Classification of Vegetation Communities of Maryland: First Iteration

I. FOREST
I.B.2.N.d. Temporarily flooded cold-deciduous forest
I.B.2.N.d.4. ACER SACCHARINUM TEMPORARILY FLOODED FOREST ALLIANCE
Silver Maple Temporarily Flooded Forest Alliance

Concept: This alliance contains floodplain forests of major rivers in the eastern United States where Acer saccharinum is generally dominant. Other tree associates include Platanus occidentalis, Celtis laevigata, Carya illinoinensis, Ulmus americana, Acer negundo, Fraxinus pennsylvanica, Ulmus rubra, Salix nigra, Betula nigra, and Populus deltoides. Common shrub species include Lindera benzoin, Ilex decidua, Asimina triloba, Cephalanthus occidentalis, Alnus serrulata, and Forestiera acuminata (in the Southeast). Characteristic herbs include nettles and ferns, such as Boehmeria cylindrica, Urtica dioica, Laportea canadensis, Onoclea sensibilis, and Matteuccia struthiopteris, and in the South, Leersia lenticularis, Pilea pumila, Carex grayi, Impatiens capensis, and others.

Forests in this alliance generally occur on well-drained, sandy soils, on infrequently flooded bottomlands, on levees, and on deep silts on stabilized sites along larger rivers. They also may occur along smaller rivers but are most common along bigger rivers where there is more scour and more silt deposition. This alliance is common in the Interior Low Plateau and in the Upper West Gulf Coastal Plain particularly along the White and Arkansas rivers north to the Ozarks, and then in the central Midwest to Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the East Coast to Maine. It is sparingly distributed in the Piedmont and is known from the South Atlantic Coastal Plain in South Carolina.

Comments: There appears to be some conceptual overlap between A.279 and A.288 which should be clarified.

Range: This alliance is common in the Interior Low Plateau and in the Upper West Gulf Coastal Plain particularly along the White and Arkansas rivers north to the Ozarks, and then in the central Midwest to Wisconsin and Minnesota, and the East Coast to Maine. It is sparingly distributed in the Piedmont and is known from the South Atlantic Coastal Plain in South Carolina. Pure forests of Acer saccharinum occur along larger rivers throughout Kentucky, but primarily in the eastern portion of the state (M. Evans pers. comm.). States of occurrence in the Southeast are Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi (?), Oklahoma (?), South Carolina, and Tennessee (but not Louisiana); in the East are Connecticut, Maryland (?), Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania (?), Vermont, and Virginia; in the Midwest are Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Wisconsin; and, in Canada, Ontario and probably Quebec.

States/Provinces: AR CT IA IL IN KY MA MD ME MI MN MO MS? NB NH NY OH OK? ON PA SC TN VA VT WI WV

TNC Ecoregions: 35:C, 36:C, 37:C, 38:C, 39:C, 40:C, 42:C, 43:C, 44:C, 45:C, 46:C, 47:C, 48:C, 49:C, 50:P, 52:C, 57:C, 59:C, 60:C, 61:C, 62:C, 63:C, 64:C

USFS Ecoregions: 212Aa:CPP, 212Ab:CPP, 212Ba:CCC, 212Bb:CCC, 212Ca:CPP, 212Da:CCC, 212E:CP, 212Fa:CCC, 212Fb:CCC, 212Ga:CCC, 212Hb:CCC, 212He:CCC, 212Hm:CCC, 212Ht:CCP, 212Hv:CCC, 212Hw:CCP, 212Hx:CCP, 212Hy:CCP, 212Ja:CCC, 212Jb:CCP, 212Jc:CCP, 212Je:CCC, 212Jf:CCC, 212Jj:CC?, 212Jl:CCC, 212Jm:CCP, 212Js:CCC, 212Ka:CC?, 212Kb:CCC, 212Lc:CPP, 212Ld:CPP, 212Mb:CPP, 212Na:CC?, 212Nb:CCP, 212Nc:CCC, 212Nd:CCC, 221Ak:CCC, 221B:CP, 221D:CC, 221Ea:CCC, 221Ec:CCC, 221Ed:CCC, 221Ef:CCC, 221Fa:CCC, 221Ha:CCP, 221Hc:CCP, 221He:CCP, 222Ab:CCC, 222Ad:CCP, 222Ae:CCP, 222Ag:CCC, 222Ah:CCC, 222Aj:CCC, 222An:CCC, 222Ao:CCC, 222Ap:CCC, 222Aq:CCC, 222Cg:CCC, 222Ch:CCC, 222Db:CCC, 222Dc:CCP, 222De:CCC, 222Df:CCP, 222Ei:CPP, 222Ek:CPP, 222El:CPP, 222Em:CPP, 222Fa:CCP, 222Fb:CCC, 222Fc:CCP, 222Fd:CCP, 222Fe:CCP, 222Ff:CCP, 222Ga:CCC, 222Gb:CCC, 222Gc:CCC, 222Gd:CCP, 222Ge:CCC, 222Ha:CCC, 222Hb:CCC, 222Hc:CCC, 222Hf:CCC, 222If:CCC, 222Jb:CCC, 222Jh:CCC, 222Ji:CCC, 222Jj:CCC, 222Ka:CCC, 222Kb:CCC, 222Kd:CCC, 222Kf:CCC, 222Kg:CCC, 222Kh:CCC, 222Kj:CCP, 222Lc:CCC, 222Ld:CCC, 222Lf:CCC, 222Ma:CCC, 222Mb:CCC, 222Mc:CCC, 222Md:CCC, 222Me:CCC, 231Ae:CCC, 231Ak:CCC, 231Al:CCC, 231Ap:CCC, 231Ea:CCC, 231Ec:CCP, 231Ej:CCC, 231Ga:CCC, 232A:CP, 232Bs:CCC, 234Aa:CC?, 234Am:CCC, 234An:CCC, 251Ba:CCC, 251Be:CCC, 251Cc:CCC, 251Cd:CCC, 251Cf:CCC, 251Dd:CCP, 251De:CCC, 251Df:CCC, 251Dg:CCC, 251Dh:CCC, 251Eb:CCC, M212Ad:CCP, M212Ae:CCC, M212Af:CCC, M212Ag:CCC, M212Ba:CCC, M212Ca:CCC, M212Cd:CCC, M212Da:CCC, M212Db:CCC, M212Dc:CCC, M212Dd:CCC, M212De:CCC, M212Df:CCC, M212E:CP, M221Aa:CCC, M221Ab:CCC, M221Ac:CCC, M221Ad:CCC, M221Bb:CCC, M221Da:CCC, M222Aa:CCC, M222Ab:CCC

Federal Lands: COE (Arkansas River); NPS (Congaree Swamp, Harpers Ferry, Shiloh?); USFS (George Washington, Ozark); USFWS (Holla Bend, Little River)

Synonymy: Silver Maple - American Elm: 62, in part (Eyre 1980); Cottonwood: 63, in part (Eyre 1980); Riverfront Forest, in part (Foti 1994b); Bottomland hardwood forest, in part (Evans 1991); R1B3cII5a. Acer saccharinum - Ulmus americana, in part (Foti et al. 1994); Acer saccharinum forest alliance. ? (Hoagland 1998a); Acer saccharinum - Populus deltoides / Aster community. New Haven, Illinois (Voigt and Mohlenbrock 1964); Southern Wet Forest. Wisconsin (Curtis 1959); Populus - Acer saccharinum, Eupatorium - Acer saccharinum, Onoclea - Acer saccharinum community. Connecticut (Metzler and Damman 1985); Boehmeria - Acer saccharinum community. Connecticut (Metzler and Damman 1985); Major-River Floodplain Forest (Swain and Kearsley 2001); Silver maple floodplain forest (Fike 1999); Floodplain Forest, in part (Smith 1991)

References: Curtis 1959, Evans 1991, Evans, M., pers. comm., Eyre 1980, Faber-Langendoen et al. 1996, Fike 1999, Foti 1994b, Foti et al. 1994, Fralish et al. 1991, Hoagland 1997, Hoagland 1998a, Metzler and Damman 1985, Smith 1991, Swain and Kearsley 2001, Voigt and Mohlenbrock 1964

Authors: D.J. ALLARD/D. FABER-LANG, MP, Midwest Identifier: A.279

Concept: This silver maple - elm - cottonwood forest community is found throughout the midwestern United States and parts of the eastern United States. Stands occur on large, regularly flooded floodplains. Canopy cover is more-or-less closed and dominated by Acer saccharinum. Codominants may include Populus deltoides, Platanus occidentalis, Ulmus americana, Ulmus rubra, Salix nigra, Acer negundo, Betula nigra, Celtis occidentalis, and Fraxinus pennsylvanica. The shrub and sapling layer is often open (<25% cover). Species that may be present include Sambucus canadensis or Lindera benzoin. Woody and herbaceous vines can be prominent, including, among the woody vines, Parthenocissus quinquefolia and Vitis riparia. Herbaceous vines species include Apios americana, Amphicarpaea bracteata, and Echinocystis lobata. Herbaceous grasses, forbs, and ferns dominate the ground layer, including Symphyotrichum lateriflorum (= Aster lateriflorus), Boehmeria cylindrica, Elymus virginicus, Impatiens pallida, Laportea canadensis, Matteuccia struthiopteris, Onoclea sensibilis, Pilea pumila, Urtica dioica, and others. A variety of exotics may be present, including Lysimachia spp., Microstegium vimineum, and Lonicera japonica.

Comments: This type includes stands where Acer saccharinum represents the majority of trees (>50% cover or basal area?). This type is most clearly expressed on larger rivers. To some degree this type is more northern, separable from the more southern type Acer saccharinum - Celtis laevigata - Carya illinoinensis Forest (CEGL002431), but this distinction is not yet well resolved. In the southern parts of its range, this type may overlap with Platanus occidentalis - Acer saccharinum - Juglans nigra - Ulmus rubra Forest (CEGL007334), but that type is generally a higher terrace, small stream type. Compare this type with SAF cover type 62 (Eyre 1980). In Minnesota stands with less than either 50% cottonwood or silver maple and not in northwestern Minnesota tend to occur here (i.e., a mixed floodplain forest), as do silver maple stands with a supercanopy of cottonwoods. In southwestern Minnesota, stands with only some swamp white oak go here. If swamp white oak is dominant the stands probably belong with either an association in the Quercus palustris - (Quercus bicolor) Seasonally Flooded Forest Alliance (A.329), or Quercus macrocarpa - Quercus bicolor - Carya laciniosa / Leersia spp. - Cinna spp. Forest (CEGL002098), at least in the Midwest. Fraxinus pennsylvanica is a typical codominant in this type. In Wisconsin, this type may better be named Acer saccharinum - Fraxinus pennsylvanica - Betula nigra Forest (E. Epstein pers. comm. 1999).

Range: This association is found throughout the midwestern United States and parts of the eastern United States, ranging from Pennsylvania west to Minnesota, south to Arkansas, and east to Virginia. It is a major, large-river floodplain forest community along the Potomac, Shenandoah, Rappahannock, and James rivers in Virginia.

States/Provinces: AR:S?, IA:SU, IL:S?, IN:S?, KY:S?, MD:S?, MI:S?, MN:S?, MO:S?, OH:S?, ON:S?, PA:S?, TN:S?, VA:S?, WI:S3, WV:S?

TNC Ecoregions: 35:C, 36:C, 37:C, 38:C, 40:?, 42:C, 43:P, 44:C, 45:C, 46:C, 47:C, 48:C, 49:C, 50:P, 52:C, 59:C

USFS Ecoregions: 212Hb:CCC, 212He:CCC, 212Hm:CCC, 212Ht:CCP, 212Hv:CCC, 212Hw:CCP, 212Hx:CCP, 212Hy:CCP, 212Ja:CCC, 212Je:CCC, 212Jf:CCC, 212Jj:CC?, 212Jl:CCC, 212Js:CCC, 212Ka:CC?, 212Kb:CCC, 212Mb:CPP, 212Na:CC?, 212Nb:CCP, 212Nc:CCC, 212Nd:CCC, 221Ea:CCC, 221Ec:CCC, 221Ed:CCC, 221Ef:CCC, 221Fa:CCC, 222Aj:CCC, 222Ap:CCC, 222Aq:CCC, 222Ch:CCC, 222Db:CCC, 222Dc:CCP, 222De:CCC, 222Df:CCP, 222Ei:CPP, 222Ek:CPP, 222El:CPP, 222Em:CPP, 222Fa:CCP, 222Fb:CCC, 222Fc:CCP, 222Fd:CCP, 222Fe:CCP, 222Ff:CCP, 222Ga:CCC, 222Gb:CCC, 222Gc:CCC, 222Gd:CCP, 222Ge:CCC, 222Ha:CCC, 222Hb:CCC, 222Hc:CCC, 222Hf:CCC, 222If:CCC, 222Jb:CCC, 222Jh:CCC, 222Ji:CCC, 222Jj:CCC, 222Ka:CCC, 222Kb:CCC, 222Kd:CCC, 222Kf:CCC, 222Kg:CCC, 222Kh:CCC, 222Kj:CCP, 222Lc:CCC, 222Ld:CCC, 222Lf:CCC, 222Ma:CCC, 222Mb:CCC, 222Mc:CCC, 222Md:CCC, 222Me:CCC, 231Ae:CCC, 231Ak:CCC, 231Al:CCC, 231Ap:CCC, 234Aa:CC?, 234Am:CCC, 234An:CCC, 251Ba:CCC, 251Be:CCC, 251Cc:CCC, 251Cd:CCC, 251Cf:CCC, 251Dd:CCP, 251De:CCC, 251Df:CCC, 251Dg:CCC, 251Dh:CCC, 251Eb:CCC, M221Aa:CCC, M221Ab:CCC, M221Ac:CCC, M221Ad:CCC, M221Bb:CCC, M221Da:CCC

Federal Lands: NPS (Harpers Ferry, Shiloh?); USFS (George Washington, Ozark?)

Synonymy: Silver Maple - Mixed Hardwood Floodplain Forest. [common name], Silver maple-American elm-cottonwood floodplain forest (CAP pers. comm. 1998), Silver Maple - American Elm: 62 (Eyre 1980) B, Acer saccharinum - Acer negundo / Elymus virginicus - Laportea canadensis Forest (Fleming and Coulling 2001)

References: Anderson 1996, CAP pers. comm. 1998, Eyre 1980, Fike 1999, Fleming and Coulling 2001, Fleming et al. 2001, MNNHP 1993, Vanderhorst 2000b

Authors: D. Faber-Langendoen, mod. G. Fleming and P. Coulling, MCS Confidence: 2 Identifier: CEGL002586

- Maryland Vegetation Classification Subset Report I.B. Deciduous forest

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