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CEGL004767 Tsuga canadensis - (Liriodendron tulipifera, Fagus grandifolia) / Magnolia macrophylla / Polystichum acrostichoides Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Eastern Hemlock - (Tuliptree, American Beech) / Bigleaf Magnolia / Christmas Fern Forest
Colloquial Name: Cumberland Plateau Mesic Hemlock - Hardwood Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association represents acidic forests dominated by Tsuga canadensis and mesic hardwood species, occurring in the Cumberland Plateau of Alabama. These forests occur in steep mesic ravines associated with thick to massive bedded sandstone formations where Tsuga canadensis and Fagus grandifolia usually codominate. Common associates include Magnolia macrophylla, Ilex opaca, Carya glabra, Carpinus caroliniana, Ostrya virginiana, Oxydendrum arboreum, Liriodendron tulipifera, and Betula lenta. The understory ranges from open to closed, and may include Arundinaria gigantea, Lindera benzoin, Kalmia latifolia, Hydrangea quercifolia, Viburnum acerifolium, Symplocos tinctoria, Styrax grandifolius, and Hamamelis virginiana. Xanthorhiza simplicissima is often present in the streamside areas of this association. The herbaceous layer is typically sparse. Herbaceous components may include Carex picta, Dryopteris marginalis, Thelypteris noveboracensis, Polystichum acrostichoides, Athyrium filix-femina, Goodyera pubescens, Mitchella repens, Chimaphila maculata, Asarum canadense, and Sanguinaria canadensis. Characteristics vines include Smilax glauca, Smilax rotundifolia, Decumaria barbara, Toxicodendron radicans, and Vitis rotundifolia.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This forest was defined from locations in the Bankhead National Forest, Alabama. The description now incorporates data from four plots collected at the Bankhead National Forest during October 1999. It is differentiated from other Cumberland Plateau hemlock types (e.g., ~Tsuga canadensis - (Fagus grandifolia, Tilia americana var. heterophylla) / Magnolia tripetala Forest (CEGL008407)$$) by having species in the subcanopy and understory that are more typical of the southern coastal plain such as Magnolia macrophylla, Hydrangea quercifolia, and Symplocos tinctoria. Stands in Kentucky and Tennessee formerly attributed to this type should now (2000-04) be placed in CEGL008407; Indiana ones should be placed in ~Tsuga canadensis - Fagus grandifolia - Acer saccharum / (Hamamelis virginiana, Kalmia latifolia) Forest (CEGL005043)$$. The placement of related stands in northeastern Alabama, which are part of the more-or-less continuous distribution of Tsuga canadensis, are somewhat problematic and require further investigation.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This community is a closed-canopy forest dominated by Tsuga canadensis with mixtures of Fagus grandifolia and/or Liriodendron tulipifera. Common associates documented from the southern Cumberland Plateau in Alabama include Magnolia macrophylla, Carya glabra, Ilex opaca, Carpinus caroliniana, Ostrya virginiana, Oxydendrum arboreum, Liriodendron tulipifera, and Betula lenta. The understory ranges from open to closed, and may include Arundinaria gigantea, Lindera benzoin, Kalmia latifolia, Hydrangea quercifolia, Viburnum acerifolium, Symplocos tinctoria, Styrax grandifolius, and Hamamelis virginiana. The herbaceous layer is typically sparse. Herbaceous components include Carex picta, Dryopteris marginalis, Thelypteris noveboracensis, Polystichum acrostichoides, Athyrium filix-femina, Goodyera pubescens, Mitchella repens, Chimaphila maculata, Asarum canadense, and Sanguinaria canadensis. Characteristics vines include Smilax glauca, Smilax rotundifolia, Decumaria barbara, Toxicodendron radicans, and Vitis rotundifolia.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: In Alabama, these forests typically occur in steep mesic ravines associated with thick to massive bedded sandstone formations.
Geographic Range: This forest is restricted to the Cumberland Plateau of Alabama.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: AL
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686534
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1G2
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.3 Appalachian-Interior-Northeastern Mesic Forest Macrogroup | M883 | 1.B.2.Na.3 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.3.a American Beech - Tuliptree - Yellow Buckeye Forest Group | G020 | 1.B.2.Na.3.a |
| Alliance | A3304 Eastern Hemlock - Tuliptree Forest Alliance | A3304 | 1.B.2.Na.3.a |
| Association | CEGL004767 Eastern Hemlock - (Tuliptree, American Beech) / Bigleaf Magnolia / Christmas Fern Forest | CEGL004767 | 1.B.2.Na.3.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Hemlock-Beech Community (Hardin and Lewis 1980)
= Hemlock-Beech Gorge (Gunasekaran et al. 1992)
= Hemlock-Beech Gorge (Gunasekaran et al. 1992)
- ALNHP [Alabama Natural Heritage Program]. 2018. Unpublished data on file. Alabama Natural Heritage Program, Auburn University.
- Gunasekaran, M., D. J. Weber, S. Sanderson, and M. M. Devall. 1992. Reanalysis of the vegetation of Bee Branch Gorge Research Natural Area, a hemlock-beech community on the Warrior River basin of Alabama. Castanea 57:34-45.
- Hardin, E. D., and K. P. Lewis. 1980. Vegetation analysis of Bee Branch Gorge, a hemlock-beech community on the Warrior River Basin of Alabama. Castanea 45:248-256.
- Harper, R. M. 1937. A depressed outlier of the Cumberland Plateau in Alabama and its vegetation. Castanea 2:13-18.
- Oberholster, S. Personal communication. Forest Ecologist. USDA Forest Service, National Forests in Alabama. Montgomery, AL.
- Oswald, B. P. 1995. Vegetation communities within the Sipsey Wilderness. Unpublished report to the USDA Forest Service. Alabama A & M University. December 1995. 25 pp. plus appendices.
- Segars, C. B., L. C. Crawford, and A. M. Harvill. 1951. The occurrence and distribution of hemlock in Alabama. Ecology 32:149-151.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.