Print Report
A0230 Quercus alba - Fagus grandifolia Flatwoods & Swamp Forest Alliance
Type Concept Sentence: These are flatwood and pond forests dominated by Acer saccharum, Acer rubrum, Fagus grandifolia, Liriodendron tulipifera, Quercus alba, Quercus bicolor, Quercus michauxii, Quercus macrocarpa, Quercus palustris, and Ulmus americana, found in the northern Piedmont of New Jersey and the Chesapeake region of Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia, as well as in the eastern Great Lakes region.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: White Oak - American Beech Flatwoods & Swamp Forest Alliance
Colloquial Name: South-Central Midwest Flatwoods Forest
Hierarchy Level: Alliance
Type Concept: The canopies of stands of this alliance may contain Acer saccharum, Acer rubrum, Fagus grandifolia, Liriodendron tulipifera, Quercus alba, Quercus bicolor, Quercus michauxii, Quercus macrocarpa, Quercus palustris, and Ulmus americana. It is found in the northern Piedmont of New Jersey and the Chesapeake region of Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia, as well as in the eastern Great Lakes region. Its habitats include flat to gently sloping sites with imperfectly to poorly drained soils. An impermeable layer beneath the topsoil slows drainage, often resulting in wet soil conditions. In droughty periods, the upper soil dries out, and the impermeable subsoil limits the availability of deeper water sources. In the eastern Great Lakes region, stands of this alliance occur on loess-covered glacial drift of Illinoisan age or over Wisconsin age till.
Diagnostic Characteristics: These are flatwoods and pond forests typically dominated by Quercus alba and Fagus grandifolia.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: No Data Available
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: Stands of this alliance are dominated by mesic to somewhat hydric tree species, and are often described as flatwoods. They have moderately dense to dense tree canopies composed of deciduous trees. Stands are intermediate in their hydrology between upland and lowland, and the overstory composition reflects that.
Floristics: In the eastern Great Lakes, canopies contain Acer saccharum, Acer rubrum, Fagus grandifolia, Liriodendron tulipifera, Quercus alba, Quercus bicolor, Quercus macrocarpa, Quercus michauxii, Quercus palustris, and Ulmus americana. The shrub layer is typically moderately well-developed and includes Asimina triloba, Euonymus obovatus, Lindera benzoin, and Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis. The herbaceous layer tends to be sparse in wetter stands and abundant in drier stands. Common species include Arisaema triphyllum (= Arisaema atrorubens), Botrychium oneidense, Chimaphila maculata, Galium spp., Pilea pumila, and Podophyllum peltatum. In the east, canopies are dominated by combinations of Fagus grandifolia, with Acer rubrum, Liquidambar styraciflua, Liriodendron tulipifera, Nyssa sylvatica, Quercus bicolor, Quercus palustris, and Quercus rubra. The tall-shrub layer contains Carpinus caroliniana, Clethra alnifolia, Ilex opaca, and Vaccinium corymbosum.
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: Stands of this alliance are found on flat to gently sloping sites with imperfectly to poorly drained soils (Braun 1936). An impermeable layer beneath the topsoil slows drainage, often resulting in wet soil conditions (Chapman 1942). In droughty periods, the upper soil dries out, and the impermeable subsoil limits the availability of deeper water sources. Stands of this alliance can occur on loess-covered glacial drift of Illinoisan age or over Wisconsin age till.
Geographic Range: Examples of this alliance are found in the eastern Great Lakes region as well as from the northern Piedmont of New Jersey and the Chesapeake region of Maryland, Delaware, and the District of Columbia. It also may occur in Ontario and Quebec in Canada.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: DC, DE, IN, MD, MI, NJ, NY, OH, ON?, QC?, VT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.842028
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.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.2 Pin Oak - Green Ash - Blackgum Swamp Forest Macrogroup | M503 | 1.B.3.Na.2 |
| Group | 1.B.3.Na.2.g <i>Quercus palustris - Quercus bicolor - Fagus grandifolia</i> Flatwoods & Swamp Forest Group | G917 | 1.B.3.Na.2.g |
| Alliance | A0230 White Oak - American Beech Flatwoods & Swamp Forest Alliance | A0230 | 1.B.3.Na.2.g |
| Association | CEGL005015 American Beech - White Oak - (Swamp Chestnut Oak) - Red Maple Flatwoods Forest | CEGL005015 | 1.B.3.Na.2.g |
| Association | CEGL005173 American Beech - Sugar Maple - Swamp White Oak - Red Maple Flatwoods Forest | CEGL005173 | 1.B.3.Na.2.g |
Concept Lineage: A.230 (3/3) [proto-alliance A0230]; A.243 (1/7) added by LAS.
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: ? American Beech - Wet Site Oak Cover Classes (Jackson 1979)
? American Beech Cover Class (Jackson 1979)
? Beech - White Oak - Red Maple - Sweet Gum Community (Braun 1936)
? Beech - White Oak - Red Maple Community (Braun 1936)
? Beech - White Oak - Sweet Gum Community (Braun 1936)
? Beech - White Oak Associes (Braun 1936)
? Wet Mesic Upland Forest (Jackson 1979)
? American Beech Cover Class (Jackson 1979)
? Beech - White Oak - Red Maple - Sweet Gum Community (Braun 1936)
? Beech - White Oak - Red Maple Community (Braun 1936)
? Beech - White Oak - Sweet Gum Community (Braun 1936)
? Beech - White Oak Associes (Braun 1936)
? Wet Mesic Upland Forest (Jackson 1979)
- Braun, E. L. 1936. Forests of the Illinoian till plain of southwestern Ohio. Ecological Monographs 6:90-149.
- Chapman, A. G. 1942. Forests of the Illinoian till plain of southeastern Indiana. Ecology 23(2):189-198.
- Faber-Langendoen, D., J. Drake, M. Hall, G. Kittel, S. Menard, C. Nordman, M. Pyne, M. Reid, M. Russo, K. Schulz, L. Sneddon, K. Snow, and J. Teague. 2013-2019b. Screening alliances for induction into the U.S. National Vegetation Classification: Part 1 - Alliance concept review. NatureServe, Arlington, VA.
- Faber-Langendoen, D., and Midwest State Natural Heritage Program Ecologists. 1996. Terrestrial vegetation of the midwest United States. International classification of ecological communities: Terrestrial vegetation of the United States. The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, VA.
- Jackson, M. T. 1979. A classification of Indiana plant communities. Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science 89:159-171.
- Sneddon, L., M. Anderson, and K. Metzler. 1994. A classification and description of terrestrial community alliances in The Nature Conservancy''s Eastern Region: First approximation. Unpublished report to USDI Fish & Wildlife Service, Gap Analysis Program. The Nature Conservancy, Eastern Heritage Task Force, Boston, MA. 116 pp.