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CEGL006122 Quercus alba - Acer rubrum - Carya ovata / Viburnum acerifolium / Waldsteinia fragarioides Clayplain Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: White Oak - Red Maple - Shagbark Hickory / Mapleleaf Viburnum / Appalachian Barren Strawberry Clayplain Forest
Colloquial Name: St Lawrence Valley Mesic Clayplain Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This mesic, deciduous forest occurs on clay and silt plains of the Champlain Valley in Vermont and New York. Soils are deep and fertile, and soil moisture varies with texture and topographic position. In some areas, thin lenses of sand lie over the clay. The closed canopy is composed of Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, Acer rubrum, Carya ovata, Fraxinus americana, and Pinus strobus. Associated species can include Tsuga canadensis, Acer saccharum, Fagus grandifolia, Quercus bicolor, and Quercus macrocarpa. Tilia americana, Ostrya virginiana, and Carpinus caroliniana may also be locally present. The shrub layer is typically well-developed with Viburnum acerifolium, Hamamelis virginiana, Lindera benzoin, Rhus aromatica, and Rosa carolina. The herbaceous layer can be diverse and abundant. Characteristic species include Waldsteinia fragarioides and Moehringia lateriflora. Also common are Uvularia sessilifolia, Geranium maculatum, Brachyelytrum erectum, Circaea lutetiana, Carex gracillima, Carex laxiculmis, Carex rosea, Carex pensylvanica, Rubus pubescens, and Rubus hispidus. Slight changes in microtopography can produce changes in species composition. Wetter sites may have Quercus bicolor, Ulmus americana, Ilex verticillata, Viburnum recognitum, Carex lacustris, Carex tenera, Carex intumescens, Carex tribuloides, Carex baileyi, and Thelypteris palustris. Drier areas harbor Vaccinium angustifolium and Carex pensylvanica. Invasive, exotic shrubs can be problematic, including Lonicera morrowii, Lonicera tatarica, Berberis thunbergii, Rhamnus cathartica, and Frangula alnus.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Upon European settlement, much of this forest, especially the most well-drained areas, were cleared for agriculture. In Vermont, the remaining examples of Clayplain Forest are generally on moister sites, though they typically contain a mosaic of wet and less-wet areas.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The closed canopy is composed of Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, Acer rubrum, Carya ovata, Fraxinus americana, and Pinus strobus. Associated species can include Tsuga canadensis, Acer saccharum, Fagus grandifolia, Quercus bicolor, and Quercus macrocarpa. Tilia americana, Ostrya virginiana, and Carpinus caroliniana may also be locally present. The shrub layer is typically well-developed with Viburnum acerifolium, Hamamelis virginiana, Lindera benzoin, Rhus aromatica, and Rosa carolina. The herbaceous layer can be diverse and abundant. Characteristic species include Waldsteinia fragarioides and Moehringia lateriflora (= Arenaria lateriflora). Also common are Uvularia sessilifolia, Geranium maculatum, Brachyelytrum erectum, Circaea lutetiana, Carex gracillima, Carex laxiculmis, Carex rosea, Carex pensylvanica, Rubus pubescens, and Rubus hispidus. Slight changes in microtopography can produce changes in species composition. Wetter sites may have Quercus bicolor, Ulmus americana, Ilex verticillata, Viburnum recognitum, Carex lacustris, Carex tenera, Carex intumescens, Carex tribuloides, Carex baileyi, and Thelypteris palustris. Drier areas harbor Vaccinium angustifolium and Carex pensylvanica. Invasive, exotic shrubs can be problematic, including Lonicera morrowii, Lonicera tatarica, Berberis thunbergii, Rhamnus cathartica, and Frangula alnus (= Rhamnus frangula).
Dynamics: Pinus strobus, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, and Populus tremuloides may be prevalent or dominate early successional areas.
Environmental Description: Soils are deep, fertile, glaciolacustrine silts and clays. Soil moisture varies with soil texture and topographic position. In some areas, thin lenses of sand lie over the clay.
Geographic Range: Currently described from the Lake Champlain Valley in Vermont and New York.
Nations: CA?,US
States/Provinces: NY, ON?, VT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.728816
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GNR
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.c White Oak - Chestnut Oak - Pignut Hickory Forest & Woodland Group | G650 | 1.B.2.Na.2.c |
| Alliance | A4477 <i>Quercus alba - Quercus rubra - Acer</i> spp. Clayplain Forest | A4477 | 1.B.2.Na.2.c |
| Association | CEGL006122 White Oak - Red Maple - Shagbark Hickory / Mapleleaf Viburnum / Appalachian Barren Strawberry Clayplain Forest | CEGL006122 | 1.B.2.Na.2.c |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Mesic Clayplain Forest (Thompson and Sorenson 2000)
- Eastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boston, MA.
- Edinger, G. J., D. J. Evans, S. Gebauer, T. G. Howard, D. M. Hunt, and A. M. Olivero, editors. 2014a. Ecological communities of New York state. Second edition. A revised and expanded edition of Carol Reschke''s ecological communities of New York state. New York Natural Heritage Program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Albany, NY.
- Lapin, M. 1988. Champlain Valley clayplain forests of Vermont: Some sites of ecological importance. Unpublished document. Nongame and Natural Heritage Program, Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department, Agency of Natural Resources, Waterbury, VT.
- Thompson, E. H., and E. R. Sorenson. 2000. Wetland, woodland, wildland: A guide to the natural communities of Vermont. The Nature Conservancy and the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife. University Press of New England, Hanover, NH. 456 pp.
- Thompson, E. H., and E. R. Sorenson. 2005. Wetland, woodland, wildland: A guide to the natural communities of Vermont. The Nature Conservancy and the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife. University Press of New England, Hanover, NH. 456 pp.