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CEGL005276 Quercus alba - Carya ovata / Carex pensylvanica - Heuchera richardsonii Quartzite Glade Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: White Oak - Shagbark Hickory / Pennsylvania Sedge - Richardson''s Alumroot Quartzite Glade Woodland
Colloquial Name: Midwestern Oak Quartzite Glade Woodland
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This quartzite woodland is found on rocky, hilly regions in the upper midwestern United States, particularly in the Baraboo Hills of Wisconsin. Stands occur on the brow of steep slopes that overlay quartzite, rhyolite or sandstone bedrock that contains some fractures. The stands themselves have gently slopes (2-11%), mostly with a southwestern aspect, but ranging from due east to due west. Glade soils are thin (10-30 cm deep) silt loams, acidic (pH of 4.5-5.0), fertile, and rich in organic matter (10-15% organic matter). These glades represent forest openings dominated by relatively even-spaced, small-statured trees and a sparse shrub and sapling layer. The tree canopy is fairly closed, averaging about 75% (range of 57-82%). Either Quercus alba or Carya ovata dominate the canopy. Quercus velutina and Quercus rubra are much less common. Shrubs are nearly absent from all glades, with Ribes spp. and Viburnum rafinesqueanum the more common species. The most abundant saplings are Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Ostrya virginiana, and Quercus rubra. Excluding tree seedlings, the ten most common understory species found in these glades are Carex pensylvanica, Antennaria plantaginifolia, Poa compressa, Anemone quinquefolia, Solidago ulmifolia, Maianthemum racemosum, Heuchera richardsonii, Dodecatheon meadia, Geranium maculatum, and Helianthus strumosus. No vascular plant species were restricted in distribution to the glades but several may be modal within the context of Wisconsin, including Carex pensylvanica, Heuchera richardsonii, Antennaria plantaginifolia, Solidago ulmifolia, Lespedeza virginica, Lespedeza violacea, and Agalinis gattingeri.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: There may be important differences in quartzite, rhyolite, quartzite conglomerate, and sandstone glades in the Baraboo Hills, but further analyses are required. This type should perhaps be placed in the more typical glade formation based on historic conditions. The best fit currently is woodland, although photos from the 1930s show that they used to be much more open. The flora is complicated by the fact that the glades likely served as refugia for prairie plants historically, and now serve as refugia for woodland and savanna plants (P. West pers. comm. 2000). Unglaciated acidic glades further south, e.g., in Missouri, show no floristic relationships to this type. The only other large quartzite area is in the Blue Hills of northern Wisconsin, and those stands probably would fit in with ~Pinus banksiana / Cladonia spp. Rock Outcrop Vegetation (CEGL002491)$$. Elsewhere there is an extensive 5- to 6-mile long quartzite ridge straddling the Oconto-Marinette countyline with small glade-like openings.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: These glades represent forest openings dominated by relatively even-spaced, small-statured trees and a sparse shrub and sapling layer. The tree canopy is fairly closed, averaging about 75% (range of 57-82%). Either Quercus alba or Carya ovata dominate the canopy. Quercus velutina and Quercus rubra are much less common. Shrubs are nearly absent from all glades, with Ribes spp. and Viburnum rafinesqueanum the more common species. The most abundant saplings are Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Ostrya virginiana, and Quercus rubra. Excluding tree seedlings, the ten most common understory species found in these glades are Carex pensylvanica, Antennaria plantaginifolia, Poa compressa, Anemone quinquefolia, Solidago ulmifolia, Maianthemum racemosum (= Smilacina racemosa), Heuchera richardsonii, Dodecatheon meadia, Geranium maculatum, and Helianthus strumosus. No vascular plant species were restricted in distribution to the glades, but several may be modal within the context of Wisconsin, including Carex pensylvanica, Heuchera richardsonii, Antennaria plantaginifolia, Solidago ulmifolia, Lespedeza virginica, Lespedeza violacea, and Agalinis gattingeri (West and Welsh 1998). The flora is complicated by the fact that the glades likely served as refugia for prairie plants historically, and now serve as refugia for woodland and savanna plants (P. West pers. comm. 2000).
