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G649 North-Central Oak - Hickory Forest & Woodland Group
Type Concept Sentence: Deciduous or rarely mixed conifer-deciduous forests and woodlands found largely in the glaciated midwestern United States where mesic to dry-mesic forests are dominated by Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, and Quercus velutina, often with Carya spp. present to codominant.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: North-Central Oak - Hickory Forest & Woodland Group
Colloquial Name: North-Central Oak - Hickory Forest & Woodland
Hierarchy Level: Group
Type Concept: This group is found throughout the glaciated regions of the Midwest, typically in gently rolling landscapes. Historically, this type was quite extensive in the Midwest and parts of the Northeast. It is distinguished from other forested groups within the region by a dry-mesic to dry edaphic condition that is transitional between dry prairies, oak barrens, or savannas and mesic hardwood forests, such as maple-basswood forests. Forest cover can range from a dense to moderately open canopy of deciduous broadleaf trees (conifers do not exceed 25% cover except in one variant in the Driftless Area), and there is commonly a dense shrub layer. Fire-resistant oak species, in particular Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, and/or Quercus velutina, dominate the overstory. Hickories such as Carya glabra, Carya ovata, Carya cordiformis, and Carya tomentosa are characteristic associates. Quercus macrocarpa and Quercus ellipsoidalis may be common in some stands. Fire suppression may account for the more closed oak forest examples with the more mesic understory. It has allowed for other associates, such as Acer saccharum, Acer rubrum, Celtis occidentalis, Ostrya virginiana, and Fraxinus americana, to become more prevalent, especially in upland areas along floodplains. It can occur on uplands within the prairie matrix and near floodplains, or on rolling glacial moraines, among kettle-kame topography, and outwash plains. Soils are typically well-drained to excessively drained Mollisols or Alfisols that range from loamy to sandy in texture. Local areas of calcareous bedrock, or colluvial pockets, may support forests typical of richer soils.
Diagnostic Characteristics: These forests contain a dominant canopy of broad-leaved deciduous trees, with conifers consistently less than 25% cover, except in the Driftless Area. Quercus alba and Quercus velutina, either singly or in combination, are at least 50% relative cover of the overstory, or these two species have at least 20% relative cover, and the following species, singly or in combination have at least 30% relative cover: the moderately diagnostic species Quercus rubra, or any of the weakly diagnostic species of Carya glabra, Carya ovata, and Carya tomentosa. Where conifers are common, they are Pinus strobus, Pinus resinosa, or, in an unusual type found on steep slopes in river valleys, Juniperus virginiana.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Originally this group included some examples from the northern Coastal Plain. Those were removed and this group became restricted to mostly the glaciated portions of the midwestern United States and adjacent Canada.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: Tree canopy can range from open to closed (25-100%) and is usually 10-20 m tall. Deciduous trees dominate the canopy and most examples are nearly 100% deciduous. Shrub cover varies but is often moderate to dense with the shrubs typically 1-4 m tall. Herbaceous cover also varies, often inversely with the total woody canopy cover.
Floristics: Forest cover can range from a dense to moderately open canopy of deciduous broadleaf trees (conifers rarely exceed 25% cover), and there is commonly a dense shrub layer. Fire-resistant oak species, in particular Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, and/or Quercus velutina, dominate the overstory. Hickories such as Carya glabra, Carya ovata, Carya cordiformis, and Carya tomentosa (= Carya alba) are characteristic associates. Quercus macrocarpa and Quercus ellipsoidalis may be common. Fire suppression may account for the more closed oak forest examples with the more mesic understory. It likely has allowed for other associates, such as Acer saccharum, Acer rubrum, Celtis occidentalis, Ostrya virginiana, and Fraxinus americana, to become more prevalent, especially in upland areas along floodplains. Common native shrubs include Corylus americana, Corylus cornuta, Cornus alternifolia, Cornus foemina, Hamamelis virginiana, Sassafras albidum, Viburnum acerifolium, and Zanthoxylum americanum. The exotic shrubs Rhamnus cathartica and Lonicera spp. (Lonicera x bella, Lonicera japonica, Lonicera morrowii, Lonicera tatarica) can be very abundant in this group, and other exotic shrubs are often found near urban areas, including Berberis thunbergii and sometimes Rosa multiflora in the eastern portion of the group''s range. A wide variety of herbaceous species can be common in examples of this group across its range, from prairie forbs and grasses (though these are rarely dominant) to forest herbs, sometimes including exotic or native invasive species. Carex pensylvanica is commonly present and can be dominant. Other species include Amphicarpaea bracteata, Arisaema triphyllum, Circaea lutetiana, Desmodium spp., Maianthemum racemosum, Maianthemum stellatum, and Podophyllum peltatum. Vines are common, especially Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Toxicodendron radicans, and Vitis spp.
