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CEGL006390 Quercus falcata - Quercus michauxii / Ilex opaca Forest
Type Concept Sentence: This mesic oak-hardwood forest of the central Atlantic Coastal Plain occurs on sand in areas with high clay content, or on the borders of wetlands.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Southern Red Oak - Swamp Chestnut Oak / American Holly Forest
Colloquial Name: Mesic Coastal Plain Oak Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This community is a mesic oak forest of the central Atlantic Coastal Plain. In general, this vegetation borders wetlands and occurs in areas with a high water table or soils with high clay content. Canopy dominants include Quercus falcata, Quercus phellos, Quercus alba, Quercus michauxii, with Liquidambar styraciflua and Acer rubrum common associates. Pines may be present, including Pinus rigida or Pinus echinata in New Jersey, or Pinus taeda in Delaware and Maryland. Pinus serotina is reported in some Delaware examples of this community. A subcanopy is often present with Ilex opaca, Vaccinium corymbosum, and Amelanchier canadensis. Gaylussacia frondosa forms a patchy shrub layer draped with Smilax rotundifolia, and the herb layer is sparse with species such as Chasmanthium laxum, Osmunda regalis, and Mitchella repens.
In New Jersey, this forest occupies peripheral parts of the Pinelands in the coastal oak-pine-holly subregion, and extends inland along the edges of major river estuaries. These forests are codominated by tree-oaks such as Quercus falcata, Quercus phellos, Quercus michauxii, Quercus coccinea, and Quercus alba, smaller amounts of Liquidambar styraciflua, Acer rubrum, Pinus rigida, Pinus echinata, and rarely in New Jersey Pinus taeda, as well as local areas with codominance by Fagus grandifolia, Carya spp., Liriodendron tulipifera, or other hardwoods. The multi-layered understory is often dense and evergreen, including Ilex opaca, Cornus florida, Kalmia latifolia, Vaccinium corymbosum, and other heaths. This community can also be associated with oak-pine-holly forest (OPH) near the coast with similar understory structure and species diversity.
Oak-hardwood-holly mesic forests are concentrated in the coastal subregion of the Pinelands, typically on "perihydric" sites (i.e., adjacent to wetlands), and/or mesic to semi-hydric upland soils with a higher clay content relative to most Pinelands soils. Fire-return intervals of 150-200 years are suggested by its species composition which contains thin-barked, fire-sensitive hardwoods and holly and little or no pine, as well as its peripheral distribution in the Pinelands landscape. The interval between fires in this community has been great due to its location near both the coast and major wetlands, where the regional edge effect and fire shadow effect combine. The coastal influence on climate which moderates temperatures and expands growing season also enhances the abundance of southern-affinity holly, southern red oak, willow oak and swamp chestnut oak.
In New Jersey, this forest occupies peripheral parts of the Pinelands in the coastal oak-pine-holly subregion, and extends inland along the edges of major river estuaries. These forests are codominated by tree-oaks such as Quercus falcata, Quercus phellos, Quercus michauxii, Quercus coccinea, and Quercus alba, smaller amounts of Liquidambar styraciflua, Acer rubrum, Pinus rigida, Pinus echinata, and rarely in New Jersey Pinus taeda, as well as local areas with codominance by Fagus grandifolia, Carya spp., Liriodendron tulipifera, or other hardwoods. The multi-layered understory is often dense and evergreen, including Ilex opaca, Cornus florida, Kalmia latifolia, Vaccinium corymbosum, and other heaths. This community can also be associated with oak-pine-holly forest (OPH) near the coast with similar understory structure and species diversity.
Oak-hardwood-holly mesic forests are concentrated in the coastal subregion of the Pinelands, typically on "perihydric" sites (i.e., adjacent to wetlands), and/or mesic to semi-hydric upland soils with a higher clay content relative to most Pinelands soils. Fire-return intervals of 150-200 years are suggested by its species composition which contains thin-barked, fire-sensitive hardwoods and holly and little or no pine, as well as its peripheral distribution in the Pinelands landscape. The interval between fires in this community has been great due to its location near both the coast and major wetlands, where the regional edge effect and fire shadow effect combine. The coastal influence on climate which moderates temperatures and expands growing season also enhances the abundance of southern-affinity holly, southern red oak, willow oak and swamp chestnut oak.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: No Data Available
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Canopy dominants include Quercus falcata, Quercus phellos, Quercus alba, Quercus michauxii, and Quercus palustris, with Liquidambar styraciflua and Acer rubrum common associates, especially in disturbed stands. Pines may be present, including Pinus rigida or Pinus echinata in New Jersey, or Pinus taeda in Delaware and Maryland. Pinus serotina is reported in some Delaware examples of this community. Quercus coccinea occurs in some New Jersey examples. A subcanopy is often present with Acer rubrum, Nyssa sylvatica, Ilex opaca, and Sassafras albidum. Tall shrubs can include Vaccinium corymbosum, Viburnum dentatum, Eubotrys racemosa, Clethra alnifolia, Lyonia ligustrina, Ilex verticillata, and Amelanchier canadensis. Gaylussacia frondosa forms a patchy shrub layer draped with Smilax rotundifolia, and the herb layer is sparse with species such as Chasmanthium laxum, Osmunda regalis, Mitchella repens, Carex swanii, Carex debilis, Bartonia paniculata, Cypripedium acaule, and Lilium superbum. Successional stands on formerly cleared or disturbed land may have extensive colonies of Lycopodium digitatum and Lycopodium obscurum in the herb layer.
