Print Report
CEGL008525 Pinus virginiana - Quercus montana / Quercus ilicifolia / (Hieracium greenii, Viola pedata) Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Virginia Pine - Chestnut Oak / Bear Oak / (Maryland Hawkweed, Bird''s-foot Violet) Woodland
Colloquial Name: Central Appalachian Xeric Shale Woodland (Virginia Pine / Sparse Herbs Type)
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This shale barren mixed woodland is endemic to the Central Appalachian region of west-central Virginia and eastern West Virginia and the Ridge and Valley physiographic province in Maryland. There it is widely but locally distributed in shale districts of the Ridge and Valley on strongly convex, mostly southeast- to west-facing slopes and adjacent divide crests. It is very locally represented in similar Blue Ridge landscapes underlain by shale-like metamorphic rocks. Stands range in elevation from about 300-730 m (1000-2400 feet) on moderate to steep slopes. These environments are xeric and drought-prone, with high soil temperatures and evaporation rates during the summer months. In some areas, substrates appear to be relatively stable and lack the ongoing erosional processes of the larger, steeper shale barrens. Vegetation is an open woodland dominated by Pinus virginiana and Quercus montana, usually as a mixture but occasionally with one strongly dominant. Pinus pungens and Quercus rubra are occasional canopy associates. Mean canopy cover is usually <50%, and dominant pines are <15 m tall. A sparse understory of younger Pinus virginiana and Quercus montana 6-10 m tall is usually present, often with Amelanchier arborea. The sparse shrub layer is characterized by patchy Quercus ilicifolia and tree saplings. Low-growing Vaccinium pallidum is the most abundant component of the short-shrub layer, sometimes occurring with Vaccinium stamineum. The herbaceous flora of this vegetation is depauperate. Carex pensylvanica and Danthonia spicata are typical, although at low cover. Forbs tend to be variable among sites; the most typical are Hieracium greenei, Viola pedata, Houstonia longifolia, and Solidago bicolor. Scattered individuals of the shale-barren endemics Antennaria virginica, Packera antennariifolia, Paronychia montana, and Eriogonum allenii occasionally occur in this community, particularly where stands border well-developed shale barrens. A characteristic feature of some examples of this type is ground-level dominance of Cladonia spp. lichens. This association differs from related shale-barren associations in its extremely depauperate flora, absence of Juniperus virginiana, and presence of Hieracium greenei and Quercus ilicifolia. Pinus pungens may occur in this type and is very rarely found in other shale barren types.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Plot samples from Virginia classified as this association (n=13) have a homoteneity of 64%. The most constant (>62%) species, in order of descending constancy, are Pinus virginiana, Quercus ilicifolia, Quercus montana, Vaccinium pallidum, Amelanchier arborea, Quercus rubra, and Danthonia spicata. Species richness in these very depauperate shale woodlands ranges from 9-20 species per 400-m2 sample, averaging 15 species per 400-m2 sample. Fieldwork in 2011 on Dan''s Mountain WMA in Maryland confirmed this type on southwest-facing exposures over the Jennings Shale Formation. More inventory work is needed to confirm number of occurrences in Maryland.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Vegetation is an open woodland dominated by Pinus virginiana and Quercus montana (= Quercus prinus), usually as a mixture but occasionally with one strongly dominant. Pinus pungens and Quercus rubra are occasional canopy associates. Mean canopy cover is usually <50% and dominant pines are <15 m tall. A sparse understory of younger Pinus virginiana and Quercus montana 6-10 m tall is usually present, often with Amelanchier arborea. The sparse shrub layer is characterized by patchy Quercus ilicifolia and tree saplings. Low-growing Vaccinium pallidum is the most abundant component of the short-shrub layer, sometimes occurring with Vaccinium stamineum. The herbaceous flora of this vegetation is depauperate. Carex pensylvanica and Danthonia spicata are typical, although at low cover. Forbs tend to be variable among sites; the most typical are Hieracium greenei, Viola pedata, Houstonia longifolia, and Solidago bicolor. Scattered individuals of the shale-barren endemics Antennaria virginica, Packera antennariifolia (= Senecio antennariifolius), Paronychia montana, and Eriogonum allenii occasionally occur in this community, particularly where stands border well-developed shale barrens. A characteristic feature of some examples of this type is ground-level dominance of Cladonia spp. (= Cladina spp.) lichens. Several mosses, including Leucobryum glaucum, Polytrichum sp., and Dicranum sp., were also present in plots. This association has extraordinarily low species richness (range in Virginia plots = 9-20 taxa per 400 m2; mean = 15).
Dynamics: Edaphic conditions appear to be the controlling factor that maintains pine dominance in this association. Plot-sampled stands at Peters Mountain in Alleghany County, Virginia, have numerous long-dead standing and fallen logs and no evidence of fire (Fleming and Moorhead 2000). Normally a fast-growing, short-lived, shade-intolerant invader of abandoned fields, Pinus virginiana is very tolerant of dry soils but is easily killed by intense fires (Fowells 1965). Under the harsh, open-canopy environment of the shale slopes, this pine is able to reproduce well and succeed itself, while severe drought and perhaps low nutrient availability stunt potential hardwood successors such as Quercus montana, Quercus alba, and Carya spp. The lack of fire allows the dominant pines to reach relatively old ages and probably contributes to high ground cover of lichens and low cover of herbs. Increment cores taken from representative dominant pines in Peters Mountain plots indicated ages of approximately 95, 113, and 118 years despite relatively small sizes (22, 31, and 26 cm dbh [9,12, and 10 inches], respectively), reflecting slow growth rates (Fleming and Moorhead 2000).
Environmental Description: This association is widely but locally distributed in shale districts of the central Ridge and Valley on strongly convex, mostly southeast- to west-facing slopes and adjacent divide crests. It is very locally represented in similar Blue Ridge landscapes underlain by shale-like metamorphic rocks. Plot-sampled stands range in elevation from about 300 to 730 m (1000-2400 feet) and have slopes varying from 11-33° (mean = 25°). These environments are xeric and drought-prone, with high soil temperatures and evaporation rates during the summer months. In some areas, substrates appear to be relatively stable and lack the ongoing erosional processes of the larger, steeper shale barrens. Surface cover of channery and mineral soil is high, but shale outcrops occupy only a minor portion of the surface substrate. Very little litter or duff accumulates on the slopes, preventing or discouraging fires from burning through these habitats. Low pH, base cation, and micronutrient values in soil samples collected from plots indicate an oligotrophic nutrient regime that contrasts sharply with the higher fertility of other shale barren soils.
Geographic Range: This community is endemic to the Central Appalachian region of west-central Virginia and eastern West Virginia, and the Ridge and Valley physiographic province in Maryland. In Virginia, it is mostly confined to Ordovician, Silurian, and Devonian shales of the Ridge and Valley province. There are a few very localized occurrences on Cambrian (Harpers Formation) metasiltstone and phyllite of the Northern Blue Ridge. The principal range in West Virginia includes Devonian shales in Pendleton, Hardy, and Hampshire counties, with a southern outlier in Monroe County.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: MD, VA, WV
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687809
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3
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.2 Appalachian-Northeastern Oak - Hardwood - Pine Forest & Woodland Macrogroup | M502 | 1.B.2.Na.2 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.2.h Pitch Pine - Virginia Pine - Bear Oak Woodland & Barrens Group | G906 | 1.B.2.Na.2.h |
| Alliance | A3312 Virginia Pine - Chestnut Oak Acidic Shale Woodland Alliance | A3312 | 1.B.2.Na.2.h |
| Association | CEGL008525 Virginia Pine - Chestnut Oak / Bear Oak / (Maryland Hawkweed, Bird''s-foot Violet) Woodland | CEGL008525 | 1.B.2.Na.2.h |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: ? Pinus virginiana - Quercus prinus / Deschampsia flexuosa - Cunila origanoides Woodland (Lea 2003)
= Pinus virginiana - Quercus prinus / Quercus ilicifolia / (Hieracium greenii) Woodland (Fleming and Coulling 2001)
= Pinus virginiana - Quercus prinus / Quercus ilicifolia / (Hieracium greenii, Viola pedata) Woodland (Fleming and Taverna 2006)
= Pinus virginiana - Quercus prinus / Quercus ilicifolia / (Hieracium greenii, Viola pedata) Woodland (Fleming and Patterson 2009a)
? Pinus virginiana / Quercus ilicifolia / Coreopsis verticillata Woodland (Fleming and Moorhead 2000)
= Pinus virginiana - Quercus prinus / Quercus ilicifolia / (Hieracium greenii) Woodland (Fleming and Coulling 2001)
= Pinus virginiana - Quercus prinus / Quercus ilicifolia / (Hieracium greenii, Viola pedata) Woodland (Fleming and Taverna 2006)
= Pinus virginiana - Quercus prinus / Quercus ilicifolia / (Hieracium greenii, Viola pedata) Woodland (Fleming and Patterson 2009a)
? Pinus virginiana / Quercus ilicifolia / Coreopsis verticillata Woodland (Fleming and Moorhead 2000)
- Eastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boston, MA.
- Fleming, G. P., K. D. Patterson, and K. Taverna. 2017. The natural communities of Virginia: A classification of ecological community groups and community types. Third approximation. Version 3.0. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond, VA. [http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/natural-communities/]
- Fleming, G. P., and K. D. Patterson. 2009a. A vegetation classification for the Appalachian Trail: Virginia south to Georgia. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage. In-house analysis, March 2009.
- Fleming, G. P., and K. D. Patterson. 2009b. Classification of selected Virginia montane wetland groups. In-house analysis, December 2009. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond.
- Fleming, G. P., and K. Taverna. 2006. Vegetation classification for the National Capitol Region parks, western region. Regional (VA-WVA-MD-DC) analysis prepared for NatureServe and USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program, March 2006. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond.
- Fleming, G. P., and P. P. Coulling. 2001. Ecological communities of the George Washington and Jefferson national forests, Virginia. Preliminary classification and description of vegetation types. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond, VA. 317 pp.
- Fleming, G. P., and W. H. Moorhead, III. 2000. Plant communities and ecological land units of the Peter''s Mountain area, James River Ranger District, George Washington and Jefferson national forests, Virginia. Natural Heritage Technical Report 00-07. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond. Unpublished report submitted to the USDA Forest Service. 195 pp. plus appendices.
- Fowells, H. A, compiler. 1965. Silvics of the forest trees of the United States. Agriculture Handbook No. 271. USDA Forest Service, Washington, DC. 762 pp.
- Lea, C. 2003. Vegetation types in the National Capital Region Parks. Draft for review by NatureServe, Virginia Natural Heritage, West Virginia Natural Heritage, Maryland Natural Heritage, and National Park Service. March 2003. 140 pp.
- Vanderhorst, J. 2017a. Wild vegetation of West Virginia: High floodplain forests and woodlands. West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program. [http://wvdnr.gov/Wildlife/Factsheets/HighFloodplain.shtm]
- WVNHP [West Virginia Natural Heritage Program]. No date. Unpublished data. West Virginia Natural Heritage Program, Elkins.