Name:
Quercus alba - Quercus falcata - Pinus echinata Forest & Woodland Macrogroup
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This wide-ranging vegetation type encompasses fire-dependent forests and woodlands found in a broad band across the southeastern United States and dominated by various combinations of <i>Quercus</i> species, <i>Pinus</i> species, and other hardwood trees. It occurs primarily in the unglaciated part of the Interior Low Plateaus, the Appalachian, Piedmont, Ozark-Ouachita, and upper coastal plain regions (north of the primary range of <i>Pinus palustris</i>), as well as to the west in eastern Oklahoma, southeastern Kansas, and the Inner Coastal Plain of central Texas. In many areas, this is the predominant natural upland vegetation of the landscape. Stands of these forests are dominated by combinations of upland <i>Quercus</i> spp., particularly <i>Quercus alba, Quercus coccinea, Quercus falcata, Quercus rubra, Quercus stellata</i>, and <i>Quercus velutina</i>, along with <i>Carya tomentosa, Carya glabra, Carya ovata, Carya pallida</i>, and other <i>Carya</i> spp. In some drier examples on more acidic substrates, <i>Quercus montana</i> is typical. Pines may be abundant or even dominant in some examples, including <i>Pinus echinata, Pinus palustris</i> (rarely), <i>Pinus taeda</i>, and <i>Pinus virginiana</i>. Fire-intolerant species such as <i>Acer rubrum, Liquidambar styraciflua, Liriodendron tulipifera</i>, and <i>Nyssa sylvatica</i> may be common in some examples. In the western part of the range, examples are dominated by short, stunted <i>Quercus stellata</i> and/or <i>Quercus marilandica</i> with <i>Carya texana</i>. These patches of forest and woodland are often interspersed with patches of tall- and midgrass prairie. On limestone-derived soils examples contain various combinations of <i>Fraxinus quadrangulata, Juniperus virginiana, Quercus muehlenbergii, Quercus pagoda</i>, and <i>Quercus shumardii</i>. Shrub and herb layer species vary considerably, depending on 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. Substrates also vary widely, including soils derived from felsic and mafic metamorphic rocks; sedimentary limestones, sandstones, and shales; as well as some coastal plain poorly consolidated sediments of silts and clays, as well as more rarely shell deposits or limesands. These soils range from calcareous to acidic; soils may be very shallow and well- to excessively well-drained in the dry expressions, and moderately well-drained in the submesic to dry-mesic ones. Examples may also occur on dense clay hardpans over mafic rocks. Examples can occur on a variety of topographic and landscape positions, including ridgetops and upper and midslopes.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:40447-{C06AF96F-32AB-48FC-87B0-A1E36DFBAAB1}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
|
