Print Report
A3303 Quercus rubra - Acer saccharum - Liriodendron tulipifera Forest Alliance
Type Concept Sentence: This alliance, found in the Allegheny, Lake Erie-Lake Ontario, and Lower New England regions south to the Central Appalachians, contains mesic forests dominated by Quercus rubra with a variety of mesic hardwoods, on shallow to deep, moist to well-drained loams and silt loams on north and east midslopes and coves.
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Quercus rubra - Acer saccharum - Liriodendron tulipifera Forest Alliance
Colloquial Name: Central Appalachian-Northeast Red Oak - Mesic Hardwoods Forest
Hierarchy Level: Alliance
Type Concept: This alliance, found in the Allegheny, Lake Erie-Lake Ontario, and Lower New England regions south to the Central Appalachians, contains mesic forests dominated by Quercus rubra with a variety of mesic hardwoods, including Acer rubrum, Acer saccharum, Betula lenta, Fagus grandifolia, Fraxinus americana, Quercus alba, and Tilia americana. Typical shrubs include Amelanchier spp., Hamamelis virginiana, Lindera benzoin, and Viburnum acerifolium. Herbs include Polystichum acrostichoides, Medeola virginiana, and Geranium maculatum. These forests typically occur on deep, moist to well-drained loams and silt loams on north and east midslopes and coves.
Diagnostic Characteristics: Strong dominance by Quercus rubra (>25%), in association with other mesic hardwoods in the Central Appalachian - Allegheny - Lake Plain and Lower New England regions.
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This alliance may show some overlap with alliances and associations in ~Appalachian-Central Interior Mesic Forest Group (G020)$$. In that group, ~Fagus grandifolia - Betula lenta - Liriodendron tulipifera - Acer saccharum Forest (CEGL006296)$$ should be compared with members of this alliance, especially ~Quercus rubra - Acer saccharum - Liriodendron tulipifera Forest (CEGL006125)$$. This alliance may also be a suballiance within ~Acer saccharum - Fagus grandifolia - Tilia americana Forest Alliance (A3301)$$. In Ontario, this type is restricted to the Lake Erie-Lake Ontario ecoregion (Crins et al. 2009).
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: The canopy is typically closed (60-100%) and dominated by broad-leaved deciduous trees.
Floristics: This alliance is dominated by Quercus rubra with a variety of mesic hardwoods, including Acer rubrum, Acer saccharum, Betula lenta, Fagus grandifolia, Fraxinus americana, Quercus alba, and Tilia americana. On logged sites, Populus tremuloides may be common. Typical shrubs include Amelanchier spp., Cornus florida (southern part of range), Hamamelis virginiana, Lindera benzoin, and Viburnum acerifolium. Herbs include Polystichum acrostichoides, Medeola virginiana, and Geranium maculatum, among others.
Dynamics: Current Quercus rubra-dominated stands in parts of this alliance''s range may result from a combination of natural and human-caused disturbances (Nowacki et al. 1990).
Environmental Description: These forests typically occur on deep, moist to well-drained loams and silt loams on north and east midslopes and coves. The role of fire in these mesic red oak stands is not clear.
Geographic Range: This alliance is found in high-elevation areas of the Central Appalachians in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Northward, it occurs in lower elevations across southern Ontario, much of New York (excluding much of the Adirondacks, Catskills and St. Lawrence River valley) and across Lower New England. In Virginia, this vegetation type is widely but locally distributed at higher elevations of the Northern Blue Ridge, Ridge and Valley, and Allegheny Mountains. It is rare and local on the Blue Ridge south of Roanoke Gap, and in the Cumberland Mountains of southwestern Virginia.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: CT, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, OH, ON, PA, QC?, RI, VA, VT, WV
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.899427
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.3 Appalachian-Interior-Northeastern Mesic Forest Macrogroup | M883 | 1.B.2.Na.3 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.3.b Appalachian-Allegheny Northern Hardwood Forest | G742 | 1.B.2.Na.3.b |
| Alliance | A3303 <i>Quercus rubra - Acer saccharum - Liriodendron tulipifera</i> Forest Alliance | A3303 | 1.B.2.Na.3.b |
| Association | CEGL006566 Northern Red Oak - Eastern Hemlock - Tuliptree / American Witch-hazel Forest | CEGL006566 | 1.B.2.Na.3.b |
| Association | CEGL006635 Northern Red Oak - Sugar Maple / Mapleleaf Viburnum - Northern Spicebush Forest | CEGL006635 | 1.B.2.Na.3.b |
| Association | CEGL008517 Northern Red Oak - Sugar Maple / Hophornbeam / Cutleaf Toothwort Forest | CEGL008517 | 1.B.2.Na.3.b |
Concept Lineage: A.251, A.302, A.413, in part
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: ? Northern Red Oak: 55 (Eyre 1980)
- Crins, W. J., P. A. Gray, P. W. C. Uhlig, and M. C. Wester. 2009. The ecosystems of Ontario. Part I: Ecozones and ecoregions. SIB TER IMA TR-01. Inventory, Monitoring and Assessment, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Peterborough, ON. 71 pp.
- Crow, T. R. 1988. Reproductive mode and mechanisms for self-replacement of northern red oak (Quercus rubra)--a review. Forest Science 34:19-40.
- 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, 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.
- Fike, J. 1999. Terrestrial and palustrine plant communities of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory. Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Recreation, Bureau of Forestry, Harrisburg, PA. 86 pp.
- Nowacki, G. J., M. D. Abrams, and C. G. Lorimer. 1990. Composition, structure, and historical development of northern red oak stands along an edaphic gradient in north-central Wisconsin. Forest Science 36(2):276-292.
- Swain, P. C., and J. B. Kearsley. 2001. Classification of natural communities of Massachusetts. September 2001 draft. Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Westborough, MA.