Maritime Upland Forests
This group contains evergreen and mixed coastal forests low species richness. Habitats include sheltered, oceanside and bayside dunes and sand flats generally protected from salt spray. Similar forests occur along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from Delaware to Texas.
Pine-dominated maritime forests are distributed along the length of the outer Coastal Plain maritime zone and barrier islands in Virginia, including the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Soils in these habitats often accumulate thick duff layers up to 15 cm (6 in) thick, which may be the result of a suppressed fire regime in some stands. The upper mineral soil horizon is dark sand or very sandy clay, and the water table may be relatively close to the surface. Forest overstories vary from nearly pure loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), to mixtures of pine, black cherry (Prunus serotina var. serotina), southern red oak (Quercus falcata), black oak (Quercus velutina), willow oak (Quercus phellos), and occasionally other hardwoods. These stands have sparse to dense understories of red maple (Acer rubrum), black cherry (Prunus serotina var. serotina), and sassafras (Sassafras albidum). Shrubs, which vary greatly in cover, include wax myrtle (Morella cerifera) and highbush blueberries (Vaccinium formosum, and Vaccinium fuscatum). Muscadine grape (Muscadinia rotundifolia var. rotundifolia) and greenbriers (Smilax rotundifolia and Smilax bona-nox) are quite common throughout. Although the overstory and shrub strata can be quite dense, the herb layer is usually sparse and floristically depauperate. Slender spikegrass (Chasmanthium laxum) is one of the few herbaceous plants that may be abundant. In addition to natural wind disturbances, extensive cutting and other human disturbances have likely favored an increase of loblolly pine and a reduction of hardwoods in this type during the post-settlement era.
Maritime forests dominated mostly by deciduous trees are concentrated on sheltered back dunes of Cape Henry in southeastern Virginia (City of Virginia Beach). Habitats are most frequently located on the leeward slopes of bay-side dunes or old dunes well removed from salt spray and winds. Soils are well drained to rapidly drained, nutrient-poor sands and sandy loams. Overstories contain variable mixtures of southern red oak (Quercus falcata), water oak (Quercus nigra), post oak (Quercus stellata), hickories (Carya glabra, Carya pallida and Carya tomentosa), and black cherry (Prunus serotina var. serotina), with some loblolly pine usually present. Understory layers of drier stands may be very sparse, while more mesic stands often contain American holly (Ilex opaca var. opaca), common sweetleaf (Symplocos tinctoria), wild olive (Cartrema americanum), American beauty-berry (Callicarpa americana), and "bay" species such as wax myrtle (Morella cerifera) and red bay (Persea palustris). The herb layer is often covered with dense tangles of common greenbrier (Smilax rotundifolia) and muscadine grape (Muscadinia rotundifolia var. rotundifolia); true herbs are typically sparse.
Mixed coastal forests with a prominent component of broadleaf evergreen trees reach their northernmost limits along the southeastern Virginia coast, where they are confined to areas on and near False Cape and Cape Henry (City of Virginia Beach). Habitats are back dunes and the leeward sides of stabilized dunes that are protected from the ocean salt spray. Live oak (Quercus virginiana) is the dominant species in mixtures with loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), and rarely, sand laurel oak (Quercus hemisphaerica), and black cherry (Prunus serotina var. serotina). Characteristic understory plants include poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans var. radicans), common greenbrier (Smilax rotundifolia), wax myrtle (Morella cerifera), common persimmon (Diospyros virginiana), American holly (Ilex opaca var. opaca), yaupon (Ilex vomitoria), and highbush blueberries (Vaccinium formosum, and Vaccinium fuscatum). Ground cover is sparse, consisting of a thin layer of dry leathery oak leaves and scattered forbs such as yellow jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens) and grass-leaved golden-aster (Pityopsis nervosa), as well as slender spikegrass. In Virginia, two state-rare moths, the orange panopoda (Panopoda repanda) and the owlet (noctuid) moth (Metria amella) , feed on live oak in this community.
All community types in this group are considered globally rare because of restricted ranges, narrow habitat requirements, and threats from coastal development.
References: Clampitt (1991), Harvill (1967), Levy (1983), The Nature Conservancy (1997).
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© DCR-DNH, Gary P. Fleming.