Dynamics: This association grades into upland oak forests. These forests are concentrated in the coastal subregion of the New Jersey Pinelands, typically on "perihydric" sites (i.e., adjacent to wetlands), and/or mesic to semi-hydric upland soils with a higher clay content relative to most Pinelands soils. Fire-return intervals of 150-200 years are suggested by its species composition which contains thin-barked, fire-sensitive hardwoods and holly and little or no pine, as well as its peripheral distribution in the Pinelands landscape. The interval between fires in this community has been great due to its location near both the coast and major wetlands, where the regional edge effect and fire shadow effect combine. The coastal influence on climate which moderates temperatures and expands growing season also enhances the abundance of southern-affinity holly, southern red oak, willow oak and swamp chestnut oak.
Environmental Description: These forests occur on somewhat poorly drained sands or on soils with high clay content, where the water table is close to the soil surface; they often border wetlands. In Prince Georges County, Maryland, it occupies sublevel uplands and ravines in estuarine terrace deposits. Here, the type is often sympatrically associated with gravel terraces dominated by xeric stands of Quercus montana and Quercus alba. It is hypothesized that shallow clay lenses may cause seasonally poor drainage (as with hardpan soils), even on upland slopes, and may allow for the dominance of swamp species on sloping uplands. Soil samples collected from two Maryland plots were extremely acidic with low base cation and base saturation levels.
Geographic Range: This type is currently described from New Jersey to Maryland. In New Jersey, this forest occupies peripheral parts of the Pinelands in the coastal oak-pine-holly subregion, and extends inland along the edges of major river estuaries (Windisch 1999).
Nations: US
States/Provinces: DC, DE, MD, NJ
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683319
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 1 Forest & Woodland Class | C01 | 1 |
| Subclass | 1.B Temperate & Boreal Forest & Woodland Subclass | S15 | 1.B |
| Formation | 1.B.2 Cool Temperate Forest & Woodland Formation | F008 | 1.B.2 |
| Division | 1.B.2.Na Eastern North American Forest & Woodland Division | D008 | 1.B.2.Na |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.2.Na.9 Pitch Pine - oak spp. - American Holly North Atlantic Forest Macrogroup | M525 | 1.B.2.Na.9 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.9.b Black Oak - American Beech - Pitch Pine Coastal Plain Forest Group | G894 | 1.B.2.Na.9.b |
| Alliance | A4209 Black Oak - Southern Red Oak - Pitch Pine Coastal Plain Forest Alliance | A4209 | 1.B.2.Na.9.b |
| Association | CEGL006390 Southern Red Oak - Swamp Chestnut Oak / American Holly Forest | CEGL006390 | 1.B.2.Na.9.b |
Concept Lineage: merged per Chesapeake Bay Ecology Group (April 2002).
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: > Oak - Hardwood - Holly Subhydric Coastal Plain Forest (OHH) (Windisch 2014a)
? Oak - southern hardwood "peri-hydric" forest (Windisch pers. comm.)
> Pine - Oak- Holly Forest (POH: variant of OHH) (Windisch 2014a)
? Oak - southern hardwood "peri-hydric" forest (Windisch pers. comm.)
> Pine - Oak- Holly Forest (POH: variant of OHH) (Windisch 2014a)
- Breden, T. F. 1989. A preliminary natural community classification for New Jersey. Pages 157-191 in: E. F. Karlin, editor. New Jersey''s rare and endangered plants and animals. Institute for Environmental Studies, Ramapo College, Mahwah, NJ. 280 pp.
- Breden, T. F., Y. R. Alger, K. S. Walz, and A. G. Windisch. 2001. Classification of vegetation communities of New Jersey: Second iteration. Association for Biodiversity Information and New Jersey Natural Heritage Program, Office of Natural Lands Management, Division of Parks and Forestry, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Trenton.
- Coxe, R. 2009. Guide to Delaware vegetation communities. Spring 2009 edition. State of Delaware, Division of Fish and Wildlife, Delaware Natural Heritage Program, Smyrna.
- Eastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boston, MA.
- Harrison, J. W. 2011. The natural communities of Maryland: 2011 working list of ecological community groups and community types. Unpublished report. Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife and Heritage Service, Natural Heritage Program, Annapolis. 33 pp.
- Harrison, J. W., compiler. 2004. Classification of vegetation communities of Maryland: First iteration. A subset of the International Classification of Ecological Communities: Terrestrial Vegetation of the United States, NatureServe. Maryland Natural Heritage Program, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Annapolis. 243 pp.
- Leck, C. F. 1979. Birds of the Pine Barrens. Pages 457-466 in: R. T. T. Forman, editor. Pine Barrens: Ecosystem Landscape. Academic Press, New York.
- NatureServe. 2009. Vegetation of the E.B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. International Ecological Classification Standard: Terrestrial Ecological Classifications. NatureServe Central Databases. Arlington, VA. U.S.A. Data current as of 1 December 2009.
- Windisch, A .G. 2014a. Pinelands ecological communities and higher level groups with crosswalk / proposed 2008 revisions to NVC. November 16, 2014 draft. New Jersey Natural Heritage Program, Trenton.
- Windisch, A. G. 1999. Fire ecology of the New Jersey Pine Plains and vicinity. Ph.D. dissertation, Rutgers-The State University, New Brunswick, NJ. 327 pp.
- Windisch, A. G. Personal communication. Ecologist, New Jersey Natural Heritage Program, Office of Lands Management, Trenton, NJ.