Appalachian Montane Oak - Hickory Forest (Low-Elevation Xeric Type) - Ecological Community of Great Smoky Mountains National Park

NatureServe Unique Identifier: CEGL007691: Quercus alba - Quercus coccinea - Quercus falcata / Kalmia latifolia - Vaccinium pallidum Forest

Park Vegetation Plot Summary

Tree Canopy: Quercus alba, Quercus falcata, Quercus rubra, and Quercus prinus

Tree subcanopy: N/A

Tall Shrubs and Saplings: N/A

Short Shrubs and Saplings: N/A

Herbs (field): Solidago odora

Nonvascular: N/A

Click photo to enlarge.
Photo provided by NatureServe.

GLOBAL COMMUNITY CONCEPT

This association includes dry, deciduous forests of low elevations (below 3,000 feet) in the Southern Blue Ridge, associated with sandy, dry soils derived from granitic gneiss and other acid substrates.
- This association is known as a matrix forest type in the area of Brevard, North Carolina, where it occurs on open slopes and broad ridges, in a landscape of a low, rolling plateau.
- It may extend south into South Carolina
  
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These forests have canopies dominated by Quercus alba, Quercus coccinea, Quercus falcata, and sometimes Quercus prinus, although other species can be present, including Pinus rigida.
- This forest is characterized by having associated species more typical of lower, non-montane areas, such as Quercus falcata, Schizachyrium scoparium, Silphium compositum, Baptisia tinctoria, Piptochaetium avenaceum, and by the absence of species more typical in mesic, montane oak forests (Medeola virginiana, Maianthemum racemosum, Thelypteris noveboracensis, Athyrium filix-femina ssp. asplenioides, Dennstaedtia punctilobula, Dryopteris intermedia).
The shrub stratum can be quite open, with Rhododendron calendulaceum typical.
- Kalmia latifolia and Vaccinium pallidum are usually present in moderate abundance.
Solidago odora and Pteridium aquilinum var. latiusculum are typical herb components.

PARK VEGETATION PLOT SUMMARY

Canopies are often dominated by a combination of Quercus alba, Quercus falcata, Quercus rubra, and Quercus prinus, but also sometimes contain high proportions of Pinus rigida and Pinus virginiana where they may eventually transition to more pine-dominated xeric associations.
The herb layer is similar to the global description though Pteridium aquilinum var. latiusculum is not always present in examples in the Great Smokies.

DISTRIBUTION

North America:

This association is known as a matrix forest type in the area of Brevard, North Carolina.
- It may extend south into South Carolina. Its full range may not be known (status in Tennessee unclear).

Click map to enlarge.
Potential	Occurs

Click map to view North American distribution.

In the Park:

Examples of this community occur on dry south-facing ridges on the North Carolina side of the park.
- They are especially common in the vicinity of the Goldmine Loop Trail upslope from Lake Fontana.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Global Status:

Global Conservation Status Rank: G2G3 (Last reviewed: 10 04 2004).
This association is known as a matrix forest type in the area of Brevard, North Carolina, where it occurs on open slopes and broad ridges in a landscape of a low, rolling plateau.
- It may extend south into South Carolina and Tennessee.
- It does occur on public lands, but since it is on lower elevations, it would be easy to access for logging and/or conversion to other uses (i.e., pine plantations and development on private land).

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:

R. White

Web Page:

Charles Wilder.

Photographs:

NatureServe

Maps:

Charles Wilder.

REFERENCES

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.

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

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