Sumter National Forest Final Report - NatureServe

catesbaei, Desmodium nudiflorum, Eupatorium purpureum, Galium circaezans, Galium latifolium, Galax urceolata, Hexastylisshuttleworthii, Medeola virginiana, Mitchella repens, and Houstonia purpurea.Environment: Stands of this association are found below 2900 feet elevation, on protected ridges, mid to upper slopes, and indisturbed bottoms in the Southern Blue Ridge Escarpment and in the Piedmont transition region. The presence of Pinus strobus inthese forests may be a product of disturbance and subsequent fire suppression. It may have increased its abundance since about 1900.Vegetation: Canopies are dominated by variable mixtures of Pinus strobus, Quercus alba, Carya alba, and Acer rubrum. Othercanopy species may include Liriodendron tulipifera, Tsuga canadensis, Quercus rubra, Quercus prinus, and Magnolia fraseri.Subcanopy and saplings include canopy species and Cornus florida, Halesia tetraptera, Oxydendrum arboreum, and Nyssa sylvatica.Shrub layers are moderate to dense, with Gaylussacia ursina and Kalmia latifolia most commonly dominating. Other shrubs includeRhododendron minus, Rhododendron maximum, Symplocos tinctoria, Arundinaria gigantea, Castanea dentata, Sassafras albidum,Amelanchier arborea, Pyrularia pubera, and Hydrangea radiata. The herb stratum is sparse, although ferns (Thelypterisnoveboracensis, Dennstaedtia punctilobula, and Polystichum acrostichoides) may occasionally dominate. Common herbs includeChimaphila maculata, Viola hastata, Goodyera pubescens, Maianthemum racemosum, Polygonatum biflorum, Monotropa uniflora,Trillium catesbaei, Desmodium nudiflorum, Eupatorium purpureum, Galium circaezans, Galium latifolium, Galax urceolata,Hexastylis shuttleworthii, Medeola virginiana, Mitchella repens, and Houstonia purpurea.Dynamics: No informationSimilar Associations:Related Concepts:• Hardwood - White Pine Forest (Ambrose 1990a) B• IA6f. Dry White Pine Ridge Forest (Allard 1990) B• Montane Oak-Hickory Forest (White Pine Subtype) (Schafale 1998b) ?Classification Comments:CONSERVATION RANKING & RARE SPECIESGRank: G3G4 (2003-10-23): This community is geographically restricted and uncommon within its range. Grank changed to G4 onthe recommendation of Gary Kauffman, USDA Forest Service.High-ranked species: No informationELEMENT DISTRIBUTIONRange: This community is known from the escarpment region of the Southern Blue Ridge.Subnations: GA, NC, SC, TN?TNC Ecoregions: 51:CUSFS Ecoregions: M221Dc:CCC, M221Dd:CCCFederal Lands: NPS (Great Smoky Mountains); USFS (Chattahoochee, Cherokee, Nantahala, Pisgah, Sumter)ELEMENT SOURCESReferences: Allard 1990, Ambrose 1990a, NatureServe Ecology - Southeastern U.S. unpubl. data, Schafale 1998b, Schafale andWeakley 1990, Southeastern Ecology Working Group n.d.NORTHERN RED OAK - RED MAPLE / SWEET-SHRUB - BUFFALO-NUT / NEW YORK FERN FORESTELEMENT IDENTIFIERSNVC association: Quercus rubra - Acer rubrum / Calycanthus floridus - Pyrularia pubera / Thelypteris noveboracensis ForestDatabase Code: CEGL006192Formation: Lowland or submontane cold-deciduous forest (I.B.2.N.a)Alliance: Quercus alba - (Quercus rubra, Carya spp.) Forest Alliance (A.239)ELEMENT CONCEPTSummary: This association includes Quercus rubra forests at intermediate elevations (mostly below 3500 feet, ranging from 2000-4000 feet) in the Southern Blue Ridge Escarpment, and may possibly range into adjacent areas of the Central Appalachians andCumberland Plateau. These forests occur on mostly northern to eastern and southeastern, mid to upper, moderately steep slopes ofintermediate exposure over acidic soils. The canopy is dominated by Quercus rubra, often with Acer rubrum and/or Liriodendrontulipifera codominating, and occasionally with a high component of Quercus alba in the canopy. Other minor canopy species mayinclude Betula lenta, Carya alba, Carya glabra, Halesia tetraptera, Quercus prinus, and Magnolia fraseri. The subcanopy andsapling strata include the canopy species, as well as Halesia tetraptera, Betula lenta, Tsuga canadensis, Cornus florida, Acerpensylvanicum, and Oxydendrum arboreum. The shrub stratum is typically sparse but may have local dominance by Gaylussaciaursina or Rhododendron maximum. Other typical species in the shrub stratum include Castanea dentata, Calycanthus floridus,Pyrularia pubera, Rhododendron calendulaceum, Vaccinium corymbosum, and Viburnum acerifolium. Herbaceous cover is sparse tomoderate but can be species rich. Ferns can be locally dominant, typically Thelypteris noveboracensis and Athyrium filix-femina ssp.asplenioides. Other typical species include Eurybia divaricata (= Aster divaricatus), Carex spp. (e.g., Carex aestivalis, Carex debilis,Carex digitalis, Carex laxiflora var. laxiflora, Carex pensylvanica), Chimaphila maculata (= var. maculata), Desmodium nudiflorum,Vegetation of Sumter National Forest April 30 2004Copyright © 2004 NatureServe77