• This type occurs on most of the major mountain ranges of the southern Appalachians in North Carolina and Tennessee, at elevations over 1,400 m (4,500 feet) on broad ridges, and on steep rocky slopes at the heads of coves, often with northern or southeastern aspects.
  • This forest often occurs adjacent to or grades into forests dominated by Picea rubens, Abies fraseri, or northern hardwood species (Betula alleghaniensis, Fagus grandifolia, Aesculus flava).
  • In some areas, this community is found adjacent to montane shrublands and grasslands.
  • This community is often referred to as a 'Subalpine Oak Orchard Forest.'
    
    
• This community includes forest vegetation, with a closed to very open canopy, where Quercus rubra makes up at least 75% of the tree canopy and with less than 20% shrub cover.
  • Canopy trees may be gnarled and stunted, especially on ridge crests.
  • Other canopy species may include Acer rubrum, Crataegus punctata, Crataegus flabellata, Betula alleghaniensis, Betula lenta, and, at high elevations, Picea rubens.
    
    
• An open subcanopy contains canopy species plus Hamamelis virginiana, Amelanchier arborea, Acer pensylvanicum, Halesia tetraptera var. monticola, and Ilex montana.
  
  
• Herbaceous cover is dense and diverse, composed of sedges, ferns, and tall herbs, with dominance varying within and between occurrences.
  • Typical herbaceous dominants include Carex pensylvanica, Ageratina altissima var. roanensis, Thelypteris noveboracensis, Dennstaedtia punctilobula, Eurybia chlorolepis, Oclemena acuminata, and Laportea canadensis.

• The canopy of this short-statured forest is strongly dominated by Quercus rubra.
  • Other trees that may form a minor portion of the canopy and subcanopy include Acer rubrum, Halesia tetraptera var. monticola, and Prunus serotina.
    
    
• The shrub stratum is open with scattered shrubs, mostly Halesia tetraptera var. monticola and Ilex montana.
  • Other species in the shrub stratum include Acer pensylvanicum, Acer saccharum, Kalmia latifolia, Magnolia fraseri, Prunus serotina, Rubus canadensis, Vaccinium corymbosum, and Vaccinium erythrocarpum.
    
    
• The herbaceous stratum is strongly dominated by Carex pensylvanica, which forms a dense carpet.
  • Other herbaceous species include Angelica triquinata, Eurybia chlorolepis, Clintonia umbellulata, Cuscuta rostrata, Dioscorea quaternata, Dryopteris intermedia, Gentianella quinquefolia ssp. quinquefolia, Lilium superbum, Maianthemum racemosum, Medeola virginiana, Mitchella repens, Prenanthes altissima, Smilax herbacea, Solidago curtisii, and Thelypteris noveboracensis.

• This community occurs in the Southern Blue Ridge of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

• This community was sampled from two locations, one in the southwestern portion of the Mount Le Conte quadrangle, on the western ridge of Balsam Point (4,640 feet elevation) and the other just off of Balsam Mountain Road on the North Carolina side of the park.
  • The community most likely occurs in other areas of the park at the appropriate elevation range.

• Global Conservation Status Rank: G2 (Last reviewed: 04 30 1998).
  
  
  This community is relatively secure within its range, but has a naturally restricted habitat.
  • Red oak decline is affecting occurrences of this community; fire may be needed for stand establishment.

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.

CAP [Central Appalachian Forest Working Group]. 1998. Central Appalachian Working group discussions. The Nature Conservancy, Boston, MA.

Coker, W. C., and H. R. Totten. 1945. Trees of the southeastern United States. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill.

DeLapp, J. A. 1978. Gradient analysis and classification of the high elevation red oak community of the southern Appalachians. M.S. thesis, North Carolina State University, Raleigh. 483 pp.

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

Fernald, M. L. 1950. Gray's manual of botany. Eighth edition. A handbook of the flowering plants and ferns of the central and northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. American Book Co., New York.

Fleming, G. P., P. P. Coulling, D. P. Walton, K. M. McCoy, and M. R. Parrish. 2001. The natural communities of Virginia: Classification of ecological community groups. First approximation. Natural Heritage Technical Report 01-1. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond, VA. Unpublished report. January 2001. 76 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.

Kartesz, J. T. 1999. A synonymized checklist and atlas with biological attributes for the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. First edition. In: J. T. Kartesz and C. A. Meacham. Synthesis of the North American Flora, Version 1.0. North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, NC.

McDougal, K. M., and C. R. Parks. 1984. Elevational variation in foliar flavonoids of Quercus rubra L. (Fagaceae). American Journal of Botany 71:301-308.

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.

Pyne, M. 1994. Tennessee natural communities. Unpublished document. Tennessee Department of Conservation, Ecology Service Division, Nashville. 7 pp.

Rohrer, J. R. 1983. Vegetation pattern and rock type in the flora of the Hanging Rock Area, North Carolina. Castanea 48:189-205.

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.

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

Weakley, A. S. 1980. Natural areas inventory and management recommendations for Big Yellow Mountain, Avery County, North Carolina. Unpublished document. The Nature Conservancy, North Carolina Field Office. Carrboro, NC. 100 pp.

Weakley, A. S. 1997. Flora of the Carolinas and Virginia. Unpublished May draft. The Nature Conservancy, Southeast Regional Office, Chapel Hill, NC.

Whittaker, R. H. 1956. Vegetation of the Great Smoky Mountains. Ecological Monographs 26:1-80.