Sumter National Forest Final Report - NatureServe

Tiarella cordifolia var. collina, Heuchera americana, Stellaria pubera, Podophyllum peltatum, Prenanthes serpentaria, Thalictrumthalictroides, Chrysogonum virginianum var. virginianum, Hepatica nobilis var. obtusa, Thelypteris noveboracensis, and Botrychiumvirginianum. Exact composition varies locally with position on slope and nature of soil. Western Piedmont sites often have increasingimportance of Tsuga canadensis, Rhododendron spp., and other species that are more typical of the Southern Blue Ridge.Environment: Examples of this association predominantly occur on steep but sheltered slopes adjacent to creeks or rivers in thePiedmont. They can occur further upslope, but occurrences are much more likely as one gets closer to streams.Vegetation: The canopy of stands of this association is dominated by mesophytic trees such as Fagus grandifolia, Quercus rubra,Liriodendron tulipifera, Acer rubrum, and in the western Piedmont, Tsuga canadensis. Typical understory trees include Cornusflorida, Oxydendrum arboreum, Acer rubrum, and Ilex opaca. Shrub species may include Vaccinium stamineum, Viburnumrafinesquianum, Euonymus americana, and sometimes Kalmia latifolia. The herb layer is often moderately dense and diverse, thoughit may be sparse under heavy shade. Herb species may include Polystichum acrostichoides, Viola spp., Dichanthelium spp. (=Panicum spp.), Galium circaezans, Hexastylis arifolia, Hexastylis minor, Desmodium nudiflorum, Erythronium umbilicatum ssp.umbilicatum, Chamaelirium luteum, Epifagus virginiana, Tiarella cordifolia var. collina, Heuchera americana, Stellaria pubera,Podophyllum peltatum, Prenanthes serpentaria, Thalictrum thalictroides, Chrysogonum virginianum var. virginianum, Hepaticanobilis var. obtusa, Thelypteris noveboracensis, and Botrychium virginianum (Schafale and Weakley 1990). Exact composition varieslocally with position on slope and nature of soil. Western Piedmont sites often have increasing importance of Tsuga canadensis,Rhododendron spp., and other species that are more typical of the Southern Blue Ridge.Dynamics: Under natural conditions these forests are uneven-aged, with old trees present. Reproduction occurs primarily in canopygaps. Rare, severe natural disturbances such as wind storms may allow pulses of increased regeneration and allow the less shadetolerantspecies to remain in the community. However, Skeen, Carter, and Ragsdale (1980) argued that even the shade-intolerantLiriodendron could reproduce enough in gaps to persist in the climax Piedmont forests (Schafale and Weakley 1990).The natural fire regime of the Piedmont is not known but fires certainly occurred periodically. Because Mesic Mixed HardwoodForests generally occur in moist and topographically sheltered sites, they probably burned only rarely and with low intensity (Schafaleand Weakley 1990).Disturbed areas have increased amounts of pines and weedy hardwoods such as Liriodendron tulipifera and Liquidambar styraciflua.Many areas have been selectively cut many times and have increased importance of Fagus grandifolia and other noncommercialhardwoods relative to oaks (Schafale and Weakley 1990). Other areas that were disturbed in the distant past may be younger and,therefore, may have a higher proportion of oaks with beeches mainly in the understory.Similar Associations:• Fagus grandifolia - Quercus rubra / Ostrya virginiana - Acer (barbatum, leucoderme) / Actaea racemosa - Sanguinariacanadensis Forest (CEGL008466) -- the basic Piedmont equivalent.Related Concepts:• Fagus grandifolia - Quercus (alba, rubra) - Liriodendron tulipifera / Ilex opaca var. opaca - (Asimina triloba) Forest (Flemingpers. comm.) ?• Fagus grandifolia - Quercus rubra - Quercus alba / Carpinus caroliniana Forest (Lea 2002a) ?Classification Comments:CONSERVATION RANKING & RARE SPECIESGRank: G3G4 (2001-1-18): While not as extensive as the oak-hickory forests, Mesic Mixed Hardwood Forest communities arefairly common. Their occurrence on steep sites has allowed many of them to escape, until recently, with less disturbance than mostupland communities (Schafale and Weakley 1990). Some examples with old forest can be found. Selective timbering may havedecreased the importance value of more desirable hardwoods (e.g., Quercus rubra). Some examples are protected in the BirkheadMountain Wilderness Area and other parts of the Uwharrie National Forest.High-ranked species: No informationELEMENT DISTRIBUTIONRange: This association is found in the Piedmont of the southeastern United States, from Maryland to Georgia.Subnations: GA, MD, NC, SC, VATNC Ecoregions: 52:C, 58:CUSFS Ecoregions: 231Aa:CCC, 231Ae:CCCFederal Lands: DOD (Falls Lake, Jordan Lake, Kerr Reservoir); NPS (Guilford Courthouse, Ninety Six, Thomas Stone); USFS(Oconee?, Sumter?, Uwharrie)ELEMENT SOURCESReferences: Fleming 2001, Fleming et al. 2001, Fleming pers. comm., LeGrand and Dalton 1987, Lea 2002a, Nehmeth 1968,Oosting 1942, Peet and Christensen 1980, Peet et al. unpubl. data 2002, Schafale and Weakley 1990, Skeen et al. 1980, SoutheasternEcology Working Group n.d.Vegetation of Sumter National Forest April 30 2004Copyright © 2004 NatureServe66