Name:
Pinus strobus - Quercus alba - Quercus montana / Vaccinium stamineum Forest
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
The known range of this community includes the Central Appalachian region of Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia, and the northern and central Piedmont of Virginia. The type is particularly abundant and widespread on low shale mountains and hills in west-central Virginia and adjacent West Virginia. Sites are underlain primarily by shale and similar sedimentary rocks (siltstone, metasiltstone, phyllite) or, less commonly, sandstone in the mountains and by a variety of acidic metamorphic and igneous rocks in the Piedmont. Stands occupy middle and upper slopes, ridge crests, dry ravines, and bluffs, mostly below 760 m (2500 feet) elevation in the mountains and above 75 m (240 feet) in the Piedmont. Aspect is variable, and site moisture is typically assessed as subxeric or submesic. Vegetation is a mixed forest, with canopies varying from closed to somewhat open, codominated by <i>Pinus strobus</i> (25-75% canopy cover) and various oaks, particularly <i>Quercus alba, Quercus coccinea, Quercus velutina, Quercus rubra</i>, and <i>Quercus montana</i>. Minor canopy associates include <i>Acer rubrum, Carya tomentosa, Carya glabra, Fagus grandifolia</i> (mostly Piedmont), <i>Liriodendron tulipifera, Nyssa sylvatica, Pinus virginiana, Quercus falcata</i> (mostly Piedmont), <i>Quercus velutina</i>, and <i>Tsuga canadensis</i>. Understory trees include <i>Acer rubrum, Oxydendrum arboreum</i>, and <i>Nyssa sylvatica</i>, which may be abundant, along with <i>Cornus florida</i>. The shrub layer is predominantly ericaceous and varies from sparse and patchy to occasionally dense, with <i>Vaccinium stamineum, Vaccinium pallidum, Gaylussacia baccata</i>, and <i>Kalmia latifolia</i> being characteristic. Other frequent but lower-cover shrub-layer species include <i>Amelanchier arborea, Viburnum acerifolium, Smilax rotundifolia, Smilax glauca, Sassafras albidum</i>, and <i>Diospyros virginiana</i>. The herb layer is characterized by species tolerant of dry, acidic soils; it is usually sparse but occasionally contains dense graminoid patches of <i>Danthonia spicata, Deschampsia flexuosa</i>, or <i>Carex pensylvanica</i>.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:36595-{012FBE20-0D02-4FA9-80B0-D44DA2C3D434}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
77
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