Print Report
CEGL006256 Picea rubens - (Betula alleghaniensis, Aesculus flava) / Viburnum lantanoides / Solidago glomerata Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Red Spruce - (Yellow Birch, Yellow Buckeye) / Hobblebush / Clustered Goldenrod Forest
Colloquial Name: Red Spruce - Northern Hardwood Forest (Herb Type)
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association occurs in the broad elevational transition zone between spruce-fir and northern hardwoods in the Southern Blue Ridge at approximately 1400 to 1555 m (4600-5100 feet) elevation. This association occurs on steep slopes and protected ridges, over shallow, stony soils. The canopy is composed of Picea rubens codominating with the deciduous species Betula alleghaniensis, Fagus grandifolia, and Aesculus flava, occurring singly or in combination. At higher elevations, Abies fraseri may be a minor canopy component. The shrub stratum is open to absent. Viburnum lantanoides is a common shrub, and Acer pensylvanicum and Amelanchier laevis often occur as small trees. The herbaceous stratum is lush and diverse. Typical herbs include Oclemena acuminata, Carex pensylvanica, Dryopteris campyloptera, Dryopteris intermedia, Maianthemum canadense, Oxalis montana, Solidago glomerata, and Rugelia nudicaulis (in the Great Smoky Mountains).
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Original type was split into two forest associations [see also ~Picea rubens - (Betula alleghaniensis, Aesculus flava) / Rhododendron (maximum, catawbiense) Forest (CEGL004983)$$].
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The canopy is composed of Picea rubens codominating with the deciduous species Betula alleghaniensis, Fagus grandifolia, and Aesculus flava, occurring singly or in combination. At higher elevations, Abies fraseri may be a minor canopy component. The shrub stratum is open to absent. Viburnum lantanoides is a common shrub, and Acer pensylvanicum and Amelanchier laevis often occur as small trees. The herbaceous stratum is lush and diverse. Typical herbs include Oclemena acuminata (= Aster acuminatus), Carex pensylvanica, Dryopteris campyloptera, Dryopteris intermedia, Maianthemum canadense, Oxalis montana, Solidago glomerata, and Rugelia nudicaulis (in the Great Smoky Mountains).
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This association occurs in the broad elevational transition zone between spruce-fir and northern hardwoods in the Southern Blue Ridge at approximately 1400 to 1555 m (4600-5100 feet) elevation. This association occurs on steep slopes and protected ridges, over shallow, stony soils.
Geographic Range: This community is restricted to the Southern Blue Ridge of North Carolina and Tennessee. It may occur at high elevations (above 1220 m [4000 feet]) in Virginia and Georgia.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: NC, TN
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687776
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2
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.7 Sugar Maple - Yellow Birch - Eastern Hemlock Forest Macrogroup | M014 | 1.B.2.Na.7 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.7.e Red Spruce - Fraser Fir - Yellow Birch Forest Group | G632 | 1.B.2.Na.7.e |
| Alliance | A0138 Red Spruce - Yellow Birch - Yellow Buckeye Forest Alliance | A0138 | 1.B.2.Na.7.e |
| Association | CEGL006256 Red Spruce - (Yellow Birch, Yellow Buckeye) / Hobblebush / Clustered Goldenrod Forest | CEGL006256 | 1.B.2.Na.7.e |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: < IA4e. Southern Appalachian Northern Hardwoods Forest (Allard 1990)
< Spruce - Yellow Birch Type (Golden 1974)
< Spruce - Yellow Birch Type (Golden 1974)
- Allard, D. J. 1990. Southeastern United States ecological community classification. Interim report, Version 1.2. The Nature Conservancy, Southeast Regional Office, Chapel Hill, NC. 96 pp.
- Golden, M. S. 1974. Forest vegetation and site relationships in the central portion of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. 275 pp.
- Golden, M. S. 1981. An integrated multivariate analysis of forest communities of the central Great Smoky Mountains. The American Midland Naturalist 106:37-53.
- Livingston, D., and C. Mitchell. 1976. Site classification and mapping in the Mt. LeConte growth district, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Unpublished report. Great Smoky Mountains National Park Library.
- McLeod, D. E. Personal communication. Ecologist. Mars Hill College (retired), Celo, NC.
- NatureServe Ecology - Southeastern United States. No date. Unpublished data. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- Peet, R. K., T. R. Wentworth, M. P. Schafale, and A.S. Weakley. No date. Unpublished data of the North Carolina Vegetation Survey. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
- Schafale, M. P. 2012. Classification of the natural communities of North Carolina, 4th Approximation. North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh.
- Schafale, M. P., and A. S. Weakley. 1990. Classification of the natural communities of North Carolina. Third approximation. North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh. 325 pp.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- TDNH [Tennessee Division of Natural Heritage]. 2018. Unpublished data. Tennessee Division of Natural Heritage, Nashville, TN.