Southern Blue Ridge High-Elevation White Oak Forest - Ecological Community of Great Smoky Mountains National Park

NatureServe Unique Identifier: CEGL007295: Quercus alba / Kalmia latifolia Forest

Park Vegetation Plot Summary

Tree Canopy: Quercus rubra

Tree subcanopy: N/A

Tall Shrubs and Saplings: Kalmia latifolia

Short Shrubs and Saplings: N/A

Herbs (field): N/A

Nonvascular: N/A

Click photo to enlarge.
Photo provided by NatureServe.

GLOBAL COMMUNITY CONCEPT

Quercus alba-dominated forests on exposed, rocky ridges and convex upper slopes at high elevations (>3,000 feet).
The shrub/sapling stratum often has a high coverage of Castanea stump sprouts and also includes Castanea pumila, Sassafras albidum, Oxydendrum arboreum, and Nyssa sylvatica.
The shrub stratum is dominated by Kalmia latifolia, occurring as patches or with continuous cover (>25%).

In some parts of this forest's range, Gaylussacia ursina is dominant in the often dense low-shrub stratum.

Herbaceous cover is typical of xeric Quercus-and-Carya-dominated forests in the area, with Carex pensylvanica, Chimaphila maculata, Euphorbia corollata, Galax urceolata, Galium latifolium, Goodyera pubescens, Hexastylis shuttleworthii, Iris verna var. smalliana, Medeola virginiana typical.

PARK VEGETATION PLOT SUMMARY

Within the park, this community exists as patches within a matrix of high-elevation Quercus rubra-dominated forests.
It consists of a canopy of at least 50% Quercus alba with a solid shrub layer of Kalmia latifolia.
- In areas where the shrub Kalmia latifolia is not thick, Vaccinium pallidum often covers the ground.
- Root sprouts of Castanea dentata are still common in this community.
Herbs are sparse, but include Epigaea repens Dennstaedtia punctilobula, Stenanthium gramineum, and Clintonia umbellulata.

DISTRIBUTION

North America:

This community occurs in the Southern Blue Ridge of western North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, northwestern South Carolina, and northeastern Georgia.

Click map to enlarge.
Potential	Occurs

Click map to view North American distribution.

In the Park:

This community was sampled in an area along the Cattaloochee Divide near the Purchase and most likely exists as small scattered patches on exposed slopes throughout high-elevation areas of the park.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Global Status:

Global Conservation Status Rank: G2Q (Last reviewed: 12 29 1999).
This forest is restricted geographically, and if considered distinct, it is naturally rare within its range.
- It is floristically related to other, more common associations and may be better considered a subassociation of one of these communities.

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, MOD. R. White

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.

McCormick, J. F., and R. B. Platt. 1980. Recovery of an Appalachian forest following the chestnut blight, or Catherine Keever--You were right! The American Midland Naturalist 104:264-273.

Newell, C. L., and R. K. Peet. 1995. Vegetation of Linville Gorge Wilderness, North Carolina. Unpublished report. to USDA Forest Service. University of North Carolina, Department of Biology, Chapel Hill. 211 pp.

Patterson, K. D. 1994. Classification of vegetation in Ellicott Rock Wilderness, Southeastern Blue Ridge Escarpment. M.S. thesis, North Carolina State University, Raleigh. 91 pp.

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.

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

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