Print Report
CEGL004922 Quercus (falcata, stellata) / Quercus marilandica / Gaylussacia (baccata, dumosa) Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: (Southern Red Oak, Post Oak) / Blackjack Oak / (Black Huckleberry, Dwarf Huckleberry) Woodland
Colloquial Name: Southeastern Highland Rim Blackjack Oak Barrens
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This woodland occurs on flat dry uplands of the southeastern Highland Rim in Tennessee. The open canopy consists primarily of Quercus falcata and/or Quercus stellata. Subcanopy species include Quercus stellata, along with Quercus marilandica and in some cases Oxydendrum arboreum and Nyssa sylvatica. Vaccinium arboreum and Vaccinium fuscatum often occur in the tall-shrub layer, which can be very sparse (7% cover of a 20x20-m plot) or dense (70% of a 20x20-m plot). The low-shrub layer is dominated by Gaylussacia baccata and/or Gaylussacia dumosa. Other vascular plants are few; these include In some examples, Pteridium aquilinum, Smilax glauca, and scattered Andropogon spp., including Andropogon virginicus, Andropogon glomeratus, and Andropogon ternarius. Pteridium aquilinum may be prominent, approaching 10% cover in some areas. The relation of this community to past fire history is unknown; however, at Arnold Air Force Base, 60% of plots in this community either showed direct evidence of past logging (stumps present) or were located near old road beds. The soils in this distinctive area are generally loessal material over limestone residuum. In many cases a hardpan has formed in the soil which retards movement of water in the soil, leading to distinctive vegetation.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Described from Arnold Air Force Base, Coffee County, Tennessee.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The open canopy of this woodland consists primarily of Quercus falcata and/or Quercus stellata. Subcanopy species include Quercus stellata, along with Quercus marilandica and in some cases Oxydendrum arboreum and Nyssa sylvatica. Vaccinium arboreum and Vaccinium fuscatum often occur in the tall-shrub layer, which can be very sparse (7% cover of a 20x20-m plot) or dense (70% of a 20x20-m plot). The low-shrub layer is dominated by Gaylussacia baccata and/or Gaylussacia dumosa. Other vascular plants are few; these include Pteridium aquilinum, Smilax glauca, and scattered Andropogon spp., including Andropogon virginicus, Andropogon glomeratus, and Andropogon ternarius. Pteridium aquilinum may be prominent, approaching 10% cover in some areas.
Dynamics: The dominance of Quercus falcata in stands may be a result of fire suppression since about 1945 in what was a landscape with more frequent fire prior to that date. The relation of this community to past fire history is unknown; however, at Arnold Air Force Base, 60% of plots in this community either showed direct evidence of past logging (stumps present) or were located near old road beds. With more frequent or regular fire, the dominance of grasses would be expected to increase, and cover of woody species to decline.
Environmental Description: This woodland occurs on flat dry uplands of the southeastern Highland Rim in Tennessee. The soils in this distinctive area are generally loessal material over limestone residuum. In many cases a hardpan has formed in the soil which retards movement of water in the soil, leading to distinctive vegetation. Lack of fire in this historically fire-influenced landscape has contributed to the decline of this vegetation type, as lack of fire leads to greater canopy closure and decline of the herbaceous layer.
Geographic Range: This forest type is restricted to The Barrens of Tennessee''s southeastern Highland Rim. This area (the "Sango" polygon TN48 in STATSGO) comprises about 1250 square km (500 square miles) (Pyne 2000).
Nations: US
States/Provinces: TN
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688480
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2G3
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.1 White Oak - Southern Red Oak - Shortleaf Pine Forest & Woodland Macrogroup | M016 | 1.B.2.Na.1 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.1.c White Oak - Southern Red Oak - Northern Red Oak Forest & Woodland Group | G159 | 1.B.2.Na.1.c |
| Alliance | A3291 Post Oak - Southern Red Oak - White Oak Interior Low Plateau Woodland Alliance | A3291 | 1.B.2.Na.1.c |
| Association | CEGL004922 (Southern Red Oak, Post Oak) / Blackjack Oak / (Black Huckleberry, Dwarf Huckleberry) Woodland | CEGL004922 | 1.B.2.Na.1.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Quercus (falcata, stellata) / Quercus marilandica / Gaylussacia (baccata, dumosa) Woodland (TNC 1998a)
< IA6c. Dry Post Oak - Blackjack Oak Forest (Allard 1990)
< IA6c. Dry Post Oak - Blackjack Oak Forest (Allard 1990)
- 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.
- Pyne, M. 2000. Biogeographic study of The Barrens of the southeastern Highland Rim of Tennessee. Revised final draft to Arnold Engineering Development Center, Arnold Air Force Base. Southeast Community Ecology Group, Association of Biodiversity Information, Durham, NC.
- 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.
- TNC [The Nature Conservancy]. 1998a. An investigation and assessment of the vegetation of Arnold Air Force Base. Coffee and Franklin counties, Tennessee. The Nature Conservancy, Tennessee Field Office, Nashville. 37 pp. plus appendices.