Recreation

Composed of several unique forests that are associated with specific rock substrates at low to mid-elevations, these forests occupy the driest sites, and some sites are driven by fire while others are unaffected. Eastern red cedar, common in the absence of fire, is typically found in an open, stunted canopy with sugar maple, northern red and white oak, pignut hickory, eastern redbud, and hackberry. Pitch pine, Virginia pine, scrub oak, and white oak can occupy the driest areas.

Oak and oak-pine forests are found in dry to mesic conditions across a variety of sites, from low to high elevations. This type occurs as a large matrix and patches and dominates the central Mid-Atlantic region. Fire history largely determines community composition at individual occurrences. Dominant species in these forests include drought-tolerant oaks, especially northern red, white, black, chestnut, or scarlet oak. Soils are often acidic, and range from dry, and nutrient-poor to relatively basic and moist.

Northern hardwood forests are diverse and widely distributed over a variety of sites from 800 to 3500 feet in elevation. Sites can range from dry-mesic to wet-mesic conditions and nutrient-poor to enriched glaciated or unglaciated soils. The highest elevations support sugar maple, yellow birch, and American beech, sometimes mixed with or dominated by eastern hemlock. Tulip tree, basswood, northern red oak, black cherry, and white pine are often found on moist and well-drained sites, with associates of beech, sugar maple, red maple, white ash, and grey and black (sweet) birch.

Montane spruce-fir forests occur at the highest elevations (above 3,350 feet), and within the assessment area are found only in the Catskill Mountains of New York. These forests are dominated by boreal species, particularly red spruce and balsam fir. Although spruce-fir forests are dominated by conifers, they may contain a number of associated northern hardwood species, such as yellow birch, paper birch, mountain maple, striped maple, and mountain ash.

Situated on the Atlantic coastal plain, this is a forest-shrubland mosaic existing on barrier islands, coastal strands, and bluffs. Vegetation is species poor, with stunted trees in some combination of pines (pitch, Virginia, loblolly, shortleaf) and oaks (scarlet, black, scrub, post) and eastern redcedar, black cherry, American holly, sassafras, and red maple. Soils fine to coarse sand with some organic material mixing into top layers. Can include upland and lowland depression examples.

Situated on the Atlantic coastal plain, this is a dry, fire-adapted forest with a variable canopy of pitch pine and scrub oak. Other oaks are sometimes present, including scarlet, blackjack, chestnut, black, white oak, and post oak. Composition and structure vary with fire frequency. In general, pines are more prevalent in stands with a fire-return interval of less than 10 years, while oaks are more prevalent in stands with a longer fire-return interval. Scrub oak stands may occur without pine cover, particularly in low-lying areas.

Situated on the Atlantic coastal plain, this type is limited to well-drained soils on flat to rolling hills and dunes. Relatively high rates of fine litter production and accumulation coupled with dry conditions foster periodic fire, which promotes several oak species, including white, southern red, chestnut, black, Shumard oak and scarlet oak. Numerous hardwood species may be present as co-dominants in mesic and early successional sites, including red maple, sassafras, gray birch, bigtooth and quaking aspen, and hazelnut.

Situated on the Atlantic coastal plain, this type is located within hummock-and-hollow microtopography characterized by short-term regular flooding of saline water from streams and estuaries that provide enough fresh water (i.e., saline <0.5 parts per thousand) to support trees and shrubs. Soils are poorly drained slightly acidic tidal muck consisting of variable amounts of silt, clay and fine sands mixed with root-rich peats. Many examples are dominated by baldcypress, or by pumpkin ash and red maple or green ash and red maple.

Situated on the Atlantic coastal plain in depressions, basins, along streams and rivers, and in low-lying areas. Includes a range of forested wetlands heavily influenced by local fresh-water hydrology, with plant communities that reflect the occurrence of seasonal or persistent flooding. Common species include red maple, sweetgum, blackgum, willow oak, and green ash; loblolly pine may occur in locations south of the Delaware Bay. Atlantic white-cedar is often dominant in peat-accumulating basins that are hