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CEGL007489 Pinus echinata - Quercus alba - Quercus rubra / Vaccinium arboreum / Chasmanthium sessiliflorum Forest

Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available

Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Shortleaf Pine - White Oak - Northern Red Oak / Farkleberry / Longleaf Woodoats Forest

Colloquial Name: Interior Highlands Dry-Mesic Shortleaf Pine - Oak Forest

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: This upland, subxeric to submesic shortleaf pine - oak forest community is the matrix forest community of the Ouachita Mountains and surrounding areas, ranging from eastern Oklahoma to western Arkansas and southern Missouri. Stands occur on upper to middle, south-facing slopes, saddles, and flatter ridgelines. Soils are shallow to deep (25-100 cm). Parent material is a variety of sandstone and mixed sandstone-shale-derived substrates, or, in parts of the Missouri Ozarks, chert substrates. The canopy is dominated by Pinus echinata codominating with Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, or Quercus velutina, either singly or in combination. Shortleaf pine often forms an emergent canopy over the oaks. Carya texana or Cornus florida are typical subcanopy components. Other trees in the canopy and subcanopy can include Acer rubrum, Amelanchier arborea, Carya tomentosa, Nyssa sylvatica, Ostrya virginiana, Quercus falcata, and Quercus stellata. There is little understory, and the shrub layer is typically open with Vaccinium pallidum common as a low shrub and Vaccinium arboreum as a locally abundant tall shrub. Other species in the shrub stratum vary among occurrences but can include Callicarpa americana, Lyonia ligustrina, Morus rubra, Sassafras albidum, Styrax americanus, and Ulmus alata, and the vines Smilax glauca, Smilax bona-nox, Smilax rotundifolia, Toxicodendron radicans, and Vitis rotundifolia. The density of the herbaceous stratum varies with age of the stand and disturbance history but increases with fire. Composition of the herbaceous stratum in these forests can be quite diverse but tends to vary among occurrences. Most examples of this association exist with sparse shrub and herb strata and ground cover dominated by leaf litter. Typical herbaceous species include Antennaria parlinii, Antennaria plantaginifolia, Symphyotrichum anomalum, Symphyotrichum patens, Brachyelytrum erectum, Chasmanthium latifolium, Chasmanthium sessiliflorum, Danthonia spicata, Desmodium glabellum, Desmodium laevigatum, Desmodium nudiflorum, Desmodium rotundifolium, Dichanthelium linearifolium, Dichanthelium boscii, Dichanthelium commutatum, Helianthus divaricatus, Helianthus hirsutus, Helianthus x laetiflorus, Hieracium gronovii, Hypericum hypericoides ssp. hypericoides, Piptochaetium avenaceum, Schizachyrium scoparium, Solidago hispida, Solidago odora, Solidago ulmifolia, and Viola pedata. Fire increases coverage by grasses (Schizachyrium scoparium and Andropogon gyrans) and legumes. Although this is one of the most widespread forest types in the region, high quality, mature examples are uncommon. Mature, fire-suppressed examples loose the shortleaf pine and fire-tolerant species and show increases in stem density and fire-intolerant species. Mature, fire-maintained examples are extremely rare. Much of this forest community is managed to maintain specific tree densities and overstory composition.

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: The harvesting and management of this forest community, combined with long-term fire suppression, has blurred what, under historical ecosystem processes, would likely be several association-level communities. It may be better ranked as GM (D. Zollner pers. comm. 1998). Examples of this community are known from throughout the Ouachita National Forest, including Beech Creek Special Interest Area (LeFlore County, Oklahoma), Roaring Branch RNA (Polk County, Arkansas), Lake Winona RNA (Saline County, Arkansas), Dismal Hollow RNA (Newton County, Arkansas), McCurtain County Wilderness Area (McCurtain County, Oklahoma) and others. See related pure evergreen woodland associations, ~Pinus echinata / Schizachyrium scoparium - Solidago ulmifolia - Monarda russeliana - Echinacea pallida Woodland (CEGL007815)$$ and the mixed pine - oak associations ~Pinus echinata - Quercus alba / Schizachyrium scoparium Woodland (CEGL002394)$$ and ~Pinus echinata - Quercus alba - Quercus falcata Forest (CEGL004444)$$. This forest type has been suggested to be a fire-suppressed version of these mixed pine - oak woodlands (M. Leahy pers. comm. 1999).

