• This is a broadly defined association meant to cover typical 'northern hardwood forests' over 4,000 feet in elevation of the Southern Blue Ridge.
  • This deciduous forest association occurs on exposed landforms such as open, north-facing slopes.
    
    
• The canopy is dominated by various mixtures of Betula alleghaniensis, Fagus grandifolia, and sometimes Aesculus flava.
  • Other canopy trees may be present but are of minor importance (e.g., Acer saccharum, Prunus serotina, Quercus rubra, Halesia tetraptera var. monticola).
    
    
• Common subcanopy trees include Acer pensylvanicum, Acer spicatum, and Acer saccharum.
  
  
• A shrub stratum may be absent to moderately dense.
  • Viburnum lantanoides is a common shrub.
  • Other possible shrub species include, but are not limited to, Hydrangea arborescens, Ilex montana, Rubus canadensis, and Sambucus racemosa var. pubens.
    
    
• Herbaceous cover can be dominated by sedges or ferns or be comprised of a mixture of sedges, ferns, and other forbs.
  • Typical herbaceous species include Ageratina altissima var. roanensis, Eurybia chlorolepis, Athyrium filix-femina ssp. asplenioides, Carex pensylvanica, Dryopteris intermedia, Solidago curtisii, Stellaria pubera, Stellaria corei, and Streptopus lanceolatus var. roseus.

• The canopy is dominated by various mixtures of Betula alleghaniensis, Fagus grandifolia, and Aesculus flava.
  • Other species that may occasionally have high coverage in the canopy include Halesia tetraptera var. monticola, Quercus rubra, and Acer saccharum.
    
    
• The subcanopy is usually not well-developed and consists of canopy species.
  • Additional species that may be present in the subcanopy include Acer pensylvanicum, Amelanchier laevis, and Prunus serotina.
  • At the highest elevations Picea rubens may be part of the subcanopy, while at lower elevations Magnolia acuminata may be present in the subcanopy.
    
    
• Shrubs are typically sparse but can be moderately dense.
  • Common shrubs include Fagus grandifolia, Rubus canadensis, Acer spicatum, Viburnum lantanoides, and Ilex montana, although other species may occur.
    
    
• Herb coverage varies between occurrences but is composed of a mix of sedges, ferns, and other forbs.
  • Species richness is low in comparison with other deciduous forests, with typically less than 30 total species per 0.1 hectare.
  • Common herbaceous dominants include Ageratina altissima var. roanensis, Athyrium filix-femina ssp. asplenioides, Carex spp. (e.g., Carex debilis, Carex intumescens, Carex pensylvanica), and Dryopteris intermedia.
  • Other typical herbs include Eurybia divaricata, Solidago curtisii, Stellaria pubera, and Viola spp. (e.g., Viola blanda, Viola canadensis, Viola hastata, Viola pubescens), although other species may occur.

• The type is nearly endemic to high elevations of the Southern Blue Ridge in eastern Tennessee, western North Carolina, and southwestern Virginia.
  • In the Virginia Blue Ridge, it is prevalent in the Mount Rogers - Whitetop Mountain area and at high elevations of the Iron Mountains.
  • Local outliers also occur at the highest elevations of Clinch Mountain in the adjacent Ridge and Valley province.

• This community was sampled on the Mount Le Conte quadrangle and Cades Cove quadrangle.
  • Historic samples are from the Thunderhead Mountain quadrangle (4,360 to 5,000 feet elevation).
    
    
• On the Cades Cove quadrangle, historic and recent samples of this community ranged from 4,320 to 4,840 feet elevation.
  • Samples from the southern portion of the Cades Cove quadrangle came from the upper slopes of Gregory Bald; upper slopes north and west of Gregory Bald; a gap west of Forge Knob; and Gregory Ridge, northwest of Rich Gap.
  • In the central and eastern portion of the Cades Cove quadrangle, this community was sampled from the exposed slopes and ridges in the vicinity of Devil's Tater Patch; a ridge east of Mollies Ridge Shelter; and from the northwest slope of McCampbell Knob.
    
    
• In the southern portion of the Mount Le Conte quadrangle this community was sampled on the high north slopes of Masa Knob (5,400 feet) and on steep west-facing slopes north of Mount Le Conte (5,100 feet).

• Global Conservation Status Rank: G3G4 (Last reviewed: 12 14 1998).
  
  
• This is a broadly defined association meant to cover typical "northern hardwood forests" of the Southern Blue Ridge.
  • If needed, more subassociations may be recognized based on differences related to geology and other environmental variables.
  • Even if broadly defined, this type is limited in distribution to western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, and southwestern Virginia, and in extent by its requirement for higher elevations (typically over 1,220 m [4,000 feet]).
  • Most of the area of this community type is on public lands administered by the U.S. Forest Service (Pisgah, Nantahala, Cherokee, and Jefferson national forests) and National Park Service (Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Blue Ridge Parkway).
  • Most sites for this community are relatively secure from most threats.
  • Exotics plants and animals, such as garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) and the gypsy moth may represent significant threats to this community.

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Brown, D. M. 1941. Vegetation of Roan Mountain: A phytosociological and successional study. Ecological Monographs 11:61-97.

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

Fleming, G. P., and P. P. Coulling. 2001. Ecological communities of the George Washington and Jefferson national forests, Virginia. Preliminary classification and description of vegetation types. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond, VA. 317 pp.

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

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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.

Rheinhardt, R. D., and S. A. Ware. 1984. The vegetation of the Balsam Mountains of southwestern Virginia: A phytosociological study. Buletin of the Torrey Botanical Club 111:287-300.

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.

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