• This early-successional or semi-natural vegetation occurs in the southern Appalachian Mountains and Appalachian Plateaus.
  • Examples are typical of areas which were once clearcut, old fields, strip-mined, graded for road construction, or otherwise cleared.
  • Stands are typically revegetated from root and stump sprouts and wind dispersed seeds.
    
    
• Canopies are typically dominated by Liriodendron tulipifera, although other species may also be present.
  • Robinia pseudoacacia is listed as a nominal to indicate the Appalachian distribution of this type.
• Associated species may vary.
  
  
• Tall shrubs (Rhododendron periclymenoides, Rhododendron calendulaceum, Kalmia latifolia, Calycanthus floridus) sprout from root stocks and occur as scattered, dense clumps, while shorter shrubs (Gaylussacia ursina, Leucothoe fontanesiana, Rubus spp., Vaccinium spp.) can have dense, continuous cover.
  
  
• Composition of the herbaceous stratum varies with site conditions and moisture regime and may contain field-adapted species, tolerant of high light intensities, as well as many shade-tolerant forest herbs.
  • Lycopodium digitatum may also form dense cover.

• This forest has a canopy strongly dominated by Liriodendron tulipifera.
  • Other canopy and subcanopy species include Acer rubrum, Robinia pseudoacacia, Acer saccharum, Halesia tetraptera var. monticola, Pinus strobus, and Betula lenta.
    
    
• Shrubs can be sparse to moderate in coverage, with composition varying from site to site, but often composed of saplings of canopy species.
  • Tsuga canadensis and Quercus spp. can be dominant in the shrub stratum.
    
    
• Herbaceous cover can be sparse to moderate, with no clear dominant, although Amphicarpaea bracteata, Desmodium nudiflorum, and Thelypteris noveboracensis may be dominant in patches.
  • Vines are common and often abundant.
  • Typical vine species are Aristolochia macrophylla, Parthenocissus quinquefolia, Smilax glauca, Smilax rotundifolia, Toxicodendron radicans, and Vitis aestivalis.
  • A more mesic and nutrient-rich version of this association contained large amounts of Hydrangea arborescens, Impatiens pallida, and Symphyotrichum prenanthoides.

• This community occurs in upland areas of the Blue Ridge escarpment where there has been removal of the above-ground portion of canopy trees within the past ten years.
  • It occurs in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee, in the Blue Ridge Physiographic Province and is likely in the Cumberland Plateau and Ridge and Valley Province.

• This community was sampled or observed on both the Cades Cove quadrangle and Mount Le Conte quadrangle and is likely in other areas of the park.
  
  
• On the Cades Cove quadrangle this community is found on low slopes around Cades Cove; on slopes along lower Green Branch Creek; slopes above Rowans Branch; north of Tater Ridge on low slopes above a creek; on low slopes northwest of Pine Ridge, and in the southeast portion of the quadrangle in the vicinity of Eagle Creek.
  
  
• Areas where it is known to occur on the Mount Le Conte quadrangle include Porters Flats, in the eastern portion of the quadrangle, and in the northern portion, on low slopes in the watershed of Rhododendron Creek, and a low cove south of Hills Creek.
  • It is likely on other low slopes below 2,000 feet elevation in the northern half of the Mount Le Conte quadrangle, particularly in areas that where once settled by humans.
    
    
• It has also been sampled in the Smokemont quadrangle along Newfound Gap Road in areas of former road construction and along Big Cove Road adjacent to the Cherokee Indian Reservation.

• Global Conservation Status Rank: GNA (ruderal) (Last reviewed: 12 07 2000).
  
  
• This forest represents early successional vegetation or vegetation resulting from anthropogenic activities and is thus not a conservation priority.
  • These forests are typical of areas which were once clearcut, old fields, strip-mined, or cleared by fire or other natural disturbances.

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Eyre, F. H., editor. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Society of American Foresters, Washington, DC. 148 pp.

Golden, M. S. 1974. Forest vegetation and site relationships in the central portion of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. 275 pp.

Govus, T. E. 1982. Vegetative profiles of the major forest types in the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests. USDA Forest Service. Contract No. 00-4550-1-1399. 71 pp.

Horn, J. C. 1976. Avian succession following clearcutting in the southern Appalachians. Unpublished report. Highlands Biological Station, NC.

Horn, J. C. 1980. Short-term changes in vegetation after clearcutting in the southern Appalachians. Castanea 45:88-96.

McGee, C. E., and R. M. Hooper. 1970. Regeneration after clearcutting in the southern Appalachians. USDA Forest Service. Research Paper SE-70. 12 pp.

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Schmalzer, P. A. 1978. Classification and analysis of forest communities in several coves of the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee. M.S. thesis, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. 24 pp.

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Thomas, R. D. 1966. The vegetation and flora of Chilhowee Mountain. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. 355 pp.

USFS [U.S. Forest Service]. 1988. Silvicultural examination and prescription field book. USDA Forest Service, Southern Region. Atlanta, GA. 35 pp.