Name:
Acer rubrum - Quercus bicolor - Fagus grandifolia Flatwoods & Swamp Forest Group
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This wooded wetland vegetation group encompasses various primarily non-alluvial wetlands of the central to east-central United States. It is a diverse group, containing types associated with ponds and depressions, as well as various kinds of flatwoods. Ponded examples vary from open water to herb-, shrub-, or tree-dominated. The vegetation may be zoned, with an outer ring of trees, a more interior ring of shrubs, herbs and vines, and possibly a deeper central area with or without standing water year-round depending on precipitation. <i>Quercus</i> species, including <i>Quercus bicolor</i> and <i>Quercus palustris</i>, dominate the canopy in many examples of this group. In addition, <i>Acer rubrum, Acer saccharinum, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Nyssa</i> spp., <i>Platanus occidentalis, Ulmus americana</i>, or a combination of these, may dominate. <i>Cephalanthus occidentalis</i> is a typical shrub component in areas with a longer hydroperiod. The herbaceous layer is widely variable depending on geography and hydroperiod. In flatwoods examples, across the upper Midwest and Lower New England, <i>Quercus bicolor</i> and/or <i>Quercus palustris</i> are the common oak species. South of the glaciated Midwest (e.g., in the Ozarks), <i>Quercus stellata</i> is more common. Drier examples of flatwoods across the range of this group may have <i>Acer rubrum, Fagus grandifolia, Nyssa sylvatica, Quercus alba, Quercus rubra</i>, and <i>Quercus velutina</i>. Understory shrub and herbaceous species vary with moisture level and canopy density. Flooding, drought, and fire can impact examples of this vegetation. Fire is particularly important in flatwoods examples found in the south-central United States.<br /><br />These wetland features are the result of topographic or edaphic circumstances that promote an enhanced hydroperiod at these sites, and this affects the vegetation and dynamics of these communities. The depressional swamps and flatwoods associations are found throughout the northern glaciated Midwest into the south-central United States ranging east into Lower New England. Stands of both types occur on flat to gently sloping to undulating surfaces, as well as in shallow to deep basins of sinkholes or other isolated depressions on uplands, as well as poorly drained uplands; glaciated examples occur in depressions associated with glacial features such as tillplains, lakeplains or outwash plains. Soils are poorly drained to very poorly drained, and surface water may be present for extended periods of time, rarely becoming dry. Soils often contain an impermeable clay layer or fragipan creating a shallow, perched water table. Saturation can vary, with ponding common during wetter seasons, and drought possible during the summer and autumn months.<br /><br />The typical hydrology is seasonally flooded, but the hydroperiod may be of greater or lesser length, depending on the depth of the basin or depression feature and the annual rainfall. Water depth may vary greatly on a seasonal basis and may be a meter deep or more in the winter in longer hydroperiod examples. Some examples become dry in the summer. Soils may be deep (100 cm or more), consisting of poorly drained mineral soil, as well as of peat or muck, with parent material of peat, muck or alluvium. Microtopography and fluctuating moisture levels can lead to complexes of forest upland and wetland species occurring within this group.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:40262-{BD9E9ABD-8F36-473B-8C2E-E9F910F90332}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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