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A0224 Castanea dentata Forest Alliance
Type Concept Sentence: This alliance is now extirpated but included subxeric forests dominated by mixtures of Castanea dentata and Quercus montana, formerly occurring in the Appalachian Mountains from southern New England and New York, south to the Cumberland Plateau, Knobs, and perhaps as far west as the Shawnee Hills of Kentucky.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: American Chestnut Forest Alliance
Colloquial Name: Historic American Chestnut Forest
Hierarchy Level: Alliance
Type Concept: This alliance is now extirpated but included subxeric forests dominated by mixtures of Castanea dentata, Quercus rubra and Quercus montana, formerly occurring in the Appalachian Mountains from southern New England and New York, the Cumberland Plateau, Knobs, and perhaps as far west as the Shawnee Hills of Kentucky. Castanea dentata was a major forest dominant in the eastern United States that has virtually been eliminated since 1900 by chestnut blight (Cryphonectria parasitica), introduced on Asiatic chestnut. Forests on xeric ridges and upper slopes had a closed shrub stratum dominated by ericaceous shrubs with an open tree stratum of Castanea dentata and Quercus montana. More mesic forests in this alliance occurred on less-exposed slope positions and had canopies dominated by Castanea dentata and Quercus montana occurring with lesser amounts of Acer rubrum, Nyssa sylvatica, Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, Quercus velutina, and, within the range, Liriodendron tulipifera. Understories were generally open or dominated by heaths. Forests in this alliance have been described as the most extensive forests of middle and lower elevations (1220-1370 m [4000-4500 feet]) of the Great Smoky Mountains. They also occurred at high elevations (mostly over 1400 m [4500 feet]) and have been described as the submesic, high-altitude equivalent of chestnut oak - chestnut forests, dominated by Quercus rubra and Castanea dentata, sometimes with Fagus grandifolia or Quercus alba. To the north, these forests occurred on slopes to 900 m elevation in the Catskills. Although replacement forests vary with geography, ~Quercus montana - Quercus coccinea Forest Alliance (A0248)$$ and other forests dominated by Acer rubrum, Quercus montana, and Quercus rubra have been the major replacement types. There is some hope for the potential recovery of this community, or something resembling it, if a blight-resistant chestnut can be developed and introduced.
Diagnostic Characteristics: Castanea dentata dominant or codominant in canopy.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Detailed composition data are not available for this alliance that no longer exists in its historic form.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: Whittaker (1956) described both xeric and subxeric phases of this alliance. Forests on xeric ridges and upper slopes had an open tree stratum, a closed shrub stratum, and a sparse herbaceous stratum.
Floristics: Forests on xeric ridges and upper slopes had a closed shrub stratum dominated by Kalmia latifolia, with an open tree stratum of Castanea dentata and Quercus montana (= Quercus prinus), and a sparse herbaceous stratum dominated by Galax urceolata. More mesic forests in this alliance occurred on less-exposed slope positions and had canopies dominated by Castanea dentata and Quercus montana occurring with lesser amounts of Acer rubrum, Liriodendron tulipifera, Nyssa sylvatica, Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, and Quercus velutina, with open or heath-dominated understories. At submesic habitats at higher altitudes in the Great Smoky Mountains, these forests were dominated by Quercus rubra and Castanea dentata, sometimes with Fagus grandifolia or Quercus alba. Other associated species included Athyrium filix-femina ssp. asplenioides, Carex pensylvanica, Laportea canadensis, Rugelia nudicaulis, Vaccinium spp., and in the south, Halesia tetraptera var. monticola and Rhododendron calendulaceum. In western Maryland, other associates included Acer saccharum, Tilia americana, and other hardwoods (Shreve et al. 1910).
Dynamics: Castanea dentata persists today as sprouts in the understory, which is similar to its reproductive pattern in this alliance. Seedlings did not thrive under dense shade, but dominance in the forests was achieved by vigorous sprouting (Shreve et al. 1910, Paillet 1982). Castanea dentata did not grow in areas of frequent fire and was probably not resistant to fires (Russell 1987).
Environmental Description: These forests occurred on well-drained acidic soils, a noted "calciphobe" (Shreve et al. 1910). Forests in this alliance were described by Whittaker (1956) as the most extensive forests of the middle and lower elevations (1220-1370 m [4000-4500 feet]) in the Great Smoky Mountains, reaching high elevations (mostly over 1400 m [4500 feet]). In Maryland, these forests occurred on rocky ridges in the western part of the state. In New Jersey, these forests were common on the greensand marl belt of the Inner Coastal Plain, on gneiss in the Highlands, and in valleys on gravel (Vermeule and Pinchot 1900, cited by Russell 1987). In New York, these forests occurred on sand beds near Lake Ontario (Bray 1930). In New England, these forests grew downslope from ridges dominated by Quercus montana.
Geographic Range: This alliance is now extirpated but formerly occurred in the Appalachian Mountains north to southern New England, south to the Cumberland Plateau, Knobs, and perhaps as far west as the Shawnee Hills of Kentucky. This alliance was historically found in Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and possibly Alabama and South Carolina.
Nations: No Data Available
States/Provinces: No Data Available
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.898973
Confidence Level: Low
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: GX
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.2 Appalachian-Northeastern Oak - Hardwood - Pine Forest & Woodland Macrogroup | M502 | 1.B.2.Na.2 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.2.a Chestnut Oak - Hickory species / American Chestnut Forest Group | G015 | 1.B.2.Na.2.a |
| Alliance | A0224 American Chestnut Forest Alliance | A0224 | 1.B.2.Na.2.a |
| Association | CEGL007196 American Chestnut - Chestnut Oak Forest | CEGL007196 | 1.B.2.Na.2.a |
| Association | CEGL007286 American Chestnut - Northern Red Oak Forest | CEGL007286 | 1.B.2.Na.2.a |
Concept Lineage: A0224 contains both old A.224 and A.226.
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: ? Chestnut Oak - Chestnut Forest (Whittaker 1956)
? Chestnut Oak - Chestnut Heath (Whittaker 1956)
? Red Oak - Chestnut (Whittaker 1956)
? Chestnut Oak - Chestnut Heath (Whittaker 1956)
? Red Oak - Chestnut (Whittaker 1956)
- Arends, E., and J. F. McCormick. 1987. Replacement of oak-chestnut forests in the Great Smoky Mountains. Pages 305-316 in: Proceedings of the Sixth Central Hardwood Forest Conference. Knoxville, TN.
- Braun, E. L. 1950. Deciduous forests of eastern North America. Hafner Press, New York. 596 pp.
- Bray, W. L. 1930. The development of the vegetation of New York State. Technical Publication 29, #3(2), second edition. The New York State College of Forestry, Syracuse, NY. 189 pp.
- 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.
- McCormick, J. F., and R. B. Platt. 1980. Recovery of an Appalachian forest following the chestnut blight, or Catherine Keever--You were right! The American Midland Naturalist 104:264-273.
- Paillet, F. L. 1982. The ecological significance of American chestnut [Castanea dentata (Marsh.) Borkh.] in the Holocene forests of Connecticut. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 109:457-473.
- Russell, E. W. B. 1987. Pre-blight distribution of Castanea dentata (Marsh.) Borkh. Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 114:183-190.
- Shreve, E. 1910. The ecological plant geography of Maryland; coastal zone; eastern shore district. Maryland Weather Service, Special Publication 3:101-148.
- Vermeule, C. C., and G. Pinchot. 1900. The forests of New Jersey. Pages 13-174 in: Report on forests. Annual Report for the year 1899. State Geologist of New Jersey, Trenton, NJ. 327 pp.
- Whittaker, R. H. 1956. Vegetation of the Great Smoky Mountains. Ecological Monographs 26:1-80.
- Woods, F. W., and R. E. Shanks. 1959. Natural replacement of chestnut by other species in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Ecology 40:349-361.