Print Report
G632 Picea rubens - Abies fraseri - Betula alleghaniensis Forest Group
Type Concept Sentence: These are upland spruce-fir and spruce-fir-hardwood forests of eastern North America that occur in cool mesic settings at the highest elevations (often above 1370 m [4500 feet]), dominated by Picea rubens and/or Abies fraseri.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Red Spruce - Fraser Fir - Yellow Birch Forest Group
Colloquial Name: Central & Southern Appalachian Red Spruce - Fir - Hardwood Forest
Hierarchy Level: Group
Type Concept: These are upland spruce-fir forests and woodlands, or spruce-fir-hardwood forests of eastern North America. They are found within the range of Picea rubens, at progressively higher elevations from the Central to the Southern Appalachians. They occur in cool, mostly mesic settings on ridgetops and steep slopes with thin soils. Substrate geology also varies, although soils are generally acidic. At their southern extent, these forests occur only at the highest elevations (above 1370 m [4500 feet]). Picea rubens is generally present, and often dominant, but the canopy may be dominated by Abies fraseri. Typical canopy associates include Betula alleghaniensis and Tsuga canadensis. The density and composition of shrub and herbaceous strata vary with association and geographic location. Characteristic shrubs include Acer spicatum, Rhododendron catawbiense, Rhododendron maximum, Vaccinium erythrocarpum, and Viburnum lantanoides. Characteristic herbs rangewide include Clintonia borealis, Dryopteris campyloptera, Mitchella repens, Oxalis montana, and Trillium undulatum. The bryophyte layer is generally very well-developed, characterized by Bazzania trilobata, Dicranum spp., Pleurozium schreberi, and many others. Mosses, liverworts, and lichens grow densely on fallen logs, tree trunks, and the forest floor, giving these forests a distinctive carpeted appearance.
Diagnostic Characteristics: Dominance of Picea rubens; or presence of Picea rubens with dominance of Abies fraseri; or dominance of Abies fraseri; and with any combination of the moderately diagnostic species Betula alleghaniensis or Tsuga canadensis. Characteristic shrubs include Acer spicatum, Rhododendron catawbiense, Rhododendron maximum, Vaccinium erythrocarpum, and Viburnum lantanoides. Characteristic herbs rangewide include Clintonia borealis, Dryopteris campyloptera, Mitchella repens, Oxalis montana, and Trillium undulatum. These shrub and herb species are not necessarily restricted to this habitat, and additional diagnostic shrub and herb species may need to be added.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Forests characterized by Picea rubens occupy a regional transition between eastern North America''s cool temperate deciduous forest and southern parts of the eastern boreal forest. True boreal forests may also have Abies balsamea but are characterized by Picea mariana or Picea glauca rather than Picea rubens. In turn Picea rubens often shares codominance with Tsuga canadensis or "northern hardwood" species such as Betula alleghaniensis. Older publications (e.g., Oosting and Billings 1951), and quite a few current publications directed at a general audience, refer to the red spruce - fir forests in the eastern United States as "boreal forest." Peinado et al. (1998) treat the montane Picea rubens - Abies balsamea stands as part of the eastern boreal (subalpine) but place the Picea rubens - Abies balsamea stands at lower elevations in the cool temperate with northern hardwoods types. Chapters in Barbour and Billings (2000) treat the red spruce - fir within the eastern deciduous forest region rather than boreal (following the treatment of Braun (1950)). Here we place all stands with Picea rubens with other cool temperate types. We restrict the term "boreal" to North American forests within Bailey''s (1997) subarctic "Tayga (boreal forest)" ecoregion, and will continue to review this issue with Canadian partners.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: These forests are mostly closed-canopy but may have patchy openings; forests on rocky substrates, more extreme sites, or disturbed by the balsam woolly adelgid (Adelges piceae) may have an open or stunted canopy. Shrub layers are patchy. Herbs are well-distributed but variable in the amount of cover, tending to be more extensive on more mesic sites. In some areas, standing dead stems of Abies fraseri (depending on the location) are common, with extensive patches of Abies seedlings in canopy gaps.
Floristics: Picea rubens is generally present, and often dominant, but the canopy may be dominated by Abies fraseri. Typical canopy associates include Betula alleghaniensis and Sorbus americana. The density and composition of shrub and herbaceous strata vary with association and geographic location. Characteristic shrubs include Acer spicatum, Rhododendron catawbiense, Rhododendron maximum, Vaccinium erythrocarpum, and Viburnum lantanoides. Characteristic herbs rangewide include Clintonia borealis, Dryopteris campyloptera, Mitchella repens, Oxalis montana, and Trillium undulatum. The bryophyte layer is generally very well-developed, characterized by Bazzania trilobata, Dicranum spp., Pleurozium schreberi, and many others. Mosses, liverworts, and lichens grow densely on fallen logs, tree trunks, and the forest floor, giving these forests a distinctive carpeted appearance.
Dynamics: These forests are affected by wind disturbance, debris avalanches, ice loading, insect outbreaks, and lightning-ignited fire. Where soils are shallow, as they typically are, these forests are susceptible to large blowdowns. Abies fraseri has experienced large patchy dieback exacerbated by the balsam woolly adelgid (Adelges piceae). Across the range of the group, gap replacement is the most common pattern for canopy regeneration.
Environmental Description: Sites present a mesic character due to soil conditions, a landscape setting that leads to a cool, moist microclimate (cold-air drainage accumulation, frequent fog, etc.), or both. Climate: Cool temperate to sub-boreal. Soil/substrate/hydrology: Soils are generally shallow and rocky, with well-developed organic and A horizons. They are low in base saturation, relatively high in organic matter, and are acidic in reaction (pH 3-5). Spodosols and Inceptisols.
Geographic Range: This vegetation is restricted to a handful of higher-elevation sites in West Virginia, Virginia, western North Carolina, and eastern Tennessee.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: MD, NC, TN, VA, WV
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.872683
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.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.7 Sugar Maple - Yellow Birch - Eastern Hemlock Forest Macrogroup | M014 | 1.B.2.Na.7 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.7.e Red Spruce - Fraser Fir - Yellow Birch Forest Group | G632 | 1.B.2.Na.7.e |
| Alliance | A0136 Red Spruce - Fraser Fir Forest Alliance | A0136 | 1.B.2.Na.7.e |
| Alliance | A0138 Red Spruce - Yellow Birch - Yellow Buckeye Forest Alliance | A0138 | 1.B.2.Na.7.e |
Concept Lineage: DFL 7-23-12: G632 split from G024.
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: < Red Spruce - Fir Forest Group (Faber-Langendoen and Menard 2006)
- Bailey, R. 1997. Map: Ecoregions of North America (revised). USDA Forest Service in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Geological Survey, Washington, DC. 1:15,000,000.
- Barbour, M. G., and W. D. Billings, editors. 2000. North American terrestrial vegetation. Second edition. Cambridge University Press, New York. 434 pp.
- Braun, E. L. 1950. Deciduous forests of eastern North America. Hafner Press, New York. 596 pp.
- Faber-Langendoen, D., J. Drake, S. Gawler, M. Hall, C. Josse, G. Kittel, S. Menard, C. Nordman, M. Pyne, M. Reid, L. Sneddon, K. Schulz, J. Teague, M. Russo, K. Snow, and P. Comer, editors. 2010-2019a. Divisions, Macrogroups and Groups for the Revised U.S. National Vegetation Classification. NatureServe, Arlington, VA. plus appendices. [in preparation]
- Faber-Langendoen, D., and S. Menard. 2006. A key to eastern forests of the United States: Macrogroups, groups, and alliances. September 15, 2006. NatureServe, Arlington, VA.
- Oosting, H. J., and W. D. Billings. 1951. A comparison of virgin spruce-fir forest in the Northern and Southern Appalachian system. Ecology 32:84-103.
- Peinado, M., J. L. Aguirre, and M. de la Cruz. 1998. A phytosociological survey of the Boreal Forest & Woodland (Vaccinio-Piceetea) in North America. Plant Ecology 137(2):151-202.