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Chestnut Oak Woods

Description

On hilltops and ridges, in places where there is enough soil to support tree growth, a sparse, open woodland forms. The trees grow short and twisted by exposure to the sun and winter winds. The canopy is open but the shrub layer can be sparse. Grasses and sedges dominate the herb layer.

Young chestnut oaks on Black Rock Hill

Young chestnut oaks on Black Rock Hill

Chestnut oak woods form on steep, dry, upper slopes, usually those with a southern exposure. They can also form after a fire or cutting when trees sprout from the remnant stumps. These sprout trees typically have multiple trunks growing from the old stump.

The shrub layer can be dense but is often short. The herb layer is dominated by grasses and sedges.

Selected Plants

Trees

Shrubs

Herbs

Occurrence

Huckleberry in understory

Huckleberry in understory

Good examples of this type of woodland occur on the upper slopes of Sackett Ridge, Black Rock Hill, and Mount Misery.

Ecology

Chestnut oak woods grow on ridges and steep upper slopes where soils are thin and rocky and have more than 50 percent of the surface covered by boulders or exposed bedrock.

These stands become extrememly dry in summer and are very susceptible to fire. In the winter, the ridges are subject to cold, dry winds. Stands dominated by chestnut oak may also form on lower slopes years after intense logging.

In these stands, the canopy is open, and sunlight penetrates to the forest floor where it supports a vigorous shrub layer.

History

Most forest stands dominated by chestnut oak were formed by the sprouting of stumps after fire or logging. Trees are often multistemmed or have fire scars at their base. Early stages after cutting are often dominated by black birch, bracken fern and huckleberry. If not burned or disturbed, less exposed sites develop a codominant community of chestnut oak and red oak.

Also Called

For general references see the reference page.

Photos: Kerry Barringer