Characteristics Of Cove Hardwood Forests

Cove forest is the name for a type of deciduous forest community associated with appalachian mountain coves.

Characteristics of cove hardwood forests.

Between 40 to 60 tree and shrub species grow in coves which are sheltered valleys with deep rich soils. The more typical and extensive northern hardwoods forest is dominated by beech birches and sugar maple occurs on less nutrient rich sites and lacks substantial ash. Although cove hardwood forests constitute less than 25 of the forested area in the southern appalachians these types produce the majority of high quality high value sawtimber in the region. There are many known mature occurrences of maple basswood ash forests in the state most.

4 4 4 2 location of habitat cove hardwood habitat is well represented in the mountain ecoregion of western north carolina including in the pisgah and nantahala national forests. The spruce fir forest caps the park s highest elevations. Cove forests which are unique to the appalachian mountains and are a subtype of appalachian blue ridge forests are found in protected positions in the landscape at middle to low elevations and are typified by high species richness of both plants and animals. Here eastern hemlocks join an astonishing array of broadleaf trees basswood carolina silverbell yellow birch cucumber magnolia red and sugar maple yellow buckeye tulip tree dogwood and others to form a marvelously diverse overstory.

Back to top. All stands were classified as cisc types which denoted cove hardwood overstories. The canopy of the classic cove hardwood forest is characteristically dominated by a large number of tree species sharing the canopy. Cove hardwood forests occupy lush low to mid elevation ravines and basins.

Conservation wildlife and management considerations. This guide features 20 of the most abundant and most often used hardwood species. Growing above 4 500 feet in. The northern hardwood forest is a general type of north american forest ecosystem found over much of southeastern and south central canada ontario and quebec extending south into the united states in northern new england new york and pennsylvania and west along the great lakes to minnesota and western ontario some ecologists consider it a transitional forest because it contains species.

The guide to american hardwood species. Thousands of acres of northern hardwood conifer forests grow on well drained fertile slopes of hillsides in new hampshire typically between 1 500 and 2 500 feet in elevation here sugar maple american beech and yellow birch are the dominant tree species mixed with red maple white ash and patches of hemlock at lower elevations and red spruce and balsam fir at higher elevations. The 2005 wap describes southern blue ridge mountains cove forest as a priority habitat see chapter 5 ncwrc 2005. According to the most recent southeast gap.

The cove hardwood forest is the most botanically diverse of these forests.