Natural Communities of Virginia - Terrestrial System - Low-Elevation Dry and Dry - Mesic Forests and Woodlands: Coastal Plain Dry Calcareous Forests and Woodlands

The Natural Communities of Virginia
Classification of Ecological Community Groups
SECOND APPROXIMATION (Version 2.2)

Coastal Plain Dry Calcareous Forests and Woodlands
This is a group of rare, deciduous (rarely mixed) forests and woodlands of subxeric to xeric, fertile habitats over unconsolidated, calcareous deposits. Similar forests are scattered in the mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain from Maryland to South Carolina. In Virginia, occurrences are small and highly localized in two environmental situations: 1) steep, convex, south-facing slopes of dissected ravine systems and river-fronting bluffs of the inner Coastal Plain from southeastern Virginia north to Stafford County; and 2) steep cut-slopes bordering estuaries on the outer Coastal Plain. In both situations, slopes have downcut into Tertiary shell deposits or limesands, producing circumneutral to slightly alkaline soils. Calcium levels in soil samples collected from these habitats are among the highest documented in Virginia, ranging to > 11,000 ppm. The majority of documented stands are on The Peninsula near Williamsburg (James City and York Counties).

Tree canopies range from semi-closed to very open. Chinkapin oak (Quercus muhlenbergii) is the most characteristic tree; southern sugar maple (Acer barbatum), white oak (Quercus alba), northern red oak (Quercus rubra), bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis), American beech (Fagus grandifolia), and white ash (Fraxinus americana) are common associates. In the stands bordering tidal streams, hackberries (Celtis occidentalis and Celtis laevigata) are characteristic components. The understory includes eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana var. virginiana), eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis var. canadensis), American holly (Ilex opaca var. opaca), buckthorn bumelia (Sideroxylon lycioides), and flowering dogwood (Cornus florida).

Although not lush, the herb layer contains a diversity of species, including several long-range mountain disjuncts. Particularly abundant or noteworthy herbaceous species include robin's-plantain (Erigeron pulchellus var. pulchellus), Bosc's panic-grass (Dichanthelium boscii), bearded short-husk (Brachyelytrum erectum), white crownbeard (Verbesina virginica var. virginica), American bellflower (Campanulastrum americanum), bear's-foot (Smallanthus uvedalius), whorled rosinweed (Silphium trifoliatum var. trifoliatum), few-flowered tick-trefoil (Desmodium pauciflorum), crested coralroot (Hexalectris spicata), slender wild rye (Elymus villosus), and eastern needlegrass (Piptochaetium avenaceum). Compared to Basic Mesic Forests of the Coastal Plain, these dry calcareous forests have a larger component of oaks (particularly chinkapin oak) in the overstory and have a much less lush herb layer. Communities in this group are considered globally rare and are threatened by logging and development.

References: Fleming (2002a).

Click on the images below to open a larger image in a separate window.

	Coastal Plain Dry Calcareous Forest on a very steep, shell-rich bluff along the James River in Surry County. Photo: Gary P. Fleming.
	Exposed Tertiary shell material on an erosive ravine convexity supporting Coastal Plain Dry Calcareous Forest. Near Williamsburg, James City County. Photo: Gary P. Fleming.
	Large chinkapin oaks (Quercus muhlenbergii) in a graminoid-rich Coastal Plain Dry Calcareous Forest near Yorktown, York County (Colonial National Historical Park). Photo: Gary P. Fleming.

REPRESENTATIVE COMMUNITY TYPES:
Two community types have been classified. Nineteen plots of the “calcareous slope” community type have been sampled at twelve sites representing the range of discrete geographic localities where it occurs. Only three plots of the “estuarine fringe” type have been sampled from two sites, and the unit must be considered provisional pending additional inventory, data collection, and analysis. Click on any highlighted CEGL code below to view the global USNVC description provided by NatureServe Explorer.

Quercus muhlenbergii / Erigeron pulchellus – Dichanthelium boscii – (Verbesina virginica) Forest
Coastal Plain Dry Calcareous Slope Forest
USNVC: = CEGL007748
Global/State Ranks: G2?/S1
Quercus muhlenbergii – Celtis (occidentalis , laevigata ) / Elymus villosus Forest (PROVISIONAL)
Estuarine Fringe Dry Calcareous Forest
USNVC: no equivalent
Global/State Ranks: GNR/S1

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The Natural Communities of Virginia Classification of Ecological Community Groups SECOND APPROXIMATION (Version 2.2)

The Natural Communities of Virginia
Classification of Ecological Community Groups
SECOND APPROXIMATION (Version 2.2)