Beech–maple forest: Difference between revisions
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A '''beech-maple forest''' is a [[climax community |
A '''beech-maple forest''' is a [[climax community]]<ref>[http://www.michigandnr.com/publications/pdfs/wildlife/viewingguide/eco_succession.htm Eco Succession]</ref> [[Mesic habitat|mesic]] closed canopy [[Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests|hardwood]] forest. It is primarily composed of [[American Beech]] and [[Sugar Maple]] trees which each grow well in the others shade, alternating in dominance each generation. It was the most common forest type in the Northeastern United States when it was settled and remains widespread but scattered today. |
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==Description== |
==Description== |
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Revision as of 01:27, 10 December 2008
A beech-maple forest is a climax community[1] mesic closed canopy hardwood forest. It is primarily composed of American Beech and Sugar Maple trees which each grow well in the others shade, alternating in dominance each generation. It was the most common forest type in the Northeastern United States when it was settled and remains widespread but scattered today.
Description
The canopy is dominated by the beech and maple trees, providing little light to the understory with a resulting lack of shrubs. Two exceptions are the Witch-hazel and alderleaf viburnum shrubs.[2] The ground cover includes herbs and spring ephemerals which are able to bloom before the canopy returns.[3] There are also a large number of beech and maple tree seedlings which grow rapidly when windthrow or other breaks in the canopy occur. There are variants of this type which include hemlock or red spruce in smaller densities.[2]
They are often found on flat or rolling terrain in a variety of moist, but not wet soils.[2][4] They thrive in glacial till.
These forests are the result of plant succession, a long progression of different plant species over centuries. From bare ground, it would start with weeds, then shrubs, weedy trees (eg: mulberry), then coniferous trees (eg: Juniper) and additional types such as ash lead to a mixed mesophytic forest. Eventually, a Oak-hickory forest develops. If the conditions allow, the final climax community is the beech-maple community.[5]
Distribution
The range of the beech-maple forest type extends from the Atlantic coast west to Minnesota and from southern Canada south to Virginia and Tennessee.[2] It is widespread in New York[2] and was an important component of the original vegetation of northeastern Ohio.[6] Instances of a beech-maple forest can be found anywhere from altitudes of 320 feet (98 m) to 3,900 feet (1,200 m).[2]
References
- ^ Eco Succession
- ^ a b c d e f New York Natural Heritage Program Conservation Guide Beech-Maple Mesic Forest
- ^ Lake Erie Allegheny Partnership for Biodiversity
- ^ Michigan Natural Features Inventory
- ^ http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Courses/bio303/succession.htm Plant Succession Course description]
- ^ The Vegetative Composition of a Beech-Maple Climax Forest in the Glaciated Plateau of Northeastern Ohio, William H. Schlesinger