Name:
Tsuga canadensis - Acer saccharum - Fagus grandifolia / Dryopteris intermedia Forest
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This association comprises hemlock - northern hardwood forests of the Allegheny Plateau, Lake Ontario and Lake Erie plains, Lower New England, and south to higher elevations of the Central Appalachian region. This forest is associated with cool, dry-mesic to mesic sites and acidic soils, often on rocky, north-facing slopes. Soils can have a thick, poorly decomposed duff layer over sandy loams. <i>Tsuga canadensis</i> is characteristic and usually dominant in the coniferous to mixed canopy. While hemlock generally forms at least 50% of the canopy, in some cases it may be as low as 25% relative dominance. Hardwood codominants include <i>Acer saccharum</i> and <i>Fagus grandifolia</i> (common), <i>Betula alleghaniensis</i> (uncommon), and <i>Betula lenta</i>, which may replace <i>Betula alleghaniensis</i> in some areas. <i>Ostrya virginiana</i> may be present as a small tree. <i>Quercus</i> spp. and <i>Pinus strobus</i> tend to be absent or, if present, only occur with low abundance. The shrub layer may be dense to fairly open and often includes <i>Viburnum acerifolium</i> and <i>Acer pensylvanicum</i> in addition to <i>Tsuga canadensis</i> regeneration. Herbs may be sparse, particularly in dense shade, but include <i>Dryopteris intermedia, Medeola virginiana, Oxalis montana, Mitchella repens, Maianthemum canadense, Uvularia sessilifolia, Polystichum acrostichoides, Trientalis borealis, Huperzia lucidula, Eurybia divaricata, Oclemena acuminata, Dennstaedtia punctilobula</i>, and <i>Thelypteris noveboracensis</i>. Nonvascular plants may be well-developed, often characterized by the liverwort <i>Bazzania trilobata</i>. Diagnostic characteristics of this forest are the dominance of <i>Tsuga canadensis</i>, presence of <i>Acer saccharum</i> and <i>Fagus grandifolia</i>, low abundance of either <i>Betula alleghaniensis</i> or <i>Betula lenta</i>, and a lack of abundant <i>Quercus</i> spp. or <i>Pinus strobus</i>. In Virginia stands, the most abundant trees are <i>Tsuga canadensis, Betula alleghaniensis, Acer rubrum</i>, and <i>Quercus rubra</i>; <i>Fagus grandifolia</i> and <i>Acer saccharum</i> are both inconstant and only occasionally important.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:35255-{158AC920-DC89-42A5-BAC5-3CA3F0BB7F86}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
34
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