Southeastern mixed forests
Encyclopedia
The Southeastern mixed forests are a temperate coniferous forests
ecoregion
of the United States
.
of the eastern United States, stretching in a broad arc from Maryland
southwest to Mississippi
. It is distinguished from neighboring ecoregions by elevation and vegetation. At lower elevations to the east are the Middle Atlantic coastal forests
on the Atlantic coastal plain
. Similarly, the Southeastern conifer forests occupy the Gulf coastal plain
to the south. Higher, and to the north and west, are the Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests
and the Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests
of the Appalachian Mountains
.
with warm summers and significant precipitation in all seasons.
American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was formerly an important tree in this ecoregion, but its population was destroyed by the chestnut blight
in the early 20th century. It still persists as an understory tree, but is often killed by the blight before it matures.
The hickories (Carya spp.) of this ecoregion are identifiable by their pinnately compound leaves. They include pignut (Carya glabra) and mockernut hickory (Carya tomentosa), both of which grow on a variety of sites from dry ridges to mesic habitat
s.
Understory
trees include sassafras (Sassafras albidum
), hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana
), and green hawthorn (Crataegus viridis
). Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) blooms in early spring.
Shrubs include highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium), mapleleaf viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium
), huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata
), mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia
).
Common pine (Pinus spp.) species are shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) and loblolly pine (Pinus taeda). The pine forests are regenerated by fire. Without fire, hardwood
species grow in below the pines.
Sugar maple (Acer saccharum), a shade tolerant tree, grows amid the oaks and hickories in the northern part of this ecoregion.
), northern red oak, white ash (Fraxinus americana), black maple (Acer nigrum), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), basswood (Tilia americana
), and bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis).
Understory trees include pawpaw (Asimina triloba
) and painted buckeye (Aesculus sylvatica
).
).
forests include eastern juniper (Juniperus virginiana
), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), and quaking (Populus tremuloides
) and bigtooth aspen (Populus grandidentata
).
Temperate coniferous forests
Temperate coniferous forest is a terrestrial biome found in temperate regions of the world with warm summers and cool winters and adequate rainfall to sustain a forest. In most temperate coniferous forests, evergreen conifers predominate, while some are a mix of conifers and broadleaf evergreen...
ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Setting
This ecoregion covers the PiedmontPiedmont (United States)
The Piedmont is a plateau region located in the eastern United States between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New Jersey in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmont province is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division...
of the eastern United States, stretching in a broad arc from Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
southwest to Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. It is distinguished from neighboring ecoregions by elevation and vegetation. At lower elevations to the east are the Middle Atlantic coastal forests
Middle Atlantic coastal forests
The Middle Atlantic coastal forests are a temperate coniferous forests ecoregion of the United States.-Setting:The Middle Atlantic coastal forests stretch along the Atlantic coast of the United States from the Delmarva Peninsula south to the Georgia coast...
on the Atlantic coastal plain
Atlantic Coastal Plain
The Atlantic coastal plain has both low elevation and low relief, but it is also a relatively flat landform extending from the New York Bight southward to a Georgia/Florida section of the Eastern Continental Divide, which demarcates the plain from the ACF River Basin in the Gulf Coastal Plain to...
. Similarly, the Southeastern conifer forests occupy the Gulf coastal plain
Gulf Coastal Plain
The Gulf Coastal Plain extends around the Gulf of Mexico in the Southern United States and eastern Mexico.The plain reaches from the western Florida Panhandle, the southwestern two thirds of Alabama, over most of Mississippi, some of western Tennessee and Kentucky, southwest Arkansas, the Florida...
to the south. Higher, and to the north and west, are the Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests
Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests
The Appalachian-Blue Ridge Forests is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion of the Eastern United States, delineated by the World Wide Fund for Nature.-Setting:...
and the Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests
Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests
The Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests are an ecoregion of mesophytic plants west of the Appalachian Mountains in the southeastern United States.-Setting:...
of the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
.
Climate
This ecoregion has a humid subtropical climateHumid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters...
with warm summers and significant precipitation in all seasons.
