Print Report
CEGL007295 Quercus alba / Kalmia latifolia Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: White Oak / Mountain Laurel Forest
Colloquial Name: Southern Blue Ridge High-Elevation White Oak Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This community comprises Quercus alba-dominated forests on exposed, rocky ridges and convex upper slopes at high elevations (>915 m [3000 feet]). The shrub stratum is dominated by Kalmia latifolia, occurring as patches or with continuous cover (>25%). In some parts of this forest''s range, Gaylussacia ursina is dominant in the often dense low-shrub stratum. Herbaceous cover is typical of xeric Quercus-and-Carya-dominated forests in the area, with Carex pensylvanica, Chimaphila maculata, Euphorbia corollata, Galax urceolata, Galium latifolium, Goodyera pubescens, Hexastylis shuttleworthii, Iris verna var. smalliana, Medeola virginiana typical. The shrub/sapling stratum often has a high coverage of Castanea stump sprouts and also includes Castanea pumila, Sassafras albidum, Oxydendrum arboreum, and Nyssa sylvatica.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: These forests are related to oak - hickory forests and may be best considered as a variant of them. Similar associations include ~Quercus rubra / (Kalmia latifolia, Rhododendron catawbiense, Rhododendron maximum) / Galax urceolata Forest (CEGL007299)$$, ~Quercus rubra / (Vaccinium simulatum, Rhododendron calendulaceum) / (Dennstaedtia punctilobula, Thelypteris noveboracensis) Forest (CEGL007300)$$, and ~Quercus alba - Quercus (rubra, montana) / Rhododendron calendulaceum - (Gaylussacia ursina) Forest (CEGL007230)$$. On some sites these forests are transitional to Quercus rubra-dominated forests (High Elevation Red Oak Forest).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: These forests are dominated by Quercus alba in the canopy. The shrub stratum is dominated by Kalmia latifolia, occurring as patches or with continuous cover (>25%). In some parts of this forest''s range, Gaylussacia ursina is dominant in the often dense low-shrub stratum. Herbaceous cover is typical of xeric Quercus-and-Carya-dominated forests in the area, with Carex pensylvanica, Chimaphila maculata, Euphorbia corollata, Galax urceolata, Galium latifolium, Goodyera pubescens, Hexastylis shuttleworthii, Iris verna var. smalliana, Medeola virginiana typical. The shrub/sapling stratum often has a high coverage of Castanea stump sprouts and also includes Castanea pumila, Sassafras albidum, Oxydendrum arboreum, and Nyssa sylvatica.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: These Quercus alba-dominated forests occur on exposed, rocky ridges and convex upper slopes at high elevations (>915 m [3000 feet]).
Geographic Range: This community occurs in the Southern Blue Ridge of western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, northwestern South Carolina, and northeastern Georgia.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: GA, NC, SC, TN
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.689836
Confidence Level: Low - Poorly Documented
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2Q
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 | A3116 Northern Red Oak - White Oak Montane Forest Alliance | A3116 | 1.B.2.Na.2.a |
| Association | CEGL007295 White Oak / Mountain Laurel Forest | CEGL007295 | 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 alba / Castanea dentata / Gaylussacia ursina Forest (Patterson 1994)
? IA4h. High Elevation White Oak Forest (Allard 1990)
< White Oak: 53 (Eyre 1980)
? IA4h. High Elevation White Oak Forest (Allard 1990)
< White Oak: 53 (Eyre 1980)
- 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.
- Eyre, F. H., editor. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Society of American Foresters, Washington, DC. 148 pp.
- McCormick, J. F., and R. B. Platt. 1980. Recovery of an Appalachian forest following the chestnut blight, or Catherine Keever--You were right! The American Midland Naturalist 104:264-273.
- Nelson, J. B. 1986. The natural communities of South Carolina: Initial classification and description. South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department, Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, Columbia, SC. 55 pp.
- Newell, C. L., and R. K. Peet. 1995. Vegetation of Linville Gorge Wilderness, North Carolina. Unpublished report. to USDA Forest Service. University of North Carolina, Department of Biology, Chapel Hill. 211 pp.
- Patterson, K. D. 1994. Classification of vegetation in Ellicott Rock Wilderness, Southeastern Blue Ridge Escarpment. M.S. thesis, North Carolina State University, Raleigh. 91 pp.
- 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.
- 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.
- Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.