Southern Appalachian White Pine Forest - Ecological Community of Great Smoky Mountains National Park

NatureServe Unique Identifier: CEGL007100: Pinus strobus / Kalmia latifolia - (Vaccinium stamineum, Gaylussacia ursina) Forest

Park Vegetation Plot Summary

Tree Canopy: Pinus strobus

Tree subcanopy: Acer rubrum, Oxydendrum arboreum

Tall Shrubs and Saplings: Kalmia latifolia, Vaccinium stamineum

Short Shrubs and Saplings: N/A

Herbs (field): Chimaphila maculata

Nonvascular: N/A

Click photo to enlarge.
Photo provided by NatureServe.

GLOBAL COMMUNITY CONCEPT

This community occurs at lower elevations (below 900 m) in the Southern Blue Ridge region of the southern Appalachians on upper slopes and ridgetops protected by higher landforms.
This association includes natural stands of forest vegetation with a canopy dominated by Pinus strobus.
- Other minor canopy species may include Pinus rigida, Quercus coccinea, and Acer rubrum.
These forests often have open subcanopies composed of Oxydendrum arboreum, Acer rubrum, Nyssa sylvatica, and Cornus florida.
The shrub stratum is patchy to continuous and dominated by ericaceous species, typically Gaylussacia ursina, or Vaccinium stamineum, and Kalmia latifolia.
- Other common species in the shrub/sapling stratum may include Gaylussacia baccata, Vaccinium pallidum, Acer rubrum, and Castanea dentata.
Typical herbaceous species include Galax urceolata, Chimaphila maculata, Goodyera pubescens, Epigaea repens, Medeola virginiana, Lysimachia quadrifolia, Uvularia puberula, and Chamaelirium luteum.

PARK VEGETATION PLOT SUMMARY

Within the park, examples of this association are mostly pure Pinus strobus with the occasional Quercus coccinea and Pinus virginiana in the canopy.
- In addition, Acer rubrum is increasing in abundance in the understory and may eventually overtake the current canopy species in the absence of fire.
Kalmia latifolia is the dominant shrub.
Herbaceous species are uncommon and are characteristic of dry acid environments.

DISTRIBUTION

North America:

This community is known from the escarpment region of the Southern Blue Ridge and the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

Click map to view distribution.
Potential	Occurs

Click map to view North American distribution.

In the Park:

This association was observed on the north side of the park in the Deep Creek drainage on an exposed south-facing slope.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Global Status:

Global Conservation Status Rank: G2G3 (Last reviewed: 01 04 2000).
This community is geographically restricted and uncommon within its range.

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:

N/A

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.

DeYoung, H. R. 1979. The white pine-hardwood vegetation types of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. M.S. thesis, University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

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.

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

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.

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

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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