Forest Carbon Management
An increase in fire frequency is expected to have positive effects on overstory tree species, but may have negative impacts on the understory. If fires become too severe or frequent, this type could shift toward a woodland or savanna. However, some increase in fire may help reduce the dominance of sugar maple, which has increased compared to historic levels.
Glades are typically located on hilltops on rocky, extremely well-drained soils. They experience frequent low-intensity fires. Some scattered post oak and eastern redcedar are present, but they are dominated by herbaceous vegetation.
Both systems typically have 30% canopy cover or less with a well-developed herbaceous layers. Barrens are found on shallow, excessively well-drained soils, and savannas are found on deeper soils. Both experience frequent low-intensity fires. Dominant species include blackjack, post, black, white, chinquapin, chestnut, and bur oak; shagbark and black hickory; eastern redcedar, and shortleaf pine.
Open woodlands have 30-50% canopy cover, excessively well-drained soils, and are typically found on flat ridgetops. They experience very frequent, low-intensity fires. Dominant species include blackjack, white, chinquapin, and post oak;black hickory; eastern redcedar and shortleaf pine.
Closed woodlands have 50-90% canopy cover, excessively well-drained soils, and are typically found on steep slopes. They experience frequent, low-intensity fires. Dominant species include black, white, and scarlet oak; mockernut and shagbark hickory; and shortleaf pine.
Flatwoods have a claypan or fragipan layer, leading to a perched water table. Soils are wet in the winter and spring and dry in summer. They experience frequent moderate-low intensity fires. Pin, post, blackjack oak; shagbark, mockernut hickory; shortleaf pine, and blackgum.
Wet bottomland forests experience prolonged, frequent flooding and have wet, poorly-drained soils. Dominant species include pin, willow and overcup oak; green ash, silver and red maple, boxelder, shellbark and water hickory, cottonwood, and black willow.
Mesic bottomland forests are characterized by short, infrequent floods and mesic soil conditions. Dominant species include white and bur oak, sugar maple, American and slippery elm, bitternut hickory, black walnut, pecan, sycamore, hackberry, river birch, sweetgum, and beech.
Mesic upland forests are generally fire-intolerant with mesic, highly fertile soils and tend to occupy north and east facing slopes and ravines. Dominant species include sugar and red maple, northern red and white oak, tuliptree, bitternut hickory, American beech, American basswood, white ash, and black cherry.
Dry mesic upland forests are characterized by low fire frequency and dry-mesic soil conditions. Dominant species include black, white, northern red, and scarlet oak; shagbark, pignut, mockernut, and bitternut hickory; sugar and red maple, tuliptree, and shortleaf pine
