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CEGL006052 Pinus taeda / Hudsonia tomentosa Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Loblolly Pine / Woolly Beach-heather Woodland
Colloquial Name: Loblolly Pine Dune Woodland
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This maritime woodland occurs on large, xeric sand dunes of barrier islands in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. Soils in this community are sandy and rapidly drained. It often occurs directly adjacent to actively shifting foredunes and is exposed to salt spray, winds and storms. The community also occurs on unstable sands of protected backdunes. In the denser woodlands, more pine duff accumulates, and herb diversity and cover are generally higher. Where woodlands are more open and trees sparse, growing conditions are harsh, less duff accumulates, and vast areas of exposed white sand are characteristic. Trees are generally characterized by low spreading branches and multiple trunks. A shrub layer is sparse or lacking; herbaceous cover is usually low. Pinus taeda dominates the canopy, but hardwoods such as Quercus falcata, Quercus nigra, and Ilex opaca are frequent but have low stature and cover. Younger, smaller pines make up a sparse subcanopy. Tall shrubs are also sparse, although an occasional Morella cerifera, Pinus taeda sapling, hardwood sapling, or Vaccinium corymbosum can be found. Sparse low shrubs of Hudsonia tomentosa are more common. Smilax glauca, Smilax rotundifolia, and Toxicodendron radicans are typical vines. Herbs are sparse, yet much varied; Schizachyrium littorale is commonly present. The typical pattern of herb distribution is on dry open sand, in direct sunlight. Here, small patches of Dichanthelium ovale, Dichanthelium scoparium, Schizachyrium littorale, Cyperus grayi, Lechea maritima var. virginica, Eupatorium rotundifolium, Erigeron sp., Euthamia caroliniana, Solidago sempervirens, Aristida tuberculosa, Polygonella articulata, Panicum amarum, and Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium are typically mixed with scattered Hudsonia tomentosa and Smilax rotundifolia.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This community gained greater extent in some areas of Virginia barrier beaches following logging (Higgins et al. 1971, Bratton and Davison 1987, Schafale and Weakley 1990).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This community is characterized by a very open canopy created by sparsely distributed Pinus taeda. Hardwoods such as Quercus falcata, Quercus nigra, and Ilex opaca are frequent but have low stature and cover. At the southern end of the range, small individuals of Quercus virginiana and Quercus incana may be associated. Pines make up a sparse subcanopy. Tall shrubs are also sparse, although an occasional Morella cerifera (= Myrica cerifera), Pinus taeda sapling, hardwood sapling, or Vaccinium corymbosum can be found. Sparse low shrubs of Hudsonia tomentosa are common. Smilax glauca and Toxicodendron radicans are typical vine species but make up less than 5% cover. Herbs are sparse, yet much varied. Schizachyrium littorale and Smilax rotundifolia are commonly present. The typical pattern of herb distribution is on dry open sand, in direct sunlight. Here, small patches of Dichanthelium ovale, Dichanthelium scoparium, Schizachyrium littorale, Cyperus grayi, Lechea maritima var. virginica, Eupatorium rotundifolium, Erigeron sp., Euthamia caroliniana (= Euthamia tenuifolia), Solidago sempervirens, Aristida tuberculosa, Polygonella articulata, Panicum amarum, and Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium (= Gnaphalium obtusifolium) are typically mixed with scattered Hudsonia tomentosa and Smilax rotundifolia. In total, herb cover ranges from 5-40%, generally near the lower end of the scale.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: This community is a maritime woodland of large, xeric sand dunes. Soils in this community are sandy and rapidly drained. This community often occurs directly adjacent to actively shifting foredune and is exposed to salt spray, winds, and storms. The community also occurs on unstable sands of protected backdunes. In the denser woodlands, more pine duff accumulates and herb diversity and cover is generally higher. Where woodlands are more open and trees sparse, growing conditions are harsh, less duff accumulates, and vast areas of exposed white sand are characteristic.
Geographic Range: This maritime woodland occurs on sand dunes of barrier islands in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. The southernmost known occurrence is at False Cape State Park in extreme southeastern Virginia.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: DE, MD, VA
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.689830
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G1G2
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.9 Pitch Pine - oak spp. - American Holly North Atlantic Forest Macrogroup | M525 | 1.B.2.Na.9 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.9.c Pitch Pine - American Beech / Northern Bayberry Maritime Forest Group | G893 | 1.B.2.Na.9.c |
| Alliance | A3105 Pitch Pine - Loblolly Pine Maritime Forest & Woodland Alliance | A3105 | 1.B.2.Na.9.c |
| Association | CEGL006052 Loblolly Pine / Woolly Beach-heather Woodland | CEGL006052 | 1.B.2.Na.9.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Pinus taeda / Hudsonia tomentosa Woodland (TNC 1997a)
>< Dune Woodland (Clampitt 1991)
= Loblolly Pine Dune Woodland (Bowman 2000)
= Loblolly Pine Dune Woodland (Clancy 1996)
< Pine woodland (Higgins et al. 1971) [Assateague Island.]
< Upland forest (Klotz 1986)
< Woodland community (Hill 1986) [Assateague Island.]
>< Dune Woodland (Clampitt 1991)
= Loblolly Pine Dune Woodland (Bowman 2000)
= Loblolly Pine Dune Woodland (Clancy 1996)
< Pine woodland (Higgins et al. 1971) [Assateague Island.]
< Upland forest (Klotz 1986)
< Woodland community (Hill 1986) [Assateague Island.]
- Bowman, P. 2000. Draft classification for Delaware. Unpublished draft. Delaware Natural Heritage Program, Smyrna, DE.
- Bratton, S. P., and K. Davison. 1987. Disturbance and succession in Buxton Woods, Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Castanea 52:166-179.
- Brock, J. C., C. W. Wright, M. Patterson, A. Naeghandi, and L. J. Travers. 2007. EAARL bare earth topography - Assateague Island National Seashore. U.S. Geological Survey Open File Report 2007-1176. [http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1176/start.html]
- Clampitt, C. A. 1991. The upland plant communities of Seashore State Park, Virginia Beach, Virginia. Virginia Journal of Science 42:419-435.
- Clancy, K. 1996. Natural communities of Delaware. Unpublished review draft. Delaware Natural Heritage Program, Division of Fish and Wildlife, Delaware Division of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, Smyrna, DE. 52 pp.
- Coxe, R. 2009. Guide to Delaware vegetation communities. Spring 2009 edition. State of Delaware, Division of Fish and Wildlife, Delaware Natural Heritage Program, Smyrna.
- Eastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boston, MA.
- 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/]
- Harrison, J. W. 2011. The natural communities of Maryland: 2011 working list of ecological community groups and community types. Unpublished report. Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife and Heritage Service, Natural Heritage Program, Annapolis. 33 pp.
- Harrison, J. W., compiler. 2004. Classification of vegetation communities of Maryland: First iteration. A subset of the International Classification of Ecological Communities: Terrestrial Vegetation of the United States, NatureServe. Maryland Natural Heritage Program, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Annapolis. 243 pp.
- Higgins, E. A. T., R. D. Rappleye, and R. G. Brown. 1971. The flora and ecology of Assateague Island. University of Maryland Experiment Station Bulletin A-172. 70 pp.
- Hill, S. R. 1986. An annotated checklist of the vascular flora of Assateague Island (Maryland and Virginia). Castanea 5:265-305.
- Klotz, L. H. 1986. The vascular flora of Wallops Island and Wallops Mainland, Virginia. Castanea 51:306-326.
- Schafale, M. P., and A. S. Weakley. 1990. Classification of the natural communities of North Carolina. Third approximation. North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh. 325 pp.
- Sneddon, L., J. Menke, A. Berdine, E. Largay, and S. Gawler. 2017. Vegetation classification and mapping of Assateague Island National Seashore. Natural Resource Report NPS/ASIS/NRR--2017/1422. National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO. 512 pp.
- TNC [The Nature Conservancy]. 1995c. NBS/NPS Vegetation Mapping Program: Vegetation classification of Assateague Island National Seashore. Unpublished report. The Nature Conservancy, Eastern Regional Office, Boston, MA.
- TNC [The Nature Conservancy]. 1997a. Vegetation classification of Assateague Island National Seashore and Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. Report to the NBS/NPS Vegetation Mapping Program. The Nature Conservancy. Eastern Regional Office, Boston, MA.