True montane oak-hickory forests reach maximal importance on base-rich igneous, metamorphic, and subcalcareous metasedimentary rocks. Northern red, white oak, red hickory (Carya ovalis), shagbark hickory (Carya ovata), and bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis) are typical co-dominant trees, although in most stands oaks attain greater importance in the overstory than do hickories (Carya spp.), which often reach maximal cover in subcanopy strata. The chestnut oak is present, but distinctly less common in montane oak-hickory forests than in lower-elevation oak-hickory types. Understory and herbaceous composition varies with geography and site conditions. Ericaceous shrubs and hayscented fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula) occur in abundance on poorer sites; a widespread compositional variant on moist but oligotrophic sites features extensive, nearly monospecific colonies of interrupted fern (Osmunda claytoniana). More fertile sites often support a diverse herbaceous flora, including such nutrient-demanding forbs as purple giant hyssop (Agastache scrophulariifolia), basil bee-balm (Monarda clinopodia), green-head coneflower (Rudbeckia laciniata var. laciniata), pale-leaf woodland sunflower (Helianthus strumosus), richweed (Collinsonia canadensis), yellow jewelweed (Impatiens pallida), black bugbane (Cimicifuga racemosa), starry campion (Silene stellata), stout goldenrod (Solidago squarrosa), hairy-jointed meadow-parsnip (Thaspium barbinode), and Appalachian meadowrue (Thalictrum coriaceum). The luxuriance of such herb layers rivals that of the Rich Cove and Slope Forests.
Communities of this group are transitional to Northern Red Oak Forests at higher elevations and on poorer sites and to several other oak and oak-hickory forests at their lower-elevation limits. They are distinguished from both Basic Oak-Hickory Forests and Acidic Oak-Hickory Forests by their restriction to elevations generally > 760 m (2,500 ft) and a floristic composition that lacks many prominent low-elevation species (e.g., eastern redbud [Cercis canadensis var. canadensis] and flowering dogwood [Cornus florida]). They are distinguished from Oak / Heath Forests by their far greater diversity of understory and herbaceous plants. Many Montane Mixed Oak and Oak-Hickory stands represent vegetation formerly dominated or co-dominated by American chestnut (Castanea dentata), before mature individuals of this species were decimated by the introduced chestnut blight (Cryphonectria parasitica) in the early 20 th century. Hickories (Carya spp.) are thought to have benefited greatly from the removal of American chestnut from the overstory, and their persistence and continued recruitment in contemporary oak-hickory forests may reflect fire exclusion in recent decades.
References: Adams and Stephenson (1983), Coulling and Rawinski (1999), Fleming and Coulling (2001), Fleming and Moorhead (2000), Johnson and Ware (1982), McCormick and Platt (1980), Rawinski et al . (1994), Rawinski et al . (1996), Stephenson (1982a), Stephenson (1982b), Stephenson and Adams (1991).
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The lush herb layers of some montane oak-hickory forests rival those of the rich cove and slope forests. Summit of the northern Blue Ridge near the headwaters of Entry Run, Greene County (Shenandoah National Park). Photo: Gary P. Fleming |
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Emerging fronds of interrupted fern (Osmunda claytoniana) in a montane oak-hickory forest on Thunder Hill, Bedford County (George Washington and Jefferson National Forests). Photo: Gary P. Fleming |
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Montane oak-hickory forest on the crest of the northern Blue Ridge near Humpback Mountain, Nelson County (Blue Ridge Parkway). Black bugbane (Cimicifuga racemosa, flowering) dominates the dense herb layer. Photo: Gary P. Fleming. |
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White oak (Quercus alba), red hickory (Carya ovalis), and Appalachian meadowrue (Thalictrum coriaceum) dominate a stand of montane oak-hickory forest on The Nature Conservancy's Warm Springs Mountain preserve, Bath County. Photo: Gary P. Fleming. |
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Overview of VA Physiography & Vegetation
Terrestrial System: LOW-ELEVATION DRY AND DRY- MESIC FORESTS AND WOODLANDS
- Dry-Mesic Calcareous Forests
- Basic Oak - Hickory Forests
- Acidic Oak - Hickory Forests
- Montane Mixed Oak & Oak-Hickory Forests
- Oak / Heath Forests
- Eastern White Pine - Hardwood Forests
- Piedmont / Coastal Plain Oak – Beech / Heath Forests
- Carolina Hemlock Forests
- Pine – Oak / Heath Woodlands
- Mountain / Piedmont Acidic Woodlands
- Mountain / Piedmont Basic Woodlands
- Ultramafic Woodlands
- Montane Dry Calcareous Forests and Woodlands
- Coastal Plain Dry Calcareous Forests and Woodlands
- Oak – Hickory Woodlands and Savannas
- Piedmont Hardpan Forests
- Low-Elevation Boulderfield Forests