Dynamics: Fire combined with drought was an important natural process in this group, often occurring as surface fires. Fire suppression may account for the more closed oak forest examples with the more mesic understory. It has allowed for other associates, such as Acer saccharum, Acer rubrum, Celtis occidentalis, Ostrya virginiana, and Fraxinus americana, to become more prevalent, especially in upland areas along floodplains. A lack of fire, especially in more open-canopied examples of this group, allows the proliferation of invasive understory species. The exotic shrubs Rhamnus cathartica and Lonicera spp. can be abundant in this group, particularly stands that have or had moderately open tree canopies.
Environmental Description: This group is found in glaciated regions of the Midwest, typically in gently rolling landscapes. It can occur on uplands within a tallgrass prairie matrix and near floodplains, or on rolling glacial moraines, among kettle-kame topography, and outwash plains. Soils are typically well-drained to excessively drained Mollisols or Alfisols that range from loamy to sandy in texture. A variant of this group, confined to the Driftless Area of southeastern Minnesota, southwestern Wisconsin, northeastern Iowa, and northwestern Illinois, occurs in an area not covered by the Wisconsin-age glaciers and sites there are often on steep slopes, sometimes with thin soil over bedrock. Local areas of calcareous bedrock or colluvial pockets may support forests typical of richer soils. Historically, this type was quite extensive in the Midwest. It is distinguished from other forested groups within the region by a dry-mesic to dry edaphic condition that is transitional between dry prairies, oak barrens, or savannas and mesic hardwood forests, such as maple-basswood forests.
Geographic Range: This group is found throughout the glaciated regions of the Midwest to southern Ontario, eastern Ohio, and possibly western West Virginia, and west into eastern Nebraska and northeast Kansas. It does not extend to the Ozarks.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: IA, IL, IN, KS, MI, MN, MO, NE, NY, OH, ON, PA, QC, WI
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.877313
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.4 White Oak - Bur Oak - Shagbark Hickory Forest, Woodland & Savanna Macrogroup | M012 | 1.B.2.Na.4 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.4.b North-Central Oak - Hickory Forest & Woodland Group | G649 | 1.B.2.Na.4.b |
| Alliance | A0620 Bur Oak Central Tallgrass Woodland Alliance | A0620 | 1.B.2.Na.4.b |
| Alliance | A3237 Eastern White Pine - Oak species Driftless Forest & Woodland Alliance | A3237 | 1.B.2.Na.4.b |
| Alliance | A3323 White Oak - Northern Red Oak - Hickory species North-Central Forest Alliance | A3323 | 1.B.2.Na.4.b |
| Alliance | A3324 White Oak - Bur Oak - Swamp White Oak Woodland Alliance | A3324 | 1.B.2.Na.4.b |
| Alliance | A3326 Black Oak - White Oak North-Central Forest Alliance | A3326 | 1.B.2.Na.4.b |
Concept Lineage: G158 split into G649 & G650 (DFL 7-12)
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: > Black Oak: 110 (Eyre 1980) [Apart from its extension into the Ozarks, the concept of this cover is quite similar to the group concept.]
> Northern Red Oak: 55 (Eyre 1980) [The concept of this cover type is quite similar to the group concept, though the montane portions are excluded.]
> White Oak - Black Oak - Northern Red Oak: 52 (Eyre 1980) [The concept of this cover type is quite similar to the group concept.]
< White Oak: 53 (Eyre 1980) [The concept of this cover type is more broad, especially southward, than the group concept.]
> Northern Red Oak: 55 (Eyre 1980) [The concept of this cover type is quite similar to the group concept, though the montane portions are excluded.]
> White Oak - Black Oak - Northern Red Oak: 52 (Eyre 1980) [The concept of this cover type is quite similar to the group concept.]
< White Oak: 53 (Eyre 1980) [The concept of this cover type is more broad, especially southward, than the group concept.]
- Abrams, M. D. 1992. Fire and the development of oak forests. BioScience 42(5):346-353.
- Archambault, L., B. V. Barnes, and J. A. Witter. 1989. Ecological species groups of oak ecosystems of southeastern Michigan, USA. Forest Science 35:1058-1074.
- Archambault, L., B. V. Barnes, and J. A. Witter. 1990. Landscape ecosystems of disturbed oak forests of southeastern Michigan, USA. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 20:1570-1582.
- Comer, P., D. Faber-Langendoen, R. Evans, S. Gawler, C. Josse, G. Kittel, S. Menard, C. Nordman, M. Pyne, M. Reid, M. Russo, K. Schulz, K. Snow, J. Teague, and R. White. 2003-present. Ecological systems of the United States: A working classification of U.S. terrestrial systems. NatureServe, Arlington, VA.
- Eyre, F. H., editor. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Society of American Foresters, Washington, DC. 148 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]
- Kost, M. A., D. A. Albert, J. G. Cohen, B. S. Slaughter, R. K. Schillo, C. R. Weber, and K. A. Chapman. 2007. Natural communities of Michigan: Classification and description. Report No. 2007-21, Michigan Natural Features Inventory, Lansing. 314 pp. [http://web4.msue.msu.edu/mnfi/reports/2007-21_Natural_Communites_of_Michigan_Classification_and_Description.pdf]