensis</i>. Conifers generally make up less than 20% of the canopy cover, and even in mixed stands the cover of deciduous trees exceeds that of conifers. Minor canopy associates include <i>Fraxinus americana, Tilia americana, Betula lenta, Juglans cinerea</i>, and <i>Ulmus americana</i>. <i>Acer pensylvanicum</i> is common as a small tree; in the central and southern portions of the distribution, <i>Cornus florida</i> and <i>Prunus serotina</i> are common small trees as well. <i>Corylus cornuta, Viburnum acerifolium</i>, and <i>Hamamelis virginiana</i> are standard shrubs, with <i>Kalmia latifolia</i> and <i>Lindera benzoin</i> occasional in all but the northern portions of the range. Typical species in the herb layer include <i>Gaultheria procumbens, Maianthemum canadense, Aralia nudicaulis, Trientalis borealis, Uvularia sessilifolia, Medeola virginiana, Brachyelytrum erectum, Dryopteris intermedia, Polystichum acrostichoides, Dennstaedtia punctilobula, Pteridium aquilinum</i>, and <i>Thelypteris noveboracensis</i>. On more nutrient-rich soils, the herb layer may contain <i>Solidago caesia, Caulophyllum thalictroides, Dryopteris marginalis</i>, and <i>Eurybia divaricata (= Aster divaricatus)</i>. This association is distinguished from northern hardwood forests by its greater amount of oak, from other oak forests by its greater prominence of northern hardwoods and lack of dwarf-shrub ericads, and from hemlock-hardwoods by the relatively low importance of hemlock.
Accession Code:
VB.CC.31239.CEGL006173
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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