Flora
Both oaks (Quercus spp.) and hickories (Carya spp.) are abundant in this ecoregion. Additionally, some 3,635 species of native herbaceous and shrub species have been recorded here.American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was formerly an important tree in this ecoregion, but its population was destroyed by the chestnut blight
Chestnut blight
The pathogenic fungus Cryphonectria parasitica is a member of the ascomycota category, and is the main cause of chestnut blight, a devastating disease of the American chestnut tree that caused a mass extinction in the early 1900s of this once plentiful tree from its historic range in the eastern...
in the early 20th century. It still persists as an understory tree, but is often killed by the blight before it matures.
Oak-hickory forests
The most common oaks (Quercus spp.) of this ecoregion are white oak (Quercus alba), northern red oak (Quercus rubra), black oak (Quercus velutina), and scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea). Black and scarlet grow in open forests. Black oak grows in nearly single-species stands on dry, exposed sites. Scarlet oak grows in various habitats. Chestnut oak (Quercus prinus) is found on ridgetops.The hickories (Carya spp.) of this ecoregion are identifiable by their pinnately compound leaves. They include pignut (Carya glabra) and mockernut hickory (Carya tomentosa), both of which grow on a variety of sites from dry ridges to mesic habitat
Mesic habitat
In ecology, a mesic habitat is a type of habitat with a moderate or well-balanced supply of moisture, e.g., a mesic forest, a temperate hardwood forest, or dry-mesic prairie. Compared to a dry habitat, a mesic habitat is moister....
s.
Understory
Understory
Understory is the term for the area of a forest which grows at the lowest height level below the forest canopy. Plants in the understory consist of a mixture of seedlings and saplings of canopy trees together with understory shrubs and herbs...
trees include sassafras (Sassafras albidum
Sassafras albidum
Sassafras albidum is a species of Sassafras native to eastern North America, from southern Maine and southern Ontario west to Iowa, and south to central Florida and eastern Texas. It occurs throughout the eastern deciduous forest habitat type, at altitudes of sea level up to 1,500 m...
), hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana
Ostrya virginiana
Ostrya virginiana , is a species of Ostrya native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Manitoba and eastern Wyoming, southeast to northern Florida and southwest to eastern Texas and northeastern Mexico...
), and green hawthorn (Crataegus viridis
Crataegus viridis
Crataegus viridis is a species of hawthorn that is native to the southeastern US. Forms vary considerably, and many desirable ornamental forms could be selected from the wild. The cultivar 'Winter King' is a well-known selection....
). Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) blooms in early spring.
Shrubs include highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium), mapleleaf viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium
Viburnum acerifolium
Viburnum acerifolium is a species of Viburnum, native to eastern North America from southwestern Quebec and Ontario south to northern Florida and eastern Texas....
), huckleberry (Gaylussacia baccata
Gaylussacia baccata
Gaylussacia baccata, the Black Huckleberry, is a common huckleberry found throughout a wide area of northeastern North America. It closely resembles the blueberry plants with which it grows, but can be readily identified by the numerous resin dots on the undersides of the leaves which glitter when...
), mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia
Kalmia latifolia
Kalmia latifolia, commonly called Mountain-laurel or Spoonwood, is a species of flowering plant in the blueberry family, Ericaceae, that is native to the eastern United States. Its range stretches from southern Maine south to northern Florida, and west to Indiana and Louisiana. Mountain-laurel is...
).
Common pine (Pinus spp.) species are shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) and loblolly pine (Pinus taeda). The pine forests are regenerated by fire. Without fire, hardwood
Hardwood
Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood...
species grow in below the pines.
Sugar maple (Acer saccharum), a shade tolerant tree, grows amid the oaks and hickories in the northern part of this ecoregion.
Mesic forests
Mesic forests occur in fertile, mesic, low-elevation habitats such as deep ravines and sheltered north- or east-facing slopes. Dominant trees include American beech (Fagus grandifolia), tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipiferaLiriodendron tulipifera
Liriodendron tulipifera, commonly known as the tulip tree, American tulip tree, tuliptree, tulip poplar or yellow poplar, is the Western Hemisphere representative of the two-species genus Liriodendron, and the tallest eastern hardwood...
), northern red oak, white ash (Fraxinus americana), black maple (Acer nigrum), sugar maple (Acer saccharum), basswood (Tilia americana
Tilia americana
Tilia americana is a species of Tilia native to eastern North America, from southeast Manitoba east to New Brunswick, southwest to northeast Texas, and southeast to South Carolina, and west along the Niobrara River to Cherry County, Nebraska...
), and bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis).
Understory trees include pawpaw (Asimina triloba
Asimina triloba
Asimina triloba, the pawpaw, paw paw, paw-paw, or common pawpaw, is a species of Asimina in the same plant family as the custard-apple, cherimoya, sweetsop, ylang-ylang and soursop...
) and painted buckeye (Aesculus sylvatica
Aesculus sylvatica
Aesculus sylvatica is a species of shrub. The species has five leaflets that are 4.5 to 6 inches long and 1.5 to 2.5 inches wide. The flowers are yellow and occasionally have red also. The species have dry fruit and brown, scaly bark. The species is commonly found in forests and along stream...
).
Mesic mixed hardwood forests
Mesic mixed hardwood forests grow on mesic uplands, ravines, lower slopes, and well-drained flatwoods. Typical trees are American beech, tulip tree, various oaks and hickories, and several other hardwoods. Understory trees include American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana), flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), and American strawberry-bush (Euonymus americanusEuonymus americanus
Euonymus americanus is commonly referred to as Strawberry Bush, Bursting Hearts or John Baptiste - Percival. The common names all refer to the plant's seed pods which first appear in mid-summer. It is an evergreen plant, though the number of leaves is greatly diminished during the winter...
).
Successional forests
SuccessionalEcological succession
Ecological succession, is the phenomenon or process by which a community progressively transforms itself until a stable community is formed. It is a fundamental concept in ecology, and refers to more or less predictable and orderly changes in the composition or structure of an ecological community...
forests include eastern juniper (Juniperus virginiana
Juniperus virginiana
Juniperus virginiana is a species of juniper native to eastern North America, from southeastern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, east of the Great Plains...
), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), and quaking (Populus tremuloides
Populus tremuloides
Populus tremuloides is a deciduous tree native to cooler areas of North America, commonly called quaking aspen, trembling aspen, American aspen, and Quakies,. The trees have tall trunks, up to 25 metres, with smooth pale bark, scarred with black. The glossy green leaves, dull beneath, become golden...
) and bigtooth aspen (Populus grandidentata
Populus grandidentata
Populus grandidentata — the large-tooth, or big-tooth, aspen — is a deciduous tree native to eastern North America.-Name:...
).
Remaining intact habitat
- Sumter National ForestSumter National ForestThe Sumter National Forest is one of two forests in South Carolina that are managed together by the United States Forest Service, the other being the Francis Marion National Forest. The Sumter National Forest consists of which are divided into several non-contiguous sections in western South...
- Uwharrie National ForestUwharrie National ForestUwharrie National Forest is a federally-designated national forest region located primarily in Montgomery County, but also extending into Randolph and Davidson counties in south central North Carolina. It is the smallest of the four National Forests in North Carolina, with a total area of 50,369...
- Bienville National ForestBienville National ForestBienville National Forest is a United States National Forest in central Mississippi. It is named for Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. In descending order of land area it lies in parts of Scott, Smith, Jasper, and Newton counties. It has an area of 178,542 acres...
- Talladega National ForestTalladega National ForestThe Talladega National Forest is located in the U.S. state of Alabama and covers 392,567 acres at the southern edge of the Appalachian Mountains....
SW unit - Oconee National Forest
- Piedmont National Wildlife RefugePiedmont National Wildlife RefugePiedmont National Wildlife Refuge is primarily an upland forest dominated by loblolly pine on the ridges with hardwoods found along the creek bottoms and in scattered upland coves. Clear streams and beaver ponds provide ideal wetland habitat for wood ducks and other wetland dependent species...
- Sauratown MountainsSauratown MountainsThe Sauratown Mountains, which are sometimes called "the mountains away from the mountains", are an isolated mountain range located within Stokes and Surry counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina...
- Brushy Mountains (North Carolina)Brushy Mountains (North Carolina)The Brushy Mountains are a mountain range located in northwestern North Carolina. They are an isolated "spur" of the much larger Blue Ridge Mountains, separated from them by the Yadkin River valley...
- South Mountains (North Carolina)South Mountains (North Carolina)The South Mountains are an ancient and deeply eroded mountain range in western North Carolina. They are an isolated remnant of the much larger Appalachian Mountains to the west, and are separated from the Appalachians by the Catawba River valley. The range covers approximately 100,000 acres in...
- Tunica Hills in southwestern Mississippi and eastern LouisianaLouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...