Print Report
CEGL007128 Picea rubens / Ribes glandulosum Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Red Spruce / Skunk Currant Forest
Colloquial Name: Appalachian Red Spruce Boulderfield Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association includes steep, seepy boulderfields dominated by Picea rubens. Well-developed boulderfields have near 100% ground cover of large rocks, with soil present only locally. Plants capable of rooting in moss mats or shallow soil make up most of the community. It is found at slightly higher elevations than and is transitional to ~Betula alleghaniensis / Ribes glandulosum / Polypodium appalachianum Forest (CEGL006124)$$ of lower elevations. This association is distinguished from all other types by having large rocks covering most of the ground (more than 90%) and lower strata composed largely of boulderfield plant species such as Ribes glandulosum, Polypodium appalachianum, and mosses. While many spruce-fir forests of all types are rocky and have shallow soil, this type is reserved for the rare extreme setting of well-developed boulderfields.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Well-developed examples are known from Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina. Compare with ~Picea rubens / Ribes glandulosum Woodland (CEGL006250)$$ of the northeastern United States.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Stands of this association are dominated by Picea rubens and contain Ribes glandulosum.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This association is found in steep, seepy boulderfields on Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina. Stands of this association are found at slightly higher elevations than ~Betula alleghaniensis / Ribes glandulosum / Polypodium appalachianum Forest (CEGL006124)$$. It is restricted to steep periglacial coves at high elevations.
Geographic Range: This association is described from Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina. Its status in Tennessee is unclear. It is not known from Virginia.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: NC, TN?
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.683985
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1
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.7 Sugar Maple - Yellow Birch - Eastern Hemlock Forest Macrogroup | M014 | 1.B.2.Na.7 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.7.e Red Spruce - Fraser Fir - Yellow Birch Forest Group | G632 | 1.B.2.Na.7.e |
| Alliance | A0138 Red Spruce - Yellow Birch - Yellow Buckeye Forest Alliance | A0138 | 1.B.2.Na.7.e |
| Association | CEGL007128 Red Spruce / Skunk Currant Forest | CEGL007128 | 1.B.2.Na.7.e |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: < IA4a. Red Spruce - Fraser Fir Forest (Allard 1990)
< Red Spruce - Fraser Fir: 34 (Eyre 1980)
? Red spruce-skunk current boulderfield forest (CAP pers. comm. 1998)
< Red Spruce - Fraser Fir: 34 (Eyre 1980)
? Red spruce-skunk current boulderfield forest (CAP pers. comm. 1998)
- Allard, D. J. 1990. Southeastern United States ecological community classification. Interim report, Version 1.2. The Nature Conservancy, Southeast Regional Office, Chapel Hill, NC. 96 pp.
- CAP [Central Appalachian Forest Working Group]. 1998. Central Appalachian Working group discussions. The Nature Conservancy, Boston, MA.
- Eyre, F. H., editor. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Society of American Foresters, Washington, DC. 148 pp.
- Schafale, M. P. 2012. Classification of the natural communities of North Carolina, 4th Approximation. North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh.
- Schafale, M. P., and A. S. Weakley. 1990. Classification of the natural communities of North Carolina. Third approximation. North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh. 325 pp.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.