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CEGL006329 Pinus rigida - Quercus coccinea - Quercus falcata / (Quercus marilandica) / Gaylussacia frondosa Woodland
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Pitch Pine - Scarlet Oak - Southern Red Oak / (Blackjack Oak) / Blue Huckleberry Woodland
Colloquial Name: North Atlantic Coastal Plain Oak - Pine Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This pitch pine - oak woodland of dry sandy soils occurs in portions of the New Jersey Pine Barrens and the Cape May peninsula, with outliers occurring south of the Delaware Bay on the Maryland Inner Coastal Plain. Dominant trees include Pinus rigida mixed with tree oaks, most frequently Quercus falcata and Quercus coccinea. Other associated oaks include Quercus velutina and Quercus alba. Pinus virginiana sometimes occurs, and in New Jersey, Pinus echinata may be an associate. Maryland occurrences may also include Nyssa sylvatica and Liquidambar styraciflua in the canopy. The tall-shrub layer is characterized by Quercus marilandica, Quercus prinoides, Ilex opaca, Sassafras albidum, and occasionally Kalmia latifolia. Maryland occurrences also support Castanea pumila, Lyonia mariana, and Vaccinium fuscatum in this layer. A short-shrub layer is dominated by Gaylussacia frondosa, Gaylussacia baccata, and Vaccinium pallidum. The herbaceous or field layer is usually sparse and may include Smilax glauca, Chimaphila maculata, Gaultheria procumbens, Carex pensylvanica, and Cypripedium acaule.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Classification of this association at the southern end of its range is supported by analysis of plot data for the NCR vegetation mapping project. In that analysis, a group of six Maryland plots sampled from areas of the Patuxent Formation proved distinct from related oak/heath vegetation and matched this type closely.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: Current examples of this community vary from woodlands to open forests. The overstory consists of Pinus rigida mixed with tree oaks, most frequently Quercus falcata and Quercus coccinea. Other associated oaks include Quercus velutina and Quercus alba. Pinus virginiana sometimes occurs, and in New Jersey, Pinus echinata may be an associate. Maryland occurrences may also include Nyssa sylvatica and Liquidambar styraciflua in the canopy. The tall-shrub layer is characterized by Quercus marilandica, Quercus prinoides, Ilex opaca, Sassafras albidum, Castanea pumila, and occasionally Kalmia latifolia. Maryland occurrences also support Castanea pumila, Lyonia mariana, and Vaccinium fuscatum in this layer. A short-shrub layer is dominated by Gaylussacia frondosa, Gaylussacia baccata, and Vaccinium pallidum. The herbaceous or field layer is usually sparse and may include Smilax glauca, Chimaphila maculata, Gaultheria procumbens, Carex pensylvanica, and Cypripedium acaule.
Dynamics: Edaphic conditions (xeric, rapidly drained soils) are undoubtedly an important influence on vegetation composition. In New Jersey, and likely in Maryland, periodic fires once contributed to the woodland physiognomy and ensured long-term recruitment of the strongly fire-adapted Pinus rigida. Exclusion of fires for many decades (especially in Maryland) may have contributed to the closure of some stands and the presence of fire-intolerant species such as Pinus virginiana and Acer rubrum.
Environmental Description: This community is associated with xeric, sublevel, sandy uplands. In Maryland, soils are unconsolidated sands of the Patuxent Formation and are extremely acidic with exceedingly low base cation and base saturation levels, indicating extreme infertility.
Geographic Range: This association occurs on the Coastal Plain of New Jersey and Maryland.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: DC, MD, NJ
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.790988
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G2G3
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.b Black Oak - American Beech - Pitch Pine Coastal Plain Forest Group | G894 | 1.B.2.Na.9.b |
| Alliance | A4209 Black Oak - Southern Red Oak - Pitch Pine Coastal Plain Forest Alliance | A4209 | 1.B.2.Na.9.b |
| Association | CEGL006329 Pitch Pine - Scarlet Oak - Southern Red Oak / (Blackjack Oak) / Blue Huckleberry Woodland | CEGL006329 | 1.B.2.Na.9.b |
Concept Lineage: CEGL006929 subsequently split back out (EFL 11-09). CEGL006938, CEGL006929 and CEGL006942 merged into this new type (CEGL006329) (LAS 1-06).
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: > Pinus rigida - Pinus virginiana / Vaccinium fuscatum / Epigaea repens Forest (NatureServe 2005a)
> Pinus rigida - Quercus coccinea / Gaylussacia baccata - Vaccinium pallidum - Castanea pumila Forest (NatureServe 2005a)
> Pinus rigida / Sassafras albidum - Quercus prinoides / Gaylussacia baccata - Vaccinium pallidum Forest (NatureServe 2005a)
> Mixed Pine - Oak Mid-Successional Forest (PO3, variant of PO1, PO2) (Windisch 2014a)
> Pine - Oak Forest (PO1) (Windisch 2014a)
> Pine - Oak Successional Woodland (SPO) (Windisch 2014a)
> Pine - Oak Upland (POU; variant of PO2 and others) (Windisch 2014a)
? Pine Oak Woodland (POW9) (Windisch 1995b)
> Pitch Pine - Oak Forest (P02; variant of Pine - Oak Forest) (Windisch 2014a)
> Pinus rigida - Quercus coccinea / Gaylussacia baccata - Vaccinium pallidum - Castanea pumila Forest (NatureServe 2005a)
> Pinus rigida / Sassafras albidum - Quercus prinoides / Gaylussacia baccata - Vaccinium pallidum Forest (NatureServe 2005a)
> Mixed Pine - Oak Mid-Successional Forest (PO3, variant of PO1, PO2) (Windisch 2014a)
> Pine - Oak Forest (PO1) (Windisch 2014a)
> Pine - Oak Successional Woodland (SPO) (Windisch 2014a)
> Pine - Oak Upland (POU; variant of PO2 and others) (Windisch 2014a)
? Pine Oak Woodland (POW9) (Windisch 1995b)
> Pitch Pine - Oak Forest (P02; variant of Pine - Oak Forest) (Windisch 2014a)
- Eastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boston, MA.
- 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.
- NatureServe. 2005a. Upper Anacostia Watershed: Plant communities of conservation significance. Unpublished report. NatureServe, Arlington, VA. 12 pp. plus appendices.
- Windisch, A .G. 2014a. Pinelands ecological communities and higher level groups with crosswalk / proposed 2008 revisions to NVC. November 16, 2014 draft. New Jersey Natural Heritage Program, Trenton.
- Windisch, A. G. 1995b. Natural community inventory of Fort Dix, New Jersey. The Nature Conservancy report. New Jersey Natural Heritage Program, Office of Natural Lands Management. Trenton, NJ. 81 pp.