Name:
Tsuga canadensis - Fagus grandifolia - Acer saccharum / (Hamamelis virginiana, Kalmia latifolia) Forest
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This community is found in parts of the Interior Low Plateau, the Western Allegheny Plateau, and the Cumberland Mountains in the northeastern and east-central United States. Stands occur on dry-mesic to mesic slopes, sometimes in steep-sloped valleys. Soils are typically acidic silty to sandy loams, with a sandstone or shale parent material. The overstory is dominated by <i>Tsuga canadensis, Acer saccharum, Acer rubrum</i>, and <i>Fagus grandifolia</i>. Rarely does any one of these comprise more than 50% of the mature trees in a stand. Other trees are common in the canopy, among them <i>Betula alleghaniensis, Betula lenta, Carya</i> spp., <i>Liriodendron tulipifera, Nyssa sylvatica, Pinus strobus, Prunus serotina, Quercus alba, Quercus rubra</i>, and <i>Tilia americana</i>. The shrub layer, occasionally sparse, contains <i>Hamamelis virginiana, Lindera benzoin</i>, and <i>Viburnum acerifolium</i>, as well as ericaceous shrubs, including <i>Kalmia latifolia</i> (except in the northern portion of the Western Allegheny Plateau) and <i>Rhododendron maximum</i>. The ground layer contains the ferns <i>Botrychium virginianum, Dryopteris intermedia, Dryopteris marginalis, Polystichum acrostichoides</i>, and the herbs <i>Arisaema triphyllum, Maianthemum canadense, Mitchella repens, Podophyllum peltatum, Viola blanda</i>, and <i>Viola rotundifolia</i>, among others. Three subtypes are possible: (1) steep-walled sandstone gorges and talus, where <i>Hydrangea arborescens, Kalmia latifolia</i>, and <i>Dryopteris marginalis</i> may be indicative; (2) more gently sloped valleys, with shrubs such as <i>Hamamelis virginiana, Viburnum acerifolium</i>; and (3) rolling lakeplain ridges. The Kentucky examples, which are mesic rather than dry-mesic, may lack <i>Acer saccharum, Maianthemum canadense</i>, and several other species, and may contain <i>Magnolia</i> spp. (e.g., <i>Magnolia tripetala, Magnolia acuminata</i>, and <i>Magnolia macrophylla</i>) (J. Campbell pers. comm. 2000). In addition, <i>Betula lenta</i> (widespread on Appalachian plateaus) is replaced by <i>Betula alleghaniensis (var. macrolepis</i>?) in western Kentucky and southern Indiana.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:33810-{E12D156E-18FF-433F-9B31-844C63D0489F}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
23
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