Central Appalachian Dry Oak-Pine Forest

These oak and oak-pine forests cover large areas in the low- to mid-elevation Central Appalachians and middle Piedmont. The topography and landscape position range from rolling hills to steep slopes, with occasional occurrences on more level, ancient alluvial fans. In the highly dissected fall zone of Maryland and the District of Columbia, where the Piedmont and Coastal Plain meet, it is also found on dry knolls capped with Pleistocene- and Tertiary-aged fluvial cobble and gravel terrace deposits. Soils are typically coarse and infertile; they may be deep (on glacial deposits in the northern and terrace deposits in the southern parts of the system's range), or more commonly shallow, on rocky slopes of acidic rock (shale, sandstone, other acidic igneous or metamorphic rock). The well-drained soils and exposure create dry conditions. The forest is mostly closed-canopy but can include patches of more open woodlands. It is dominated by a variable mixture of dry-site oak and pine species, most typically Quercus montana, Pinus virginiana, and Pinus strobus, but sometimes Quercus alba and/or Quercus coccinea. The system may include areas of oak forest, pine forest (usually small), and mixed oak-pine forest. Heath shrubs such as Vaccinium pallidum, Gaylussacia baccata, and Kalmia latifolia are common in the understory and often form a dense layer. Embedded submesic ravines and concave landforms support slightly more diverse forests characterized by mixtures of oaks, several hickories, Cornus florida, and sometimes Liriodendron tulipifera. Small hillslope pockets with impeded drainage may support small isolated wetlands with Acer rubrum and Nyssa sylvatica characteristic. Disturbance agents include fire, windthrow, and ice damage. Increased site disturbance generally leads to secondary forest vegetation with a greater proportion of Pinus virginiana and weedy hardwoods such as Acer rubrum.

Stands of this forest system are mostly closed-canopied but can include more open woodlands. They are dominated by a variable mixture of dry-site oak and pine species, including Quercus montana (= Quercus prinus), Pinus virginiana, and Pinus strobus. The system may include areas of pine forest and mixed oak-pine forest. Heath shrubs such as Vaccinium pallidum, Gaylussacia baccata, and Kalmia latifolia are common in the understory. Within these forests, hillslope pockets with impeded drainage may support small isolated wetlands with Acer rubrum and Nyssa sylvatica characteristic.

These oak and oak-pine forests cover large areas in the low- to mid-elevation central Appalachians and middle Piedmont. The topography and landscape position range from rolling hills to steep slopes, with occasional occurrences on more level, ancient alluvial fans. The soils are coarse and infertile; they may be deep (on glacial deposits in the northern part of the system's range), or more commonly shallow, on rocky slopes of acidic rock (shale, sandstone, other acidic igneous or metamorphic rock). The well-drained soils and exposure create dry conditions. In the highly dissected fall zone of Maryland and the District of Columbia, where the Piedmont and Coastal Plain meet, it is also found on dry knolls capped with Pleistocene- and Tertiary-aged fluvial cobble and gravel terrace deposits.

Disturbance agents include fire, windthrow, and ice damage.

This system is found from central New England through Pennsylvania and south to the Roanoke River in southern Virginia. It is primarily Appalachian but overlaps slightly into the upper Piedmont and fall zone in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.