Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available

Floristics: The canopy is a mixture of Tsuga canadensis with Fagus grandifolia and/or Quercus rubra in variable proportions depending on soil (site) and disturbance characteristics; drier sites tend to have more abundant beech or oak and cooler sites tend to have more abundant hemlock. Associated tree species include Betula lenta (sometimes replaced by Betula papyrifera at the northern end of this type''s range), Pinus strobus, and Acer rubrum. Shrubs are often sparse but locally abundant and, in addition to saplings of canopy species, include Hamamelis virginiana, Acer pensylvanicum, Viburnum acerifolium, Kalmia latifolia, and in the south Ilex montana. Though heaths may be present, they are rarely prominent. The herb layer is generally sparse but usually includes several of the following: Mitchella repens, Lycopodium digitatum (= Diphasiastrum digitatum), Lycopodium obscurum, Lycopodium annotinum, Epifagus virginiana, Gaultheria procumbens, Maianthemum canadense, Trientalis borealis, Medeola virginiana, Aralia nudicaulis, Uvularia sessilifolia, Dryopteris intermedia, Monotropa uniflora, and occasionally Lycopodium dendroideum, Coptis trifolia, and Dennstaedtia punctilobula.

Dynamics:  Composition of stands of this forest association vary with soil (site) and disturbance characteristics. At the drier end, Fagus grandifolia and/or Quercus rubra tend to be more prevalent. Cooler sites, where soils may freeze for longer durations, have especially abundant Tsuga canadensis. Disturbance affects composition as Fagus grandifolia can regenerate profusely through root-suckering. Stands of this vegetation on Allegheny Mountain in Virginia have low species richness (mean = 15 taxa per 400-square-meter plot samples) and were heavily impacted by logging and subsequent fires during the late 1920s and early 1930s. Fagus grandifolia is the most abundant tree in contemporary stands, sometimes forming nearly pure, even-aged forests that originated from root-suckers. Tsuga canadensis is present in the understories of most stands, and large Tsuga codominates the canopies of a few older stands that escaped fire damage. Small pieces of charred wood and thin charcoal horizons deposited in historical fires were present in the duff layers at most sites examined (Fleming and Moorhead 1996). Insect pests and pathogens, such as the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) and beech bark disease (also called beech scale / Nectria complex) are serious threats to the dominant canopy trees in this association. Betula lenta is the most common successional invader of stands decimated by hemlock woolly adelgid.