Sumter National Forest Final Report - NatureServe

CONSERVATION RANKING & RARE SPECIESGRank: G2G3 (1998-12-14): This Southern Blue Ridge cove forest is naturally uncommon because of its limitation to maficsubstrates. It is threatened by logging, second home development, and forest fragmentation. Very few old-growth sites remain.Deciduous cove forests are perhaps the most complex group of communities to classify in the Southern Blue Ridge, due to acombination of wide environmental range, high species richness, and high biogeographic variability. The recognition of associationsbased on fertility and elevation is provisional and will likely need further refinement; global conservation rank is unlikely to changesignificantly, however.High-ranked species: Cardamine flagellifera (G3), Carex radfordii (G2), Collinsonia verticillata (G3), Coreopsis latifolia (G3),Helianthus glaucophyllus (G3), Prosartes maculata (G3G4), Trillium discolor (G2), Trillium rugelii (G3), Trillium simile (G3)ELEMENT DISTRIBUTIONRange: This community occurs in the escarpment region of the Southern Blue Ridge in western North Carolina, northern SouthCarolina, and Georgia, possibly ranging into Tennessee.Subnations: GA, NC, SC, TN?TNC Ecoregions: 51:C, 52:CUSFS Ecoregions: 231Ab:CCC, 231Ad:CCC, M221Dc:CCC, M221Dd:CCCFederal Lands: USFS (Chattahoochee, Cherokee, Pisgah, Sumter?)ELEMENT SOURCESReferences: Major et al. 1999, Peet et al. unpubl. data 2002, Schafale 1998b, Schafale and Weakley 1990, Southeastern EcologyWorking Group n.d.TULIPTREE - APPALACHIAN BASSWOOD - (YELLOW BUCKEYE) / BLACK COHOSH FORESTELEMENT IDENTIFIERSNVC association: Liriodendron tulipifera - Tilia americana var. heterophylla - (Aesculus flava) / Actaea racemosa ForestDatabase Code: CEGL007291Formation: Lowland or submontane cold-deciduous forest (I.B.2.N.a)Alliance: Liriodendron tulipifera - Tilia americana var. heterophylla - Aesculus flava - Acer saccharum Forest Alliance (A.235)ELEMENT CONCEPTSummary: This association encompasses mixed mesophytic forests of the low mountains and foothills, mostly below 610 m (2000feet) elevation in the Southern Blue Ridge escarpment and adjacent Piedmont. This forest is dominated by Liriodendron tulipifera, butother canopy species typically include Tilia americana var. heterophylla, Fraxinus americana, Carya alba, Aesculus flava, Halesiatetraptera, Fagus grandifolia, Quercus alba, and Acer rubrum. Tsuga canadensis is not dominant, shrubs are sparse, if present. In thevicinity of the Chauga River, South Carolina, Acer leucoderme may dominate the understory. Ferns are often locally dominant,typically Thelypteris noveboracensis, Polystichum acrostichoides, Adiantum pedatum, Phegopteris hexagonoptera, and Athyriumfilix-femina ssp. asplenioides. The herb stratum is diverse and coverage is often scattered. Typical species include Actaea pachypoda,Asarum canadense, Carex plantaginea, Carex austrocaroliniana, Actaea racemosa (= Cimicifuga racemosa), Collinsoniacanadensis, Goodyera pubescens, Hepatica nobilis var. acuta, Viola blanda, Galium latifolium, Galium circaezans, Trilliumcatesbaei, Maianthemum racemosum, Sanguinaria canadensis, Thalictrum thalictroides, and Monarda clinopodia. This forest occurson moderately steep, protected slopes and in coves, over nutrient-rich soils formed from colluvium. This association can have specieswith Piedmont affinities and lacks species typical of higher elevation cove forests, such as Acer saccharum, Impatiens pallida,Clintonia umbellulata, Prosartes maculata (= Disporum maculatum), Polygonatum pubescens, Streptopus lanceolatus var. roseus (=Streptopus roseus), Astilbe biternata, Veratrum viride, and Maianthemum canadense.Environment: This association encompasses mixed mesophytic forests of the low mountains and foothills, mostly below 610 m(2000 feet) elevation in the Southern Blue Ridge escarpment and adjacent Piedmont. This forest occurs on moderately steep, protectedslopes and in coves, over nutrient-rich soils formed from colluvium.Vegetation: The canopy of stands of this forest is dominated by Liriodendron tulipifera, but other canopy species typically includeTilia americana var. heterophylla, Fraxinus americana, Carya alba, Aesculus flava, Halesia tetraptera, Fagus grandifolia, Quercusalba, and Acer rubrum. Tsuga canadensis is not dominant; shrubs are sparse, if present. In the vicinity of the Chauga River, SouthCarolina, Acer leucoderme may dominate the understory. Ferns are often locally dominant, typically Thelypteris noveboracensis,Polystichum acrostichoides, Adiantum pedatum, Phegopteris hexagonoptera, and Athyrium filix-femina ssp. asplenioides. The herbstratum is diverse and coverage is often scattered. Typical species include Actaea pachypoda, Asarum canadense, Carex plantaginea,Carex austrocaroliniana, Actaea racemosa (= Cimicifuga racemosa), Collinsonia canadensis, Goodyera pubescens, Hepatica nobilisvar. acuta, Viola blanda, Galium latifolium, Galium circaezans, Trillium catesbaei, Maianthemum racemosum, Sanguinariacanadensis, Thalictrum thalictroides, and Monarda clinopodia.Dynamics: No informationSimilar Associations:Vegetation of Sumter National Forest April 30 2004Copyright © 2004 NatureServe69