Print Report
CEGL006633 Quercus rubra - Acer saccharum - Fagus grandifolia / Viburnum acerifolium Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Northern Red Oak - Sugar Maple - American Beech / Mapleleaf Viburnum Forest
Colloquial Name: Red Oak - Northern Hardwood Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: These mesic forests of oak and northern hardwoods, sometimes mixed with hemlock or pine, are distributed across the cooler parts of the glaciated northeastern United States and adjacent maritime Canada. They occur on slightly acidic, well-drained loamy and often rocky soils of intermediate fertility, most often positioned on midslopes and coves. Soil depth is often shallow, but some stands occur on deep tills. Most are at low to mid elevations, usually under 520 m (1700 feet).The deciduous-to-mixed canopy is mostly closed, and the lower layers are variable in extent. Tall shrubs are well-represented, although scattered, with occasional denser patches. Herbs are sparse and bryoids are nearly absent. Ericads and other dwarf-shrubs are also nearly absent, a characteristic that distinguishes this association from most other red oak forests in the Northeast. Canopy composition is a variable mixture of Quercus rubra (usually at least 30% of the canopy), Fagus grandifolia, Acer saccharum, Acer rubrum, and in some stands Pinus strobus or Tsuga canadensis. Conifers generally make up less than 20% of the canopy cover, and even in mixed stands the cover of deciduous trees exceeds that of conifers. Minor canopy associates include Fraxinus americana, Tilia americana, Betula lenta, Juglans cinerea, and Ulmus americana. Acer pensylvanicum is common as a small tree; Corylus cornuta, Viburnum acerifolium, and Hamamelis virginiana are typical shrubs. Typical species in the herb layer include Gaultheria procumbens, Maianthemum canadense, Aralia nudicaulis, Trientalis borealis, Uvularia sessilifolia, Medeola virginiana, Brachyelytrum erectum, Dryopteris intermedia, Polystichum acrostichoides, Dennstaedtia punctilobula, Pteridium aquilinum, and Thelypteris noveboracensis. On more nutrient-rich soils, the herb layer may contain Solidago caesia, Caulophyllum thalictroides, Dryopteris marginalis, and Eurybia divaricata. This association is distinguished from northern hardwood forests by its greater amount of oak, from other oak forests by its greater prominence of northern hardwoods and lack of dwarf-shrub ericads, and from hemlock-hardwoods by the relatively low importance of hemlock.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: This type was separated from ~Quercus rubra - Acer saccharum / Viburnum acerifolium - Lindera benzoin Forest (CEGL006635)$$ to highlight its more distinctive Northern Appalachian, central and northern New England and maritime Canada characteristics.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The deciduous-to-mixed canopy is mostly closed, and the lower layers are variable in extent. Tall shrubs are well represented, although scattered, with occasional denser patches. Herbs are sparse, and bryoids are nearly absent. Ericads and other dwarf-shrubs are also nearly absent, a characteristic that distinguishes this association from most other red oak forests in the Northeast. Canopy composition is a variable mixture of Quercus rubra (usually at least 30% of the canopy), Fagus grandifolia, Acer saccharum, Acer rubrum, and, in some stands, Pinus strobus or Tsuga canadensis. In mixed stands, the cover of deciduous trees exceeds that of conifers. Minor canopy associates include Fraxinus americana, Tilia americana, Betula lenta, Juglans cinerea, and Ulmus americana. Acer pensylvanicum is common as a small tree; Corylus cornuta, Viburnum acerifolium, and Hamamelis virginiana are typical shrubs. Typical species in the herb layer include Gaultheria procumbens, Maianthemum canadense, Aralia nudicaulis, Trientalis borealis, Uvularia sessilifolia, Medeola virginiana, Brachyelytrum erectum, Dryopteris intermedia, Polystichum acrostichoides, Dennstaedtia punctilobula, Pteridium aquilinum, and Thelypteris noveboracensis. On more nutrient-rich soils, the herb layer may contain Solidago caesia, Caulophyllum thalictroides, and Eurybia divaricata (= Aster divaricatus).
Dynamics: No Data Available
Environmental Description: These mesic forests of oak, beech, and maple are distributed across the cooler parts of the glaciated northeastern United States. They occur on slightly acidic, well-drained loamy and often rocky soils of intermediate fertility, most often positioned on mid-slopes and coves. Soil depth is often shallow, but some occur on deep tills. Most are at low to mid elevations, usually under 520 m (1700 feet).
Geographic Range: This association occurs in central and northern New England, lower montane regions of New York and adjacent Canada.
Nations: CA,US
States/Provinces: MA, ME, NB, NH, NY, QC?, VT
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.933831
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G4G5
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.I <i>Acer saccharum - Fagus grandifolia - Acer pensylvanicum</i> Forest Group | G922 | 1.B.2.Na.7.I |
| Alliance | A4447 Sugar Maple - Yellow Birch / Hobblebush Forest Alliance | A4447 | 1.B.2.Na.7.I |
| Association | CEGL006633 Northern Red Oak - Sugar Maple - American Beech / Mapleleaf Viburnum Forest | CEGL006633 | 1.B.2.Na.7.I |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: < CNE mesic hardwood forest on acidic bedrock/till (Rawinski 1984a)
< Northern Red Oak: 55 (Eyre 1980)
< Northern Red Oak: 55 (Eyre 1980)
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