Dynamics: Droughts and deer browse may currently interact to keep these glades open. The low light levels that reduce ground layer biomass and discontinuous fuel loads would appear to also reduce the likelihood of fires in this system, coupled with fire suppression in the surrounding matrix of dry oak forests. Historically, the surrounding matrix may have been more likely to burn, and those fires and the more open canopy could have spread into the glades (West and Welsh 1998). Nevertheless, these glades are thought to be more environmentally controlled, by shallow soils, than fire-controlled because average soil depth (depth to big stones or bedrock) was similar between the glade and the transition area (to forest), but there were significant differences between transition-forest and forest-glade. These differences suggest that soil depth and the historic extent of the glade community may be positively correlated (P. West pers. comm. 2000). Juniperus virginiana was present on some of the glades, but in small numbers (P. West pers. comm. 2000).
Environmental Description: Stands occur on the brow of steep slopes that overlay quartzite, rhyolite or sandstone bedrock that contains some fractures. Exposed bedrock may average about 15%. The stands themselves have gentle slopes (2-11%), mostly with a southwestern aspect, but ranging from due east to due west. Glade soils are thin (10-30 cm deep) silt loams, acidic (pH of 4.5-5.0), fertile, and rich in organic matter (10-15% organic matter). The high organic matter content could be a function of low pH and droughtiness that inhibit decomposition of organic matter (West and Welsh 1998).
Geographic Range: This quartzite rock outcrop community type is found on rocky, relatively level or hilly regions in the upper midwestern United States, particularly in the Baraboo Hills of Wisconsin.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: WI
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.686623
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2?
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 2 Shrub & Herb Vegetation Class | C02 | 2 |
| Subclass | 2.B Temperate & Boreal Grassland & Shrubland Subclass | S18 | 2.B |
| Formation | 2.B.2 Temperate Grassland & Shrubland Formation | F012 | 2.B.2 |
| Division | 2.B.2.Nc Eastern North American Grassland & Shrubland Division | D024 | 2.B.2.Nc |
| Macrogroup | 2.B.2.Nc.4 Laurentian -Acidic Rocky Scrub & Grassland Macrogroup | M505 | 2.B.2.Nc.4 |
| Group | 2.B.2.Nc.4.a Laurentian-Acadian Acidic Scrub & Grassland Group | G788 | 2.B.2.Nc.4.a |
| Alliance | A3908 Common Juniper - Mixed Scrub / Poverty Oatgrass Acidic Bedrock Alliance | A3908 | 2.B.2.Nc.4.a |
| Association | CEGL005276 White Oak - Shagbark Hickory / Pennsylvania Sedge - Richardson''s Alumroot Quartzite Glade Woodland | CEGL005276 | 2.B.2.Nc.4.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Quercus alba - Carya ovata / Carex pensylvanica - Heuchera richardsonii Quartzite Glade Woodland (Faber-Langendoen 2001) [Quartzite Bedrock Glade]
- Armstrong, P. 1994. Vegetation survey of a quartzite glade in Sauk County, Wisconsin. In: J. Fralish. Proceedings of the North American Conference on Savannas and Barrens. Illinois State University, Normal.
- Faber-Langendoen, D., editor. 2001. Plant communities of the Midwest: Classification in an ecological context. Association for Biodiversity Information, Arlington, VA. 61 pp. plus appendix (705 pp.).
- Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
- WDNR [Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources]. 2015. The ecological landscapes of Wisconsin: An assessment of ecological resources and a guide to planning sustainable management. PUB-SS-1131 2015. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison. [http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/landscapes/Book.html]
- Welsh, Jim. Personal Communication. Ecologist, The Nature Conservancy, Wisconsin Field Office, Madison, WI.
- West, P. Personal communication. Ecologist. The Nature Conservancy, Wisconsin Field Office, Madison, WI.
- West, P., and J. Welsh. 1998. Characterization of unglaciated quartzite bedrock glades in the Baraboo Hills of Wisconsin. Interim Report on RJ/KOSE 1997 Grant. Wisconsin Field Office, Madison, WI. 19 pp.