Print Report
CEGL008503 Betula lenta - Acer rubrum / Lycopodium annotinum - Dennstaedtia punctilobula Ruderal Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Sweet Birch - Red Maple / Stiff Clubmoss - Eastern Hay-scented Fern Ruderal Forest
Colloquial Name: Central Appalachian Ruderal Sweet Birch - Red Maple Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This vegetation type is associated with generally infertile sites that have been altered by logging and fires. Its distribution is centered in the Central Appalachians. Stands are floristically depauperate and characterized by even-aged, nearly pure Betula lenta, Acer rubrum, or mixtures of the two. Associated species, minor in importance, vary somewhat with geography and include Betula alleghaniensis, Fraxinus americana, Fagus grandifolia, Prunus serotina, Quercus rubra, Quercus alba, Quercus velutina, Liriodendron tulipifera, Populus tremuloides, Populus grandidentata, and/or Robinia pseudoacacia. Magnolia acuminata and Magnolia fraseri are sometimes associates in the southern portion of the range. The subcanopy, when developed, consists mainly of Fagus grandifolia. Tsuga canadensis forms a scattered canopy or understory in some stands. Ilex montana is a characteristic shrub in the southern portion of the type''s range, and Lindera benzoin is typical elsewhere. Shrub associates include Kalmia latifolia, Acer pensylvanicum, Hamamelis virginiana, Amelanchier arborea, Viburnum prunifolium, Fagus sprouts, Rhododendron calendulaceum, Rhododendron periclymenoides, and Rhododendron maximum. Herb layers may be dominated by dense and extensive colonies of Lycopodium annotinum, often in association with Lycopodium dendroideum, Lycopodium clavatum, and/or Lycopodium digitatum, or by Dennstaedtia punctilobula. Herbaceous associates include Thelypteris noveboracensis, Polystichum acrostichoides, Carex swanii, and others.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Because of the consistent dominance of Betula lenta and/or Acer rubrum and locally dense Lycopodium or Dennstaedtia punctilobula ground cover, this community type is readily identifiable in the field. Lycopodium spp. as well as Dennstaedtia punctilobula are specialized colonizers of moist, sterile, exposed mineral soils, which were plentiful in these habitats after the burning off of the original forest humus. Current stand composition suggests that the likely successors to this association in Virginia are ~Tsuga canadensis - Fagus grandifolia - Quercus rubra Forest (CEGL006088)$$ or ~Picea rubens / Betula alleghaniensis / Bazzania trilobata Forest (CEGL008501)$$. However, potentially devastating impacts of beech bark disease and hemlock woolly adelgid on Allegheny Mountain could alter some of the present successional trends (Fleming and Moorhead 1996).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Stands are floristically depauperate and characterized by even-aged, nearly pure Betula lenta, Acer rubrum, or mixtures of the two. Associated species vary somewhat with geography and include Betula alleghaniensis, Fraxinus americana, Fagus grandifolia, Prunus serotina, Quercus rubra, Quercus alba, Quercus velutina, Populus tremuloides, Populus grandidentata, and/or Robinia pseudoacacia. Magnolia acuminata and Magnolia fraseri are sometimes associates in the southern portion of the range. The subcanopy, when developed, consists mainly of Fagus grandifolia. Tsuga canadensis forms a scattered canopy or understory in some stands. Ilex montana is a characteristic shrub in the southern portion of the type''s range, and Lindera benzoin is typical elsewhere. Shrub associates include Kalmia latifolia, Acer pensylvanicum, Amelanchier arborea, Viburnum prunifolium, Fagus sprouts, Rhododendron calendulaceum, Rhododendron periclymenoides, and Rhododendron maximum. Herb layers may be dominated by dense and extensive colonies of Lycopodium annotinum, often in association with Lycopodium dendroideum, Lycopodium clavatum, and/or Lycopodium digitatum, or by Dennstaedtia punctilobula. Herbaceous associates include Thelypteris noveboracensis, Polystichum acrostichoides, Carex swanii, Dryopteris intermedia, Smilax rotundifolia, Medeola virginiana, Maianthemum canadense, Monotropa uniflora, and Oclemena acuminata (= Aster acuminatus). Mean species richness of plot-sampled stands in Virginia is 15 taxa per 400 m2.
Dynamics: This community occurs on infertile sites that have been severely altered by disturbance including but not limited to logging and fires.
Environmental Description: This vegetation type is associated with generally infertile sites that have been severely altered by logging and fires. It occupies various slope and aspect positions. The type is rarely found on bouldery or rocky sites. Soils vary but are often acidic and low in base status. Deep surficial duff, with small pieces of charred wood or thin charcoal lenses are typical of soils at Virginia sampling sites (Fleming and Moorhead 1996).
Geographic Range: This community has been documented from the Central Appalachians in Virginia and West Virginia, north to New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Its range may extend further in the northeastern United States.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: MD?, NJ, NY, PA, VA, WV?
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684530
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNA
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.90 Black Locust - Tuliptree - Norway Maple Ruderal Forest Macrogroup | M013 | 1.B.2.Na.90 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.90.a Eastern Red-cedar - Tuliptree / Tatarian Honeysuckle Ruderal Forest Group | G030 | 1.B.2.Na.90.a |
| Alliance | A3229 Red Maple - Black Cherry - Eastern White Pine Ruderal Forest Alliance | A3229 | 1.B.2.Na.90.a |
| Association | CEGL008503 Sweet Birch - Red Maple / Stiff Clubmoss - Eastern Hay-scented Fern Ruderal Forest | CEGL008503 | 1.B.2.Na.90.a |
Concept Lineage: CEGL006547 merged into CEGL008503. CEGL006450 (nonstd) merged into CEGL008503.
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Betula lenta / Ilex montana / Lycopodium annotinum Association (Fleming and Moorhead 1996)
= Betula lenta / Ilex montana / Lycopodium annotinum Forest (Fleming and Coulling 2001)
= Betula lenta / Ilex montana / Lycopodium annotinum Forest (Fleming and Coulling 2001)
- Eastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boston, MA.
- Edinger, G. J., D. J. Evans, S. Gebauer, T. G. Howard, D. M. Hunt, and A. M. Olivero, editors. 2014a. Ecological communities of New York state. Second edition. A revised and expanded edition of Carol Reschke''s ecological communities of New York state. New York Natural Heritage Program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany, NY.
- Fike, J. 1999. Terrestrial and palustrine plant communities of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory. Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Recreation, Bureau of Forestry, Harrisburg, PA. 86 pp.
- Fleming, G. P., and P. P. Coulling. 2001. Ecological communities of the George Washington and Jefferson national forests, Virginia. Preliminary classification and description of vegetation types. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond, VA. 317 pp.
- Fleming, G. P., and W. H. Moorhead, III. 1996. Ecological land units of the Laurel Fork Area, Highland County, Virginia. Natural Heritage Technical Report 96-08. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond. 114 pp. plus appendices.
- Perles, S. J., G. S. Podniesinski, E. Eastman, L. A. Sneddon, and S. C. Gawler. 2007. Classification and mapping of vegetation and fire fuel models at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Technical Report NPS/NER/NRTR--2007/076. National Park Service, Philadelphia, PA. 2 volumes.
- Perles, S. J., G. S. Podniesinski, M. Furedi, B. A. Eichelberger, A. Feldmann, G. Edinger, E. Eastman, and L. A. Sneddon. 2008. Vegetation classification and mapping at Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River. Technical Report NPS/NER/NRTR--2008/133. National Park Service, Philadelphia, PA. 370 pp.