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CEGL008431 Quercus montana - (Quercus coccinea) / Carya pallida / Vaccinium arboreum - Vaccinium pallidum Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Chestnut Oak - (Scarlet Oak) / Sand Hickory / Farkleberry - Blue Ridge Blueberry Forest
Colloquial Name: Subxeric Ridgetop Chestnut Oak Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association includes subxeric chestnut oak forests on high slopes and ridges in the southern Cumberland Plateau, southern Ridge and Valley, Southern Blue Ridge, and occasionally in the Piedmont of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. This forest occurs over rocky, shallow soils derived from various geologies. These include sandstone, quartzite (in the Piedmont), schist, or weakly metamorphosed, metasedimentary rocks (in the western edge of the Southern Blue Ridge). This is a closed-canopy, deciduous forest with open to sparse shrub layers and a sparse to absent herb layer. The canopy is dominated by Quercus montana, sometimes sharing dominance with Quercus coccinea. Other oaks in the canopy can include Quercus velutina, Quercus stellata, and Quercus alba, although these oaks are not dominant. Hickories (e.g., Carya glabra, Carya pallida) may be present in the canopy and/or subcanopy. Some examples may have coverage of pine in the canopy, most commonly Pinus virginiana and Pinus echinata. The most common subcanopy trees are Acer rubrum, Carya pallida, Cornus florida, Nyssa sylvatica, and Oxydendrum arboreum. The most constant shrub species are Chimaphila maculata, Vaccinium arboreum, Vaccinium pallidum, Vaccinium stamineum, Diospyros virginiana, and Sassafras albidum. Herb coverage is sparse, with little constancy among examples. Some of the more typical herb species are Euphorbia corollata, Hieracium venosum, Carex nigromarginata, and Solidago odora, but many other species may occur.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association was defined from examples found in the southern Ridge and Valley of northwestern Georgia, the Cumberland Plateau of northern Alabama, and the western edge of the Southern Blue Ridge in northern Georgia and southeastern Tennessee, where it represents the driest oak forests of this region. This type may be present in the McCreary and Somerset ranger districts of the Daniel Boone National Forest (Kentucky). Stands of Quercus montana along ecoregional transitions may be difficult to classify [see similar associations].
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This is a closed-canopy, deciduous forest with open to sparse shrub layers and a sparse to absent herb layer. The canopy is dominated by Quercus montana (= Quercus prinus) sometimes sharing dominance with Quercus coccinea (and in some Piedmont examples, with Quercus coccinea as the dominant canopy tree). Other oaks in the canopy can include Quercus velutina, Quercus stellata, and Quercus alba, although these oaks are not dominant. Hickories (e.g., Carya glabra, Carya pallida) may be present in the canopy and/or subcanopy. Some examples may have coverage of pine in the canopy, most commonly Pinus virginiana and Pinus echinata. The most common subcanopy trees are Acer rubrum, Carya pallida, Cornus florida, Nyssa sylvatica, and Oxydendrum arboreum. Other minor species in the canopy and subcanopy can include Carya glabra, Castanea dentata, and Magnolia macrophylla. The most constant shrub species are Chimaphila maculata, Vaccinium arboreum, Vaccinium pallidum, Vaccinium stamineum, Diospyros virginiana, and Sassafras albidum. Other shrubs that can occur in examples of this community are Lyonia ligustrina, Castanea pumila, Viburnum acerifolium, Rhododendron alabamense, and Rhododendron canescens. Herb coverage is sparse, with little constancy among examples. Some of the more typical herb species are Euphorbia corollata, Hieracium venosum, Carex nigromarginata, and Solidago odora, but many other species may occur. In the lower Piedmont of Georgia, some additional herbs may include Schizachyrium scoparium, Dichanthelium boscii, Piptochaetium avenaceum, Tephrosia virginiana, Verbesina virginica, Hypoxis hirsuta, Tragia urticifolia, Brickellia eupatorioides, Scutellaria elliptica, Arnoglossum atriplicifolium, Pityopsis aspera, and Coreopsis major.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This forest is found on north- and west-facing high slopes and ridgetops over soils derived from sandstone, in the Cumberland Plateau and Ridge and Valley, or weakly metamorphosed, metasedimentary rocks in the western edge of the Southern Blue Ridge. Examples range from 225 to 732 m (740-2400 feet) elevation, with most examples occurring over 274 m (900 feet) elevation. Examples in the Piedmont are usually over metamorphic rock such as schist or quartzite. In the Blue Ridge, this type does not generally reach elevations above 732 m (2400 feet).
Geographic Range: This association occurs in the southern Cumberland Plateau and southern Ridge and Valley of Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama, and ranges into the Southern Blue Ridge and Piedmont regions as well. This or related vegetation is reported from the Daniel Boone National Forest of Kentucky; this needs investigation.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AL, GA, KY, SC, TN
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.684808
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G4G5
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.2 Appalachian-Northeastern Oak - Hardwood - Pine Forest & Woodland Macrogroup | M502 | 1.B.2.Na.2 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.2.a Chestnut Oak - Hickory species / American Chestnut Forest Group | G015 | 1.B.2.Na.2.a |
| Alliance | A4392 Quercus montana - Scarlet Oak - Eastern White Pine Forest Alliance | A4392 | 1.B.2.Na.2.a |
| Association | CEGL008431 Chestnut Oak - (Scarlet Oak) / Sand Hickory / Farkleberry - Blue Ridge Blueberry Forest | CEGL008431 | 1.B.2.Na.2.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Quercus prinus - (Quercus coccinea) / Carya pallida / Vaccinium arboreum - Vaccinium pallidum Forest (Govus 2002)
? Chestnut Oak Forest (Lipps and DeSelm 1969)
? Chestnut Oak Forest (Lipps 1966)
? Chestnut Oak Forest (Lipps and DeSelm 1969)
? Chestnut Oak Forest (Lipps 1966)
- ALNHP [Alabama Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data on file. Alabama Natural Heritage Program, Auburn University.
- Chapman, J. A. 1957. The natural vegetation of English Mountain, Tennessee. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. 102 pp.
- Govus, T. E. 2002. Ecological reconnaissance of Pine Mountain, Georgia. Preliminary report, Fall 2002 for The Nature Conservancy, Georgia Field Office, Atlanta, GA. 3 pp.
- Lipps, E. L. 1966. Plant communities of a portion of Floyd County, Georgia--especially the Marshall Forest. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. [partial copy]
- Lipps, E. L., and H. R. DeSelm. 1969. The vascular flora of the Marshall Forest, Rome, Georgia. Castanea 34:414-432.
- McManamay, R. H. 2015. Vegetation mapping at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. Natural Resource Report NPS/SECN/NRR--2015/1088. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 278 pp.
- NatureServe Ecology - Southeastern United States. No date. Unpublished data. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- Nelson, J. B. 1986. The natural communities of South Carolina: Initial classification and description. South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department, Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, Columbia, SC. 55 pp.
- Schotz, A., H. Summer, and R. White, Jr. 2008. Vascular plant inventory and ecological community classification for Little River Canyon National Preserve. NatureServe, Durham, NC. 244 pp.
- Schotz, A., M. Hall, and R. D. White, Jr. 2006. Vascular plant inventory and ecological community classification for Russell Cave National Monument. NatureServe, Durham, NC. 108 pp.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- White, Jr., R. D., and T. Govus. 2005. Vascular plant inventory and plant community classification for Kings Mountain National Military Park. NatureServe, Durham, NC. 178 pp.