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Quercus rubra - Acer rubrum - Betula spp. - Pinus strobus Ruderal Forest | Eastern Ecology Working Group of...
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Name: Quercus rubra - Acer rubrum - Betula spp. - Pinus strobus Ruderal Forest
Reference: Eastern Ecology Working Group of...
Description: This deciduous to mixed forest of northern New England is a broadly defined community, usually developing after severe disturbance, including clearing, pasturing, logging, fires, severe hurricanes, or simply heavily fragmented residential development. While in some cases it is a successional type, it may persist in some settings, particularly where soils are limited, for example along ridgelines. The canopy trees are mostly 40-100 years old. The canopy ranges from somewhat open to closed; the shrub, herb and bryoid layers are patchy and rarely extensive. Composition is variable depending on site history. The canopy is usually mostly deciduous, dominated by a heterogeneous mixture of <i>Quercus rubra, Acer rubrum, Pinus strobus</i>, and <i>Fagus grandifolia</i>. Typically these occur in association with light-requiring, wind-dispersed trees such as <i>Populus tremuloides, Populus grandidentata, Betula papyrifera, Betula populifolia, Fraxinus americana</i>, and <i>Prunus serotina</i>. Minor associates include <i>Picea rubens</i> and <i>Acer saccharum</i>. Understory species tend to reflect predisturbance conditions and include <i>Acer pensylvanicum, Corylus cornuta, Viburnum acerifolium</i>, or <i>Hamamelis virginiana</i> in the shrub layer. <i>Vaccinium angustifolium</i> is a typical low shrub, although it does not form a coherent layer. <i>Pteridium aquilinum</i> is characteristic and may be abundant in the herbaceous layer; other common herbs include <i>Trientalis borealis, Maianthemum canadense, Deschampsia flexuosa</i>, and <i>Aralia nudicaulis</i>. The bryophyte layer is of variable cover and may include <i>Polytrichum commune</i> and <i>Dicranum polysetum</i>. This association is differentiated from similar forests and woodlands by its thin canopy that usually includes early-successional species, particularly <i>Acer rubrum</i>, low abundance of tolerant hardwoods other than red oak, and the lack of a well-developed heath shrub layer (as is typical in oak-pine woodlands). Unlike oak and oak-pine forests to the south, <i>Quercus rubra</i> is the only oak species present in any abundance. 
Accession Code: VB.CC.31240.CEGL006506
Plot-observations of this Community Concept: 0
      Party Perspective according to: NatureServe (organization)
Perspective from: 17-Nov-2014 to: 01-May-2019
     
  • status: accepted
  • This Community's Level: association
  • This Community's Children: [none]
Names:   UID: ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.685756 NatureServe ExplorerNatureServe Explorer logo
  Common: Northeastern Oak - Red Maple Successional Forest
  Translated: Northern Red Oak - Red Maple - Birch species - Eastern White Pine Ruderal Forest
  Scientific: Quercus rubra - Acer rubrum - Betula spp. - Pinus strobus Ruderal Forest
  Code: CEGL006506