Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Chestnut Oak - Northern Red Oak / Great Laurel / Beetleweed Forest

Colloquial Name: Chestnut Oak Forest (Mesic Slope Heath Type)

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: This forest is known from protected, usually steep slopes in the Southern Blue Ridge and ranges into adjacent areas of the upper Piedmont to the east and the Allegheny and Cumberland Mountains and Southern Ridge and Valley to the west and north. In the southern portion of its range (Southern Blue Ridge), it usually occurs on north-facing slopes, while in the northern part of its range (the Allegheny and Cumberland Mountains in West Virginia), most sites have southerly to westerly aspects. This is typically a midslope to lower slope type, but it can be found on upper slopes in a more sheltered position. This forest is found at elevations between 760 and 1220 m (2500-4000 feet) in the Southern Blue Ridge and at somewhat lower elevations (200-760 m) in the Allegheny and Cumberland Mountains in West Virginia. Canopies in these forests are dominated by Quercus montana, usually with lesser amounts of Quercus rubra and/or Acer rubrum, and always occurring over a dense, very tall shrub stratum (2-6 m) of Rhododendron maximum. In some examples, this community may also be codominated or dominated by Quercus velutina, Quercus alba, or Betula lenta. Additional trees with lower constancy and cover in the canopy and subcanopy include Tsuga canadensis, Oxydendrum arboreum, Fagus grandifolia, and Nyssa sylvatica. On some sites, Tsuga canadensis may have dense understory regeneration. In some areas of the Southern Blue Ridge, Rhododendron minus may dominate the shrub layer. Other common shrubs can include Gaylussacia ursina (in the Southern Blue Ridge), Kalmia latifolia, Smilax rotundifolia, Ilex opaca var. opaca, and/or Hamamelis virginiana. Herbs are sparse. The ground cover is dominated by leaf litter, but Galax urceolata is found in most occurrences except at the northern limit of this type''s range in West Virginia. Other herb species that can be typical include Chimaphila maculata, Goodyera pubescens, Polystichum acrostichoides, Maianthemum racemosum, Solidago caesia, Mitchella repens, Eurybia divaricata, Dryopteris marginalis, and Dioscorea quaternata. Some examples may have sparse (woodland-like) canopies and occur in association with rock outcroppings. Vascular plant species richness in seven 400-m2 West Virginia plots ranges from 12 to 49 taxa (mean = 30.1).

Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: This association is more protected and more mesic than ~Quercus (montana, coccinea) / Kalmia latifolia / (Galax urceolata, Gaultheria procumbens) Forest (CEGL006271)$$. It occurs at lower elevations and on more protected topographic positions than ~Quercus rubra / (Kalmia latifolia, Rhododendron catawbiense, Rhododendron maximum) / Galax urceolata Forest (CEGL007299)$$. It is much less diverse than ~Quercus montana - (Quercus rubra) - Carya spp. / Oxydendrum arboreum - Cornus florida Forest (CEGL007267)$$, lacking the diverse herbaceous and woody components found in that association. Stands similar to this association but with significant cover by Tsuga canadensis in the canopy layers are classified as ~Liriodendron tulipifera - Betula lenta - Tsuga canadensis / Rhododendron maximum Forest (CEGL007543)$$.

After this association was first described from the Southern Appalachians, it was next attributed to the Gauley River gorge in southern West Virginia (Vanderhorst et al. 2010). More recently, similar vegetation has been sampled by plots on the western flanks of the Allegheny Mountains in northern West Virginia. Similar vegetation has also been observed in western Pennsylvania. More work is needed to determine if West Virginia and Pennsylvania stands should constitute a separate association.

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available

note: No Data Available