Name:
Quercus macrocarpa / Corylus spp. / Mixedgrass Woodland Alliance
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
The canopy of this alliance is open to moderately closed and usually dominated by <i>Quercus macrocarpa</i>. Common associates in the canopy are <i>Quercus muehlenbergii</i> in the southeast portion, <i>Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Tilia americana</i>, and <i>Populus tremuloides</i> in the northern half, and <i>Carya</i> spp. and <i>Ulmus</i> spp. in the eastern part of the alliance's range. <i>Pinus ponderosa</i> can occur in some stands at the extreme western limit of this alliance's range. A shrub layer 1-2 m tall is often present, especially in the northern half of the range of this alliance. Dominant shrubs include <i>Amelanchier alnifolia, Corylus americana, Corylus cornuta, Prunus virginiana</i>, and <i>Symphoricarpos occidentalis</i>. The herbaceous layer is dominated by graminoids. These can range from tall grasses, such as <i>Andropogon gerardii, Panicum virgatum</i>, and <i>Sorghastrum nutans</i>, to mid grasses, such as <i>Schizachyrium scoparium</i> and <i>Hesperostipa spartea</i>, to short graminoids, such as <i>Carex inops ssp. heliophila</i>. This alliance is found in a landscape dominated by prairie communities. The woodland is typically found on rolling hills, lower mountain slopes (in the Black Hills), or along ravines. These topographic positions provided some protection from the fires that regularly occurred on the surrounding prairies in pre-European times. However, some fire was necessary to prevent the woodland physiognomy from closing and becoming a forest. This was especially important in the more mesic eastern portions of this alliance's range. In Nebraska, the soils are fertile, moderately well-drained to well-drained, and deep. This alliance is widespread in the northern and central Great Plains. All of its associations are found in the midwestern United States west of the Mississippi River.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:38081-{60203D52-F40E-421F-A864-16BCC16C9C2E}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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