Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Chestnut Oak - (Scarlet Oak, Northern Red Oak) / Mountain Laurel / Blue Ridge Blueberry Forest

Colloquial Name: Central Appalachian-Northern Piedmont Chestnut Oak Forest

Hierarchy Level:  Association

Type Concept: This chestnut oak forest occurs at relatively low elevations (mostly <900 m) in the Central Appalachians and adjacent areas (e.g., northern Piedmont), in association with dry, acidic, infertile soils on middle and upper slopes. The canopy, which may be rather short, is strongly dominated by Quercus montana. The most characteristic canopy associates are Quercus coccinea, which varies from sparse to codominant, and Quercus rubra. Minor associates frequently include Quercus velutina, Quercus alba, Nyssa sylvatica, Sassafras albidum, and/or Robinia pseudoacacia. Root sprouts of Castanea dentata are present in some areas. Acer rubrum and Nyssa sylvatica are often abundant in the understory tree layers. Tall shrubs include Kalmia latifolia (usually dominant), Viburnum acerifolium, and Rhododendron periclymenoides. The short-shrub layer is well-developed and includes Vaccinium pallidum, Vaccinium stamineum, and Gaylussacia baccata, any one of which can exhibit patch-dominance. The herb layer generally has sparse cover but sometimes includes scattered individuals of Aureolaria laevigata, Chimaphila maculata, Comandra umbellata, Cypripedium acaule, Danthonia spicata, Epigaea repens, Gaultheria procumbens, Hieracium venosum, Lysimachia quadrifolia, Medeola virginiana, Monotropa uniflora, Pteridium aquilinum, and/or Uvularia puberula. Strong dominance of Quercus montana in the canopy, strong dominance of Kalmia latifolia in the tall-shrub layer, and Vaccinium pallidum present and often abundant as a short shrub are diagnostics for this type.

Diagnostic Characteristics: This community can be readily identified by its dry, infertile sites and quite species-poor vegetation overwhelmingly dominated by Quercus montana in the tree layer and Kalmia latifolia in the shrub layer (each averaging 25-50% cover in more than 80 Virginia and Maryland plot samples), with Acer rubrum and Nyssa sylvatica abundant in the subcanopy.

Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available

Classification Comments: Two variants of the type have been detected in quantitative analyses: (1) a variant with Quercus rubra as the principal associate of Quercus montana, with Betula lenta and Hamamelis virginiana often important in the subcanopy and shrub layers, typically occurring on sheltered slopes, often with northerly aspects; and (2) a variant with Quercus coccinea as the principal associate of Quercus montana, occurring with Gaylussacia baccata and Rhododendron periclymenoides, typically on warmer, more open and exposed sites, especially those with a more discernible history of heavy cutting and fire within the last 100 years. However, these variants and their habitats are fully intergradational and have few other floristic attributes that could be considered reliably "diagnostic." This association is the Central Appalachian analogue of ~Quercus (montana, coccinea) / Kalmia latifolia / (Galax urceolata, Gaultheria procumbens) Forest (CEGL006271)$$. It is compositionally similar but generally lacks Southern Appalachian species such as Galax urceolata, Oxydendrum arboreum, and Eubotrys recurvus. At the southern end of its range, there is a transition zone and many stands could be assigned equally well to either type.

Similar NVC Types: No Data Available

note: No Data Available