Name:
Quercus alba - Quercus falcata - Quercus rubra Forest & Woodland Group
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This group represents the dry-mesic hardwood forests that cover much of the landscape in a band of unglaciated terrain, between about 34°N latitude and 38°N latitude, extending west of the Appalachians, including the unglaciated part of the Interior Low Plateau, the Upper East Gulf Coastal Plain and Crowley's Ridge, and extending into the Ozarks and Ouachitas of Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. A number of different <i>Quercus</i> species (including <i>Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, Quercus falcata, Quercus velutina</i> or <i>Quercus stellata, Quercus marilandica</i>, and <i>Quercus coccinea</i>) may dominate stands of this group, with <i>Carya</i> species also prominent, including <i>Carya tomentosa, Carya glabra, Carya ovata, Carya pallida</i>, and others. East of the Mississippi River, in some drier examples on more acidic substrates, <i>Quercus montana</i> is typical, reflecting relations with similar Appalachian forest groups further to the east. <i>Quercus alba</i> may also be present but not necessarily dominant, but will typically exhibit dominance in the submesic to dry-mesic examples, possibly with <i>Quercus falcata</i> and/or <i>Quercus velutina</i>. In addition, <i>Quercus coccinea, Quercus marilandica</i>, and/or <i>Quercus stellata</i> will also share dominance or be prominent in many of the drier examples. <i>Quercus muehlenbergii, Quercus pagoda</i>, and/or <i>Quercus shumardii</i> may appear in examples with high base status. Under current conditions, the understories are typically shrub- and small tree-dominated, with the typical species varying with aspect, soil, and moisture relations. More open canopies and grass-dominated understories may have been more prevalent prior to the mid-twentieth century, when open grazing and surface fires were more common. In the Interior Low Plateaus, the range of this group is generally consistent with the "Western Mesophytic" Forest region of Braun (1950), Keever (1971), and Greller (1988). Examples are typically found along ridgetops and slopes of various aspects. The floristic expression of different associations included in this group varies considerably with aspect and soil type. The associations range along a moisture gradient from submesic to dry. The submesic to dry-mesic expressions tend to be found on mid slopes with northerly to easterly aspects, and the dry expressions on southerly to westerly aspects and on narrow ridges. Parent material can range from calcareous to acidic with very shallow, well- to excessively well-drained soils in the dry expressions and moderately well-drained soils in the submesic to dry-mesic ones. The canopy closure of this group ranges from closed to somewhat open in the dry examples. On Crowley's Ridge, the vegetation is very distinctive from that of the adjacent alluvial plain, and the sites occur on distinct slopes that rise above the alluvial plain surface. Occurrences of this group generally comprise dry-mesic forests that occupy west-facing slopes and narrow, "finger" ridgetops in a highly dissected landscape. Historically, these examples may have been more open under conditions of more frequent fire. In the Ozarks and Ouachitas, soils are typically moderately to well-drained and more fertile than those associated with oak woodlands. Wind, drought, lightning, and occasional fires can influence vegetation of this group.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:39971-{0AB88AF9-C821-4057-B4E5-7ACFA6AAC672}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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