Print Report
CEGL008567 Quercus alba - Quercus falcata / Vaccinium (arboreum, hirsutum, pallidum) Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: White Oak - Southern Red Oak / (Farkleberry, Hairy Blueberry, Blue Ridge Blueberry) Forest
Colloquial Name: Appalachian White Oak - Southern Red Oak Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This is a dry-mesic, deciduous white oak - southern red oak forest found at lower elevations (200-550 m [700-1800 feet]) in the Ridge and Valley and the adjacent southern part of the Southern Blue Ridge, in Tennessee, North Carolina and possibly adjacent Georgia. This includes the gentle slopes and shallow dry-mesic drains of the more-or-less flat metasedimentary surface of Chilhowee Mountain, Tennessee. The canopy is dominated by Quercus alba and Quercus falcata, possibly with Quercus stellata and Quercus velutina, typically with lower cover by Quercus stellata, Quercus coccinea, and/or Quercus muehlenbergii. The hickory species Carya tomentosa, Carya glabra, and Carya ovata may also be present or codominant. Dominance by pines (e.g., Pinus echinata, Pinus strobus, Pinus virginiana) should be less than 25%. The subcanopy typically contains Oxydendrum arboreum, Nyssa sylvatica, Acer rubrum, Carya glabra, and Pinus strobus. Shrubs and other woody plants that may be present include Carya pallida, Cornus florida, Rhododendron calendulaceum, Tsuga canadensis, Sassafras albidum, Ostrya virginiana, Amelanchier arborea, and Magnolia fraseri.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This type is peripheral in the Southern Blue Ridge, being more typical of the Ridge and Valley and better developed and distributed in the Ridge and Valley. Stands assigned here should be primarily deciduous-dominated; greater than 25% dominance by pines (e.g., Pinus echinata, Pinus strobus, Pinus virginiana) would lead to assignment to a related mixed evergreen-deciduous type (e.g., CEGL007517, CEGL008427). This forest seems to be distinct because no element from this alliance has been previously described from the Ridge and Valley and the southern part of the Southern Blue Ridge; the alliance is better developed in the Coastal Plain and other related ecoregions.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The canopy of stands of this type is dominated by Quercus alba and Quercus falcata, possibly with Quercus stellata and Quercus velutina, typically with lower cover by Quercus stellata, Quercus coccinea, and/or Quercus muehlenbergii. The hickory species Carya tomentosa (= Carya alba), Carya glabra, and Carya ovata may also be present or codominant. Dominance by pines (e.g., Pinus echinata, Pinus strobus, Pinus virginiana) should be less than 25%. The subcanopy typically contains Oxydendrum arboreum, Nyssa sylvatica, Acer rubrum, Carya glabra, and Pinus strobus. Shrubs and other woody plants that may be present include Carya pallida, Cornus florida, Rhododendron calendulaceum, Tsuga canadensis, Sassafras albidum, Ostrya virginiana, Amelanchier arborea, and Magnolia fraseri. In the Southern Blue Ridge of southeastern Tennessee (e.g., on Chilhowee Mountain), the low-shrub layer may be dominated by Vaccinium hirsutum; outside of the limited range of this species, the shrub strata may contain other ericaceous shrubs such as Vaccinium arboreum and Vaccinium pallidum. Other shrubs include Smilax glauca. Vines include Vitis rotundifolia. Herbs include Mitchella repens, Dichanthelium sp., Eupatorium sp., Iris verna, Smilax glauca, Solidago odora, Pleopeltis polypodioides ssp. michauxiana, Hypericum hypericoides ssp. multicaule, Chasmanthium sessiliflorum, Viola sp., and Botrychium virginianum. Additional herbs include Coreopsis major, Houstonia purpurea, Ipomoea pandurata, Lobelia puberula, Lysimachia quadrifolia, and Stenanthium gramineum.
In a stand in the Cherokee National Forest (John Muir Trail #2), the canopy contains Quercus alba, Quercus falcata, and Quercus stellata. The subcanopy contains Oxydendrum arboreum, Nyssa sylvatica, Acer rubrum, Carya glabra, and Pinus strobus. Shrubs include Vaccinium arboreum, Tsuga canadensis, Vaccinium pallidum, Sassafras albidum, Ostrya virginiana, Amelanchier arborea, and Magnolia fraseri. Vines include Vitis rotundifolia. Herbs include Mitchella repens, Dichanthelium sp., Eupatorium sp., Iris verna, Smilax glauca, Solidago odora, Pleopeltis polypodioides ssp. michauxiana, Hypericum hypericoides ssp. multicaule, Chasmanthium sessiliflorum, Viola sp., and Botrychium virginianum. Plots assigned to this type from Tellico Pilot Project (Ridge and Valley of Tennessee) (Andreu and Tukman 1995) are variably dominated by Quercus alba, Quercus velutina, and Quercus falcata, typically with lower cover by Quercus stellata, Quercus coccinea, and Quercus muehlenbergii. The hickory species Carya tomentosa, Carya glabra, and Carya ovata may also be present or codominant. These stands may also contain Liriodendron tulipifera, Liquidambar styraciflua, Pinus virginiana, Pinus echinata in their canopies, and Oxydendrum arboreum, Juniperus virginiana, Nyssa sylvatica, Cornus florida, Cercis canadensis, and Fagus grandifolia in their subcanopies. Data from lower strata were not consistently developed in this study.
In a stand in the Cherokee National Forest (John Muir Trail #2), the canopy contains Quercus alba, Quercus falcata, and Quercus stellata. The subcanopy contains Oxydendrum arboreum, Nyssa sylvatica, Acer rubrum, Carya glabra, and Pinus strobus. Shrubs include Vaccinium arboreum, Tsuga canadensis, Vaccinium pallidum, Sassafras albidum, Ostrya virginiana, Amelanchier arborea, and Magnolia fraseri. Vines include Vitis rotundifolia. Herbs include Mitchella repens, Dichanthelium sp., Eupatorium sp., Iris verna, Smilax glauca, Solidago odora, Pleopeltis polypodioides ssp. michauxiana, Hypericum hypericoides ssp. multicaule, Chasmanthium sessiliflorum, Viola sp., and Botrychium virginianum. Plots assigned to this type from Tellico Pilot Project (Ridge and Valley of Tennessee) (Andreu and Tukman 1995) are variably dominated by Quercus alba, Quercus velutina, and Quercus falcata, typically with lower cover by Quercus stellata, Quercus coccinea, and Quercus muehlenbergii. The hickory species Carya tomentosa, Carya glabra, and Carya ovata may also be present or codominant. These stands may also contain Liriodendron tulipifera, Liquidambar styraciflua, Pinus virginiana, Pinus echinata in their canopies, and Oxydendrum arboreum, Juniperus virginiana, Nyssa sylvatica, Cornus florida, Cercis canadensis, and Fagus grandifolia in their subcanopies. Data from lower strata were not consistently developed in this study.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: These dry-mesic forests are found at lower elevations (200-550 m [700-1800 feet]) in the Ridge and Valley and the adjacent southern part of the Southern Blue Ridge, in Tennessee and possibly adjacent Georgia. This includes the gentle slopes and shallow dry-mesic drains of the more-or-less flat metasedimentary surface of Chilhowee Mountain, Tennessee. Chilhowee Mountain is regarded as being somewhat more like the adjacent Ridge and Valley than like the majority of the Southern Blue Ridge. Classed by Keys et al. (1995) as part of M221Dd but by EPA (2004) as part of a separate Level IV Ecoregion 66e.
Geographic Range: This association is thought to be mostly restricted to the Ridge and Valley and lower elevations of the southern end of the adjacent Southern Blue Ridge in Tennessee, North Carolina and presumably adjacent Georgia.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: GA?, TN
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.689283
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G3G4
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.a Chestnut Oak - Hickory species / American Chestnut Forest Group | G015 | 1.B.2.Na.2.a |
| Alliance | A4390 White Oak - Northern Red Oak - Quercus montana Forest Alliance | A4390 | 1.B.2.Na.2.a |
| Association | CEGL008567 White Oak - Southern Red Oak / (Farkleberry, Hairy Blueberry, Blue Ridge Blueberry) Forest | CEGL008567 | 1.B.2.Na.2.a |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: >< Quercus falcata - Q. stellata - Carya (tomentosa, ovata) / Juniperus virginiana (66) (Andreu and Tukman 1995)
- Andreu, M. G., and M. L. Tukman. 1995. Forest communities of the Tellico Lake Area, East Tennessee. M.F. project report, Duke University, School of the Environment. Durham, NC. 66 pp. plus appendices.
- EPA [Environmental Protection Agency]. 2004. Level III and IV Ecoregions of EPA Region 4. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Western Ecology Division, Corvallis, OR. Scale 1:2,000,000.
- Keys, J. E., Jr., C. A. Carpenter, S. L. Hooks, F. G. Koenig, W. H. McNab, W. E. Russell, and M-L. Smith. 1995. Ecological units of the eastern United States - first approximation (map and booklet of map unit tables). Presentation scale 1:3,500,000, colored. USDA Forest Service, Atlanta, GA.
- NatureServe Ecology - Southeastern United States. No date. Unpublished data. NatureServe, Durham, NC.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.