• This association includes hemlock-hardwood forests of lower to intermediate elevations in the Southern Blue Ridge and upper Piedmont, ranging from southwestern Virginia, south and west to northwestern Georgia.
  • These communities occur at low to middle elevations (1,300-3,500 feet) in the mountains and foothills, generally in coves, gorges, or sheltered slopes, over acid soils.
    
    
• The canopy is usually dominated by Liriodendron tulipifera or Betula lenta, but substantial portions of this community may be comprised mainly of Tsuga canadensis and the occasional Acer rubrum.
  • Other deciduous species more typical of "rich" coves may occur as scattered individuals; Tilia americana var. heterophylla, Fraxinus americana, and Fagus grandifolia.
  • Other canopy/subcanopy species often include Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, Magnolia fraseri, Ilex opaca, Calycanthus floridus, Halesia tetraptera var. tetraptera, and Pinus strobus. Rhododendron maximum is scattered to dominant in the shrub stratum.
  • Other typical shrubs include Kalmia latifolia and Leucothoe fontanesiana.
    
    
• Herbaceous cover is sparse but can be diverse and is composed of acid-loving species.
  • Typical herbs include Polystichum acrostichoides, Dennstaedtia punctilobula, Goodyera pubescens, Mitchella repens, Thelypteris noveboracensis, Galax urceolata, Viola rotundifolia, Hexastylis spp., and Tiarella cordifolia.

• The canopy of this forests can be dominated by Tsuga canadensis, Liriodendron tulipifera, Betula lenta, Acer rubrum, or a combination of them all.
  • In some cases at the upper elevations of this community, the example may contain only Betula alleghaniensis and Betula lenta in the canopy.
  • These cases are distinct enough to warrant mention but probably are not distinct enough to allow for a new association.
  • Other deciduous species that will occasionally have high coverage in the canopy or subcanopy include Betula alleghaniensis, Tilia americana var. heterophylla, and Fagus grandifolia.
  • Other canopy/subcanopy species can include Magnolia fraseri, Ilex opaca, Cornus florida, Halesia tetraptera var. monticola, Oxydendrum arboreum, and Pinus strobus.
    
    
• Rhododendron maximum is scattered to dominant in the shrub stratum and is the most consistent character separating this from other communities.
  • Other typical shrubs include Euonymus americanus, Ilex opaca, and Leucothoe fontanesiana.
    
    
• Herbaceous cover is sparse.
  • Typical herbs include Mitchella repens and Polystichum acrostichoides.

• This community occurs in the Southern Blue Ridge and peripherally in the upper Piedmont, ranging from southwestern Virginia, south and west to northwestern Georgia.

• This community was sampled from quadrangles throughout the park.
  • It is one of the most wide-ranging communities in the park, occurring in virtually every drainage of the park as it heads down the mountains into the 1,840 to 3,020 foot range.

• Global Conservation Status Rank: G5 (Last reviewed: 09 27 2004).
  
  
• Within its range, this community type occurs extensively in suitable mesic habitats.
  • Occurrences are subject to compositional modification by outbreaks of hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae), an exotic insect pest that causes decline and eventual mortality of Tsuga canadensis.

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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.