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CEGL007861 Betula alleghaniensis - (Tsuga canadensis) / Rhododendron maximum / (Leucothoe fontanesiana) Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Yellow Birch - (Eastern Hemlock) / Great Laurel / (Highland Doghobble) Forest
Colloquial Name: Blue Ridge Hemlock - Northern Hardwood Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association occurs in the Great Smoky Mountains and high mountain areas of southwestern Virginia, and at lower elevations in protected mountain settings in West Virginia. This community is found on steep, mostly north-facing slopes, and on slopes and flats along and above streams. These forests occur on midslope or toeslope positions, protected by higher landforms, where solar exposure is very low. The elevations of samples range from as low as 320 m in West Virginia (1040 feet) to around 1350 m (4400 feet), but the community can probably occur as high as 1524 m (5000 feet) or until Picea rubens begins to dominate. Sites are rocky, often with many large boulders and talus. Soils are stony with heavy litter layers and pockets of colluvium. This forest is affected by occasional disturbance by ice, wind and landslides. This mixed forest type has an open to closed canopy dominated by Betula alleghaniensis and/or Tsuga canadensis, although either of these species may be locally dominant at a small scale. In some stands, Acer rubrum, Betula lenta, Liriodendron tulipifera (at lower elevations), Tilia americana var. heterophylla, Picea rubens, or Quercus rubra can be important in the canopy or occur as minor associates. Other minor canopy and subcanopy species may include Fagus grandifolia, Prunus serotina, and Magnolia acuminata. The tall-shrub stratum is over 2 m in height, very dense (50-100% coverage) and dominated by Rhododendron maximum. Other minor shrubs commonly include Acer pensylvanicum, Amelanchier laevis, Amelanchier arborea, Clethra acuminata, Hamamelis virginiana (West Virginia), Ilex montana, and Vaccinium erythrocarpum. The ground layer is dominated by leaf litter, fallen trees and rocks. Herbaceous cover is sparse to moderate and is composed of scattered plants typical of mid- to high-elevation acidic forests. Composition can be quite variable among stands, but some of the more characteristic species include Dryopteris intermedia, Oclemena acuminata, Polystichum acrostichoides (West Virginia), Viola blanda, and Viola rotundifolia. The bryophyte layer can be well-developed and diverse. In the Great Smoky Mountains, this association grades into forests dominated by Picea rubens or Tsuga canadensis at higher elevations.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This acidic cove forest is characterized by species indicative of infertile environments, with a mixed deciduous-evergreen to mostly deciduous canopy over a dense shrub layer of Rhododendron maximum. Species richness is typically low, ranging from 4 to 38 species per sample with an average of 19 species per 400-square-meter sample. Analysis of plot samples from the Great Smoky and Virginia mountains, and from Fayette and Raleigh counties, West Virginia, shows the most constant species as Betula alleghaniensis, Rhododendron maximum, Tsuga canadensis, and Dryopteris intermedia.
Forests of high-elevation coves at Salt Pond Mountain in Giles County (e.g., War Spur Branch), where Picea rubens is codominant with or subordinate to Tsuga canadensis and Betula alleghaniensis, are tentatively placed here. Some of these stands, however, may be better classified as wetlands and require additional investigation.
In West Virginia, this association is applied to forests with an abundance of Betula allegheniensis in deep gorges outside the main high-elevation distribution for this species in the state. Tsuga canadensis can be codominant in the canopy or abundant in lower strata, or it may be absent. This association is distinguished from similar forests at higher elevations in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia classified as ~Tsuga canadensis - Betula alleghaniensis - Prunus serotina / Rhododendron maximum Forest (CEGL006206)$$ by having Liriodendron tulipifera and by lacking Prunus serotina and high-elevation herbs such as Oxalis montana and Maianthemum canadense.
Forests of high-elevation coves at Salt Pond Mountain in Giles County (e.g., War Spur Branch), where Picea rubens is codominant with or subordinate to Tsuga canadensis and Betula alleghaniensis, are tentatively placed here. Some of these stands, however, may be better classified as wetlands and require additional investigation.
In West Virginia, this association is applied to forests with an abundance of Betula allegheniensis in deep gorges outside the main high-elevation distribution for this species in the state. Tsuga canadensis can be codominant in the canopy or abundant in lower strata, or it may be absent. This association is distinguished from similar forests at higher elevations in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia classified as ~Tsuga canadensis - Betula alleghaniensis - Prunus serotina / Rhododendron maximum Forest (CEGL006206)$$ by having Liriodendron tulipifera and by lacking Prunus serotina and high-elevation herbs such as Oxalis montana and Maianthemum canadense.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This mixed forest has an open to closed canopy codominated by Betula alleghaniensis and/or Tsuga canadensis, although either of these species may be solely dominant over small areas. In some stands, Acer rubrum, Betula lenta, Liriodendron tulipifera (at lower elevations), Tilia americana var. heterophylla, Picea rubens, or Quercus rubra can be important in the canopy or occur as minor associates. Other minor canopy and subcanopy species may include Fagus grandifolia, Prunus serotina, and Magnolia acuminata. The community has a very dense (50-100% cover), evergreen tall-shrub stratum (>2 m tall) dominated by Rhododendron maximum. In the Great Smoky Mountains, a dense low-shrub stratum dominated by Leucothoe fontanesiana is typical, but this species is absent from Virginia and West Virginia examples of the type. Other minor shrubs commonly include Acer pensylvanicum, Amelanchier laevis, Hamamelis virginiana (in West Virginia stands), Ilex montana, and Vaccinium erythrocarpum. Herbaceous cover is sparse to occasionally moderate and is composed of scattered plants typical of mid- to high-elevation acidic forests. Composition can be quite variable among stands, but some of the more characteristic species include Dryopteris intermedia, Oclemena acuminata, Polystichum acrostichoides (in West Virginia stands), Viola blanda, and Viola rotundifolia. Some additional herbaceous species found in this community include Arisaema triphyllum, Dennstaedtia punctilobula, Huperzia lucidula, and Medeola virginiana. In Southern Appalachian stands with very dense evergreen shrub layers, species richness can be extraordinarily low (<10 taxa per 1000-m2 sample), but in stands with somewhat more open shrub layers, richness can exceed 30 taxa per sample. The bryophyte layer can be well-developed and diverse; mosses and liverworts collected from West Virginia plots include Anomodon attenuatus, Aulacomnium heterostichum, Bryhnia graminicolor, Bryoandersonia illecebra, Campylium chrysophyllum, Hypnum curvifolium, Hypnum imponens, Loeskeobryum brevirostre, Mnium stellare, Plagiothecium denticulatum, Rhynchostegium aquaticum (= Platyhypnidium riparioides), Thuidium delicatulum, Bazzania trilobata, Leucobryum glaucum, and Mnium hornum. The regionally rare plants Botrychium oneidense and Prenanthes roanensis are minor components of this vegetation type.
Dynamics: The Tsuga canadensis component of Virginia stands has been devastated by outbreaks of hemlock woolly adelgid over the past several decades, leading to more open canopy conditions, along with increased regeneration and greater importance of Betula alleghaniensis in most stands.
Environmental Description: This community occurs on steep, mostly north-facing mesic slopes, and on toeslopes and flats along streams. It typically occupies mid- to lower slope and valley-bottom topographic positions that are well-protected by higher landforms. These sites have low solar exposure and may be subject to cold-air inversions. Elevations (of plot-sampled stands) range from 320-750 m (1040-2400 feet) in West Virginia, to 915-1450 m (3000-4800 feet) in the Virginia mountains, and to 1030-1450 m (3400-4800 feet) in the Great Smoky Mountains. Lower elevation stands may intergrade with Betula lenta-dominated forest types. Sites are often rocky, with many large boulders and stones and pockets of colluvium. Soils, weathered from sandstone, acidic shale, or metamorphic igneous rocks, have dense, root-rich duff layers. Samples collected from plots are highly acidic (mean pH = 3.7 to 4.8) with low base status and moderately high organic matter content (mean = 20%). On stream-bottom sites, local areas of seepage are not uncommon, and habitats may be somewhat transitional to a saturated hydrologic regime. Sites occupied by this forest are affected by occasional ice, wind, and landslide disturbances.
Geographic Range: This community has been documented in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee; in the Mount Rogers - Whitetop Mountain area of the Virginia Blue Ridge (Grayson, Smyth and Washington counties); on Salt Pond Mountain in the Ridge and Valley of west-central Virginia (Giles County); on Allegheny Mountain in Highland County, Virginia; and in gorges of the New Gauley and Buckhannon rivers in Fayette, Raleigh, and Nicholas counties in West Virginia. This vegetation type may be locally distributed throughout the Southern and Central Appalachians.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: NC, TN, VA, WV
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.688921
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.3 Appalachian-Interior-Northeastern Mesic Forest Macrogroup | M883 | 1.B.2.Na.3 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.3.b Appalachian-Allegheny Northern Hardwood Forest | G742 | 1.B.2.Na.3.b |
| Alliance | A0266 Yellow Birch - Yellow Buckeye Forest Alliance | A0266 | 1.B.2.Na.3.b |
| Association | CEGL007861 Yellow Birch - (Eastern Hemlock) / Great Laurel / (Highland Doghobble) Forest | CEGL007861 | 1.B.2.Na.3.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Betula alleghaniensis - (Tsuga canadensis, Liriodendron tulipifera) / Rhododendron maximum Forest [Upside Down Northern Hardwoods Forest] (Vanderhorst 2018)
= Betula alleghaniensis - (Tsuga canadensis, Liriodendron tulipifera) / Rhododendron maximum Forest [Yellow Birch (-Hemlock, Tuliptree) Cold Cove Forest] (Vanderhorst 2017c)
= Betula alleghaniensis - Tsuga canadensis - (Picea rubens) / Rhododendron maximum Forest (Fleming and Coulling 2001)
? Betula alleghaniensis / Oxalis montana Association: Betula alleghaniensis / Rhododendron maximum Variant (Fleming and Moorhead 1996)
= Betula alleghaniensis / Rhododendron maximum forest (Vanderhorst 2001b)
< Hemlock - Yellow Birch: 24 (Eyre 1980)
? Red Spruce Community: Hemlock - Spruce Subtype (Adams and Stephenson 1991)
= Betula alleghaniensis - (Tsuga canadensis, Liriodendron tulipifera) / Rhododendron maximum Forest [Yellow Birch (-Hemlock, Tuliptree) Cold Cove Forest] (Vanderhorst 2017c)
= Betula alleghaniensis - Tsuga canadensis - (Picea rubens) / Rhododendron maximum Forest (Fleming and Coulling 2001)
? Betula alleghaniensis / Oxalis montana Association: Betula alleghaniensis / Rhododendron maximum Variant (Fleming and Moorhead 1996)
= Betula alleghaniensis / Rhododendron maximum forest (Vanderhorst 2001b)
< Hemlock - Yellow Birch: 24 (Eyre 1980)
? Red Spruce Community: Hemlock - Spruce Subtype (Adams and Stephenson 1991)
- Adams, H. S., and S. L. Stephenson. 1991. High elevation coniferous forests in Virginia. Virginia Journal of Science 42:391-399.
- Eyre, F. H., editor. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Society of American Foresters, Washington, DC. 148 pp.
- 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 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. 1996. Ecological land units of the Laurel Fork Area, Highland County, Virginia. Natural Heritage Technical Report 96-08. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond. 114 pp. plus appendices.
- Grafton, W. N., and C. McGraw. 1976. The vascular flora of New River Gorge, West Virginia. Center for Extension and Continuing Education, West Virginia University, Beckley. 19 pp.
- 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.
- NatureServe Ecology - Southeastern United States. No date. Unpublished data. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- Newell, C. L. 1997. Local and regional variation in the vegetation of the southern Appalachian Mountains. Ph.D. dissertation, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 1008 pp.
- Newell, C. L., R. K. Peet, and J. C. Harrod. 1997. Vegetation of Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness, North Carolina. Unpublished report to USDA Forest Service. University of North Carolina, Curriculum in Ecology & Department of Biology, Chapel Hill, NC. 282 pp. plus maps.
- 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.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- Vanderhorst, J. 2001b. Plant communities of the New River Gorge National River, West Virginia: Northern and southern thirds. Non-game Wildlife and Natural Heritage Program, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. Elkins. 146 pp.
- Vanderhorst, J. 2017c. Wild vegetation of West Virginia: Upland hemlock hardwood forests. West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program. [http://wvdnr.gov/Wildlife/Factsheets/Hemlock.shtm]
- Vanderhorst, J. 2018. Wild vegetation of West Virginia: Northern hardwood forests. West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program. [http://wvdnr.gov/Wildlife/Factsheets/Hardwood.shtm]
- Vanderhorst, J. P., B. P. Streets, Z. Arcaro, and S. C. Gawler. 2010. Vegetation classification and mapping at Gauley River National Recreation Area. Technical Report NPS/NER/NRTR--2010/148. National Park Service, Philadelphia, PA.
- Vanderhorst, J. P., J. Jeuck, and S. C. Gawler. 2007. Vegetation classification and mapping of New River Gorge National River, West Virginia. Technical Report NPS/NER/NRTR-2007/092. National Park Service, Philadelphia, PA. 396 pp.
- WVNHP [West Virginia Natural Heritage Program]. No date. Unpublished data. West Virginia Natural Heritage Program, Elkins.