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available

Floristics: The canopy is dominated by Pinus echinata codominating with Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, or Quercus velutina, either singly or in combination. Shortleaf pine often forms an emergent canopy over the oaks. Carya texana or Cornus florida are typical subcanopy components. Other trees in the canopy and subcanopy can include Acer rubrum, Amelanchier arborea, Carya tomentosa (= Carya alba), Nyssa sylvatica, Ostrya virginiana, Quercus falcata, and Quercus stellata. There is little understory, and the shrub layer is typically open with Vaccinium pallidum common as a low shrub and Vaccinium arboreum as a locally abundant tall shrub. Other species in the shrub stratum vary among occurrences but can include Callicarpa americana, Lyonia ligustrina, Morus rubra, Sassafras albidum, Styrax americanus, and Ulmus alata, and the vines Smilax glauca, Smilax bona-nox, Smilax rotundifolia, Toxicodendron radicans, and Vitis rotundifolia. The density of the herbaceous stratum varies with age of the stand and disturbance history but increases with fire. Composition of the herbaceous stratum in these forests can be quite diverse but tends to vary among occurrences. Most examples of this association exist with sparse shrub and herb strata and ground cover dominated by leaf litter. Typical herbaceous species include Antennaria parlinii, Antennaria plantaginifolia, Symphyotrichum anomalum (= Aster anomalus), Symphyotrichum patens (= Aster patens), Brachyelytrum erectum, Chasmanthium latifolium, Chasmanthium sessiliflorum, Danthonia spicata, Desmodium glabellum, Desmodium laevigatum, Desmodium nudiflorum, Desmodium rotundifolium, Dichanthelium linearifolium, Dichanthelium boscii, Dichanthelium commutatum, Helianthus divaricatus, Helianthus hirsutus, Helianthus x laetiflorus, Hieracium gronovii, Hypericum hypericoides ssp. hypericoides, Piptochaetium avenaceum, Schizachyrium scoparium, Solidago hispida, Solidago odora, Solidago ulmifolia, and Viola pedata. Fire increases coverage by grasses (Schizachyrium scoparium and Andropogon gyrans (= Andropogon elliottii)) and legumes (Nelson 1985, Zollner pers. comm. 1994).

Dynamics:  No Data Available
Environmental Description:  Stands occur on upper to middle, south-facing slopes, saddles, and flatter ridgelines. Soils are shallow to deep (25-100 cm). Parent material is a variety of sandstone and mixed sandstone-shale-derived substrates, or, in parts of the Missouri Ozarks, chert substrates (Nelson 1985, Zollner pers. comm. 1994).
Geographic Range: This upland, subxeric to submesic forest community is the matrix forest community of the Ouachita Mountains and surrounding areas, ranging into areas adjacent to the Ouachitas and into the Ozarks of northern Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri.

Nations: US

States/Provinces:  AR, MO, OK


Confidence Level: Moderate

Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3G4

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.1 White Oak - Southern Red Oak - Shortleaf Pine Forest & Woodland Macrogroup M016 1.B.2.Na.1
Group 1.B.2.Na.1.b Shortleaf Pine - Southern Red Oak - Post Oak Forest & Woodland Group G012 1.B.2.Na.1.b
Alliance A3271 Shortleaf Pine - Post Oak - Black Oak Ozark-Ouachita Woodland Alliance A3271 1.B.2.Na.1.b
Association CEGL007489 Shortleaf Pine - White Oak - Northern Red Oak / Farkleberry / Longleaf Woodoats Forest CEGL007489 1.B.2.Na.1.b
Concept Lineage: merged in

Predecessors: No Data Available

Obsolete Names: No Data Available

Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Pinus echinata - Quercus (alba, rubra) / Vaccinium (arboreum, pallidum) / Schizachyrium scoparium - Chasmanthium sessiliflorum - Solidago ulmifolia Forest (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
< IA6a. Dry Shortleaf Pine - Oak - Hickory Forest (Allard 1990)
? Oak Pine Type (OP) (Dale and Kuroda 1979)
< Shortleaf Pine - Oak: 76 (Eyre 1980)
? T1B3aII3b. Quercus alba - Pinus echinata - Quercus (velutina, falcata) (Foti et al. 1994)
Concept Author(s): A.S. Weakley and K.D. Patterson

Author of Description: D. Zollner and K.D. Patterson

Acknowledgements: No Data Available

Version Date: 01-01-98
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