Vegetation Classification and Mapping Project Report - USGS

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USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program Colonial National Historical Park Most Abundant Species: Stratum Lifeform Species Tree canopy Broad-leaved deciduous tree Fagus grandifolia (American beech), Liriodendron tulipifera (tuliptree), Quercus alba (white oak) Tree subcanopy Broad-leaved evergreen tree Ilex opaca var. opaca (American holly) Herb (field) Fern or fern ally Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern) Characteristic Species: Fagus grandifolia (American beech), Ilex opaca var. opaca (American holly), Liriodendron tulipifera (tuliptree), Mitchella repens (partridgeberry), Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern), Quercus alba (white oak). Other Noteworthy Species: Information not available. Subnational Distribution with Crosswalk Data: State SRank Rel Conf SName Reference VA SNR* B 1 Mesic Mixed Hardwood Forest Fleming et al. 2001 Local Range: Mesic Mixed Hardwood Forest occurs throughout Colonial National Historical Park. It is mapped as 55 polygons and covers a total of 338.2 hectares (835.8 acres). Classification Comments: Some stands of Mesic Mixed Hardwood Forest may be confused with Piedmont / Coastal Plain Beech - Oak / Heath Forest, which occurs on steep slopes and has a shrub layer very strongly dominated by Kalmia latifolia (mountain laurel). While Mesic Mixed Hardwood Forest may share many species in common with stands of Successional Tuliptree - Loblolly Pine Forest, it is distinguished by having a more diverse canopy and a less "weedy" herbaceous stratum, often with Fagus grandifolia (American beech) and Quercus spp. (oaks) dominant in the canopy. Mesic Mixed Hardwood Forest also tends to occur on slopes where Successional Tuliptree - Loblolly Pine Forest occurs on formerly disturbed upland flats. Mesic Mixed Hardwood Forest is distinguished from Coastal Plain Mesic Calcareous Ravine Forest by lacking a lush, forb-rich herb layer with species more characteristic of high base status soils (Sanguinaria canadensis (bloodroot), Adiantum pedatum (northern maidenhair), Actaea racemosa (=Cimicifuga racemosa, black bugbane), Hepatica nobilis var. obtusa (roundlobe hepatica)). However, late in the growing season, stands of Coastal Plain Mesic Calcareous Ravine Forest can be confused with Mesic Mixed Hardwood when certain diagnostic herbs have died back. Other Comments: Stands mapped as Mesic Mixed Hardwood Forest may have small disturbed areas that are better classed as Successional Tuliptree - Loblolly Pine Forest. Polygons mapped as this type may also contain small (
USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program Colonial National Historical Park Association Fagus grandifolia - Quercus (alba, rubra) - Liriodendron tulipifera / (Ilex opaca var. opaca) / Polystichum acrostichoides Forest Association (English name) American Beech - (White Oak, Northern Red Oak) - Tuliptree / (American Holly) / Christmas Fern Forest Ecological System(s): Atlantic Coastal Plain Mesic Hardwood Forest (CES203.242). Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Hardwood Forest (CES203.475). GLOBAL DESCRIPTION Concept Summary: This forest of mesic to submesic, well-drained soils occurs in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain of Virginia and Maryland, extending north to southern New England on the Coastal Plain. It also occurs occasionally at low elevations of the Blue Ridge and adjacent Ridge and Valley in Virginia and Maryland. It is characteristically a mixed forest dominated by Fagus grandifolia (American beech), Quercus alba (white oak), Quercus rubra (northern red oak), and Liriodendron tulipifera (tuliptree) in various proportions. Overstory associates over the range include Quercus velutina (black oak), Quercus falcata (southern red oak), Quercus coccinea (scarlet oak), Liquidambar styraciflua (sweetgum), Acer rubrum (red maple), Nyssa sylvatica (blackgum), Carya alba (mockernut hickory), Carya glabra (pignut hickory), and Fraxinus americana (white ash). The subcanopy is characterized by young Fagus grandifolia (American beech), Acer rubrum (red maple), Carpinus caroliniana (American hornbeam), Cornus florida (flowering dogwood), and Sassafras albidum (sassafras). Ilex opaca var. opaca (American holly) is particularly characteristic and abundant on the Coastal Plain. The shrub layer varies from very sparse to well-developed and can include Asimina triloba (pawpaw), Viburnum acerifolium (mapleleaf viburnum), Viburnum dentatum (southern arrowwood), and Euonymus americanus (strawberry bush). Heath shrubs, such as Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush blueberry) and Vaccinium pallidum (Blue Ridge blueberry), may be common but not abundant. Vines are common, including Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper), Smilax glauca (cat greenbrier), and Toxicodendron radicans (eastern poison ivy). In the southern part of the range, Oxydendrum arboreum (sourwood) and Vitis rotundifolia (muscadine) may be conspicuous members of the understory. The herb layer is comprised of Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern), Thelypteris noveboracensis (New York fern), Uvularia perfoliata (perfoliate bellwort), Cypripedium acaule (moccasin flower), Mitchella repens (partridgeberry), Tipularia discolor (crippled cranefly), Goodyera pubescens (downy rattlesnake plantain), Eurybia divaricata (white wood aster), Chimaphila maculata (striped prince's pine), Carex swanii (Swan's sedge), Medeola virginiana (Indian cucumber), Athyrium filix-femina (common ladyfern), Carex digitalis (slender woodland sedge), Carex willdenowii (Willdenow's sedge), Epifagus virginiana (beechdrops), Maianthemum canadense (Canada mayflower), Desmodium nudiflorum (nakedflower ticktrefoil), Polygonatum biflorum (smooth Solomon's seal), Podophyllum peltatum (mayapple), Arisaema triphyllum (Jack in the pulpit), and Maianthemum racemosum (feathery false lily of the valley). Environmental Description: This forest association occurs on mesic to submesic slopes or gentle gradients. Ravines in dissected topography are particularly typical sites in the Piedmont and parts of the Inner Coastal Plain. The type also occupies rolling uplands with deep soils. Soils are typically well-drained, acidic sandy and silt loams derived from parent material of low to moderate fertility. This association is found throughout the Piedmont from south-central Virginia to New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and on the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain from southeastern Virginia northward. Vegetation Description: Rangewide, this vegetation type is characteristically a mixed mesophytic forest dominated by Fagus grandifolia (American beech), Quercus alba (white oak), 193
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Vegetation Classification and Mapping Project Report - USGS

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