Name:
Quercus alba - Carya spp. - Fraxinus americana Forest Alliance
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
Associations of this alliance include dry, relatively "rich" forests and open woodlands of the northeastern United States and southern Canada dominated by <i>Quercus</i> species and include <i>Carya</i> species as a prominent (rarely codominant) feature. <i>Fraxinus americana</i>, although sometimes a sporadic member, is generally characteristic of these forests. Associated canopy species include <i>Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, Quercus velutina, Carya ovalis, Carya glabra</i>, as well as other oaks and hickories. This vegetation mainly occurs on dry upper slopes or ridgetops; one association is on a bedrock floodplain terrace. Soils are usually fertile, but often very rocky, on well-drained loams or sandy loams, predominantly on southern or eastern exposures. <i>Ostrya virginiana</i> is a common understory tree. The shrub layer is usually interrupted to absent. When present, it includes <i>Viburnum rafinesqueanum</i> and <i>Cercis canadensis</i> (at the southern edge of the range). Although ericaceous species may be present and occasionally locally abundant, they are not characteristic. The herbaceous layer is characterized by forbs and may be quite diverse. Common graminoid species include <i>Carex pensylvanica, Carex lucorum</i> (at the northern range limit), <i>Muhlenbergia sobolifera, Elymus hystrix</i>, and <i>Danthonia spicata</i>. Other forbs found in these communities include <i>Asplenium platyneuron, Solidago caesia, Amphicarpaea bracteata, Woodsia obtusa, Selaginella rupestris, Galium circaezans</i>, and <i>Arabis laevigata</i>. The relatively open canopy, sparse shrub layer, and dense herbaceous layer impart a parklike appearance to many of these forests.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:38307-{A66C45DF-CE7B-47EB-AD50-D75C0D90016D}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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