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CEGL006620 Tsuga canadensis - Quercus rubra - Platanus occidentalis / Rhododendron maximum / Anemone quinquefolia Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Eastern Hemlock - Northern Red Oak - American Sycamore / Great Laurel / Wood Anemone Forest
Colloquial Name: Appalachian-Alleghenian Hemlock Floodplain Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This association is a mixed evergreen-deciduous floodplain forest, usually with a somewhat open canopy, with Tsuga canadensis prominent in the canopy and/or subcanopy. It occurs in small patches on higher floodplains of medium-sized streams which are infrequently flooded. Along smaller streams, stands may occur in positions subject to more frequent, low-energy floods. Mature stands along rivers may represent late-successional vegetation on stabilized terraces, but succession may be reversed by renewed scouring and bank erosion as rivers migrate across their floodplains. Microtopography is characterized by fluvial features including levees and swales. Codominant trees include Tsuga canadensis, Acer rubrum var. rubrum, Liriodendron tulipifera, and Quercus rubra. Mature stands have Tsuga canadensis codominant in the canopy layer, but younger stands may have dominance by this shade-tolerant species in the lower strata. Additional trees include Betula lenta, Fagus grandifolia, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Robinia pseudoacacia, and Sassafras albidum. Tree species that characterize this association as a floodplain forest, including Platanus occidentalis and Betula nigra, usually occur at low cover. Shrub layers may have moderate to dense cover and are dominated by Rhododendron maximum. Herb layers are sparse and species-poor but usually include a few species more typical of floodplains than of upland hemlock forests, such as Amphicarpaea bracteata, Arisaema triphyllum, Cryptotaenia canadensis, and Rudbeckia laciniata.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This association is classified based on data from 21 plots from the Bluestone, Buckhannon, Dry Fork, Gauley, Greenbrier, and Shavers Fork drainages in West Virginia. It is floristically similar to upland mixed deciduous-hemlock forests (e.g., ~Liriodendron tulipifera - Betula lenta - Tsuga canadensis / Rhododendron maximum Forest (CEGL007543)$$), but the presence of floodplain species and contrasting disturbance and successional dynamics support its recognition as a distinct association. Its potential range is larger than currently described, and data from other areas would help increase confidence in the type.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: This association is a mixed evergreen-deciduous floodplain forest, usually with a somewhat open canopy, codominated by Tsuga canadensis in the canopy and/or subcanopy. Trees along the river''s edge often lean towards and eventually topple into the river as the banks are undercut. Codominant trees include Liriodendron tulipifera, Acer rubrum var. rubrum, and Quercus rubra. Mature stands have Tsuga canadensis codominant in the canopy layer, but younger stands may have dominance by this shade-tolerant species in the lower strata. Additional trees include Betula lenta, Fagus grandifolia, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Oxydendrum arboreum, and Nyssa sylvatica. Tree species that characterize this association as a floodplain forest, including Platanus occidentalis, Betula nigra, and Liquidambar styraciflua, usually occur at low cover. Shrub layers may have moderate to dense cover. In some areas, the shrub layer is dominated by Rhododendron maximum and in some areas the short, rhizomatous shrub Xanthorhiza simplicissima may be abundant. Herb layers are sparse and species-poor but usually include a few species more typical of floodplains than of upland hemlock forests. Herbs include Anemone quinquefolia, Amphicarpaea bracteata, Arisaema triphyllum, Aristolochia macrophylla, Carex plantaginea, Conopholis americana, Cryptotaenia canadensis, Dryopteris intermedia, Eurybia divaricata, Galium triflorum, Maianthemum canadense, Maianthemum racemosum ssp. racemosum, Mitchella repens, Osmorhiza claytonii, Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Polygonatum pubescens, Polystichum acrostichoides, and Rudbeckia laciniata var. laciniata.
Dynamics: Mature stands along rivers may represent late-successional vegetation on stabilized terraces, but succession may be reversed by renewed scouring and bank erosion as rivers migrate across their floodplains. Trees along the river''s edge often lean towards and eventually topple into the river as the banks are undercut.
Environmental Description: This association occurs in small patches on higher floodplains of medium-sized streams which are infrequently flooded. Along smaller streams, stands may occur in positions subject to more frequent, low-energy floods. Mature stands along rivers may represent late-successional vegetation on stabilized terraces, but succession may be reversed by renewed scouring and bank erosion as rivers migrate across their floodplains. Microtopography is characterized by fluvial features including levees and swales. In West Virginia, plot sampled stands of this association occur at elevations ranging from 207 to 632 m (675-2073 feet). Unvegetated ground cover is typically dominated by litter but may also include coarse woody debris (flotsam) and exposed sand and rock in more recently flooded examples. Soils are temporarily flooded, well-drained, deep, stone-free sand with a thin surficial duff layer, and test medium to extremely acidic.
Geographic Range: This association is currently known from floodplains of medium-sized streams west of the Eastern Continental Divide in West Virginia, including the Bluestone, Buckhannon, Dry Fork, Gauley, Greenbrier, and Shavers Fork rivers and their tributaries.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: WV
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.807753
Confidence Level: Moderate
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.3 Temperate Flooded & Swamp Forest Formation | F026 | 1.B.3 |
| Division | 1.B.3.Na Eastern North American-Great Plains Flooded & Swamp Forest Division | D011 | 1.B.3.Na |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.3.Na.1 Silver Maple - American Sycamore - Hackberry species Floodplain Forest Macrogroup | M029 | 1.B.3.Na.1 |
| Group | 1.B.3.Na.1.b <i>Acer saccharinum - Platanus occidentalis - Liquidambar styraciflua</i> Floodplain Forest Group | G673 | 1.B.3.Na.1.b |
| Alliance | A3701 American Sycamore - Green Ash - Tuliptree Central Appalachian-Piedmont Floodplain Forest Alliance | A3701 | 1.B.3.Na.1.b |
| Association | CEGL006620 Eastern Hemlock - Northern Red Oak - American Sycamore / Great Laurel / Wood Anemone Forest | CEGL006620 | 1.B.3.Na.1.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: >< Tsuga canadensis - Betula nigra / Rhododendron woodland (Walton and Anderson 1997)
= Tsuga canadensis - Quercus rubra - (Betula nigra) / Rhododendron maximum Floodplain Forest [Hemlock Floodplain Forest] (Vanderhorst 2017a)
= Tsuga canadensis - Quercus rubra - (Betula nigra) / Rhododendron maximum Floodplain Forest [Hemlock Floodplain Forest] (Vanderhorst 2017a)
- Eastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Boston, MA.
- Perez, John. Personal communication. Biologist, USDI National Park Service, Glen Jean, WV.
- Vanderhorst, J. 2017a. Wild vegetation of West Virginia: High floodplain forests and woodlands. West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program. [http://wvdnr.gov/Wildlife/Factsheets/HighFloodplain.shtm]
- Vanderhorst, J. P., B. P. Streets, J. Jeuck, and S. C. Gawler. 2008. Vegetation classification and mapping of Bluestone National Scenic River, West Virginia. Technical Report NPS/NER/NRTR--2008/106. National Park Service, Philadelphia, PA.
- Vanderhorst, J. P., B. P. Streets, Z. Arcaro, and S. C. Gawler. 2010. Vegetation classification and mapping at Gauley River National Recreation Area. Technical Report NPS/NER/NRTR--2010/148. National Park Service, Philadelphia, PA.
- WVNHP [West Virginia Natural Heritage Program]. No date. Unpublished data. West Virginia Natural Heritage Program, Elkins.
- Walton, D., and M. Anderson. 1997. Critical habitats and associated communities in the riparian zone of the Gauley River. West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program, Elkins.