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CEGL005010 Acer saccharum - Quercus muehlenbergii Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Sugar Maple - Chinquapin Oak Forest
Colloquial Name: Sugar Maple - Chinquapin Oak Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This dry-mesic forest community is found in the northeastern seaboard to the central United States and Canada on calcareous substrates. Stands occur on upper slopes or summits of limestone or marble ridges with dry soils. Limestone outcrops or boulders are often present. The tree canopy is typically dominated by Quercus muehlenbergii, the diagnostic species, and Acer saccharum, although relative percents vary widely. Oaks in general comprise at least 50% of the stand and sugar maple at least 20%. Other oak associates include Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, and, locally, Quercus shumardii. Other hardwoods include Carya ovata, Celtis occidentalis, Fraxinus americana, Fraxinus quadrangulata, and Tilia americana. Betula spp., Pinus strobus, and Prunus serotina are occasional. Shrub and small tree species include Amelanchier sanguinea, Carpinus caroliniana, Cercis canadensis, Cornus alternifolia, Cornus florida, Cornus racemosa, Diervilla lonicera, Hamamelis virginiana, Hydrangea arborescens, Lindera benzoin, Ostrya virginiana, Ribes americanum, Staphylea trifolia, Viburnum prunifolium, and Zanthoxylum americanum. Sparse to well-developed herb layer includes Asclepias quadrifolia, Carex eburnea, Carex platyphylla, Clematis occidentalis, Packera obovata, Phryma leptostachya, Sanicula marilandica, Saxifraga virginiensis, Arabis laevigata, and Triosteum aurantiacum, among many others. This type is not well described across its range; often grades into woodland. Similar types include ~Acer saccharum - Quercus muehlenbergii / Cercis canadensis Forest (CEGL006017)$$ in unglaciated areas to the south.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Anderson (1996) provides further references for Ohio. He notes that it occurs mainly in northern Ohio, where it is primarily a calcareous substrate type but can also represent a transition from oak stands around prairies to beech - maple forests. In Illinois, this type may have occurred as a mesic sand forest subtype, e.g., around Peoria, where both sugar maple and chinquapin oak are noted in the General Land Office (presettlement) Survey notes. Stands on thin soil over dolomite may overlap with limestone woodlands (e.g., in New York ~Quercus alba - Quercus macrocarpa / Andropogon gerardii Wooded Grassland (CEGL005121)$$). ~Acer saccharum - Quercus muehlenbergii / Cercis canadensis Forest (CEGL006017)$$ is a related type found in unglaciated areas to the south of this type.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The tree canopy is typically dominated by Quercus muehlenbergii, the diagnostic species, and Acer saccharum, although relative percents vary widely. Oaks in general comprise at least 50% of the stand and sugar maple at least 20%. Other oak associates include Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, and, locally, Quercus shumardii. Other hardwoods include Carya ovata, Celtis occidentalis, Fraxinus americana, Fraxinus quadrangulata, and Tilia americana. Betula spp., Pinus strobus, and Prunus serotina are occasional. Shrub and small tree species include Amelanchier sanguinea, Carpinus caroliniana, Cercis canadensis, Cornus alternifolia, Cornus florida, Cornus racemosa, Diervilla lonicera, Hamamelis virginiana, Hydrangea arborescens, Lindera benzoin, Ostrya virginiana, Ribes americanum, Staphylea trifolia, Viburnum prunifolium, and Zanthoxylum americanum. Sparse to well-developed herb layer includes Asclepias quadrifolia, Carex eburnea, Carex platyphylla, Clematis occidentalis (= Clematis verticillaris), Packera obovata (= Senecio obovatus), Phryma leptostachya, Sanicula marilandica, Saxifraga virginiensis, Arabis laevigata, and Triosteum aurantiacum, among many others.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: Stands occur on upper slopes or summits of limestone or marble ridges with thin, dry soils. Limestone outcrops, boulders, or talus are often present.
Geographic Range: This dry-mesic forest community is found in the north-central United States and adjacent Canada on calcareous substrates.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: NY, OH, ON
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688027
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
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.b Chinquapin Oak - White Ash - Eastern Red-cedar Forest & Woodland Group | G016 | 1.B.2.Na.2.b |
| Alliance | A2047 Chinquapin Oak - Sugar Maple - American Basswood Forest Alliance | A2047 | 1.B.2.Na.2.b |
| Association | CEGL005010 Sugar Maple - Chinquapin Oak Forest | CEGL005010 | 1.B.2.Na.2.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Acer saccharum - Quercus muehlenbergii Forest (Faber-Langendoen 2001)
? Yellow oak-sugar maple calcareous forest (CAP pers. comm. 1998)
? Yellow oak-sugar maple calcareous forest (CAP pers. comm. 1998)
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- Lee, H., W. Bakowsky, J. Riley, J. Bowles, M. Puddister, P. Uhlig, and S. McMurray. 1998. Ecological land classification for southern Ontario: First approximation and its application. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Southcentral Science Section, Science Development and Transfer Branch. SCSS Field Guide FG-02.
- ONHD [Ohio Natural Heritage Database]. No date. Vegetation classification of Ohio and unpublished data. Ohio Natural Heritage Database, Division of Natural Areas and Preserves, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Columbus.
- ONHIC [Ontario Natural Heritage Information Centre]. 2018. Unpublished data. Ontario Natural Heritage Information Centre, Ministry of Natural Resources, Ontario, Canada.
- White, J., and M. Madany. 1978. Classification of natural communities in Illinois. Pages 311-405 in: Natural Areas Inventory technical report: Volume I, survey methods and results. Illinois Natural Areas Inventory, Urbana, IL.