Chestnut Oak Forest (Mesic Slope Heath Type) - Ecological Community of Great Smoky Mountains National Park

NatureServe Unique Identifier: CEGL006286: Quercus prinus - Quercus rubra / Rhododendron maximum / Galax urceolata Forest

Park Vegetation Plot Summary

Tree Canopy: Quercus prinus

Tree subcanopy: N/A

Tall Shrubs and Saplings: Rhododendron maximum

Short Shrubs and Saplings: N/A

Herbs (field): N/A

Nonvascular: N/A

GLOBAL COMMUNITY CONCEPT

This montane deciduous forest is known from protected, steep north-facing slopes in the Southern Blue Ridge and ranges into adjacent areas of the upper Piedmont.
- This forest is found on moderate to very steep slopes with northerly exposures, on lower slope positions, typically at elevations between 2,500 and 4,000 feet.
- In the Great Smoky Mountains it was found consistently as a transitional band of vegetation, downslope from drier Quercus prinus ridgetop forests, ~(Quercus prinus, Quercus coccinea) / Kalmia latifolia / (Galax urceolata, Gaultheria procumbens) Forest (CEGL006271), and grading into acidic cove forests, ~Liriodendron tulipifera - Betula lenta - Tsuga canadensis / Rhododendron maximum Forest (CEGL007543) on the steep ravines below.
It is dominated by Quercus prinus, usually with lesser amounts of Quercus rubra and/or Acer rubrum, and always occurring over a dense, very tall shrub stratum (2-6 m) of Rhododendron maximum.
In some areas Rhododendron minus may dominate or Tsuga canadensis may have dense understory regeneration.
- Other common shrubs can include Gaylussacia ursina and Kalmia latifolia.
Herbs are sparse.
- The ground cover is dominated by leaf litter, but Galax urceolata is in most occurrences.
- Other herb species than can be typical include Chimaphila maculata, Goodyera pubescens, and Polystichum acrostichoides.
- Some examples may have sparse (woodland-like) canopies and occur in association with rock outcroppings.

PARK VEGETATION PLOT SUMMARY

This forest is dominated by Quercus prinus, with lesser amounts of Acer rubrum, occurring over a dense, tall-shrub stratum of Rhododendron maximum.
Ground cover is dominated by leaf litter, and herbs are scattered about.
- Typical herbs include Chimaphila maculata, Galax urceolata, Goodyera pubescens, and Polystichum acrostichoides.

DISTRIBUTION

North America:

This community occurs in the Southern Blue Ridge of northeastern Georgia, northwestern South Carolina, north through eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina.
- Its range extends into the upper Piedmont of North Carolina and possibly into Virginia's Blue Ridge.

Click map to enlarge.
Potential	Occurs

Click map to view North American distribution.

In the Park:

This association is uncommon and was sampled at only a single location in the northern portion of the Mount Le Conte quadrangle, above Hill Creek.
- It was observed on the Cades Cove quadrangle in the vicinity of Bunting Branch and in the Cataloochee Valley.
- It is possible at the appropriate exposure and elevation elsewhere in the park.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Global Status:

Global Conservation Status Rank: G4 (Last reviewed: 12 21 1999).
This community is uncommon, but not rare, throughout most of its range.
- As currently defined, it is a regional endemic, found only in the Southern Blue Ridge.
- This community is often overlooked or not distinguished separately in inventories, thus it is more common than the number of documented occurrences suggests.

Park Status:

Picking, digging, or otherwise damaging plants is prohibited in the Park. Collection is allowed only by special permit for research or educational purposes.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Field Work:

NatureServe

Supporting Institutions:

N/A

Forest Association Described By:

K.D. Patterson

Web Page:

Charles Wilder.

Photographs:

NatureServe

Maps:

Charles Wilder.

REFERENCES

Allard, D. J. 1990. Southeastern United States ecological community classification. Interim report, Version 1.2. The Nature Conservancy, Southeast Regional Office, Chapel Hill, NC. 96 pp.

NatureServe Ecology - Southeastern United States. No date. Unpublished data. NatureServe, Durham, NC.

Peet, R. K., T. R. Wentworth, M. P. Schafale, and A.S. Weakley. 2002. Unpublished data of the North Carolina Vegetation Survey. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Schafale, M. 1998b. Fourth approximation guide. High mountain communities. March 1998 draft. North Carolina Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh.

Schafale, M. P., and A. S. Weakley. 1990. Classification of the natural communities of North Carolina. Third approximation. North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh. 325 pp.

Schafale, Mike P. Personal communication. Ecologist, North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program, Raleigh.

Simon, Steve. Personal communication.

Southeastern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Durham, NC.

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