The High-Elevation Red Oak (Quercus rubra) Community Type in Western Virginia

Quantitative data on structure and composition of the vegetation were obtained for red oak-dominated stands at 13 sites in the Ridge and Valley and Blue Ridge physiographic provinces of western Virginia. All of the stands we sampled occurred at elevations > 1100 m (mean elevation = 1229 m) and the majority were situated on slopes with a northern exposure. In the overstory (stems ≥ 10 cm DBH) of these stands, red oak had an average importance value (where IV = relative basal area + relative density/2) of 70.2. The most important associates of red oak were red maple (average IV = 10.5), black birch (4.2), and white oak (3.8). Red oak was much less dominant (IV = 9.8) in the understory (stems ≥ 2.5 cm DBH but < 10.0 cm DBH), where witch hazel (19.6), red maple (16.2), mountain holly (9.9), and chestnut (8.3) were the other more important species present. Average species diversity (Shannon’s formula) of the overstory was 1.36, whereas that of the understory was 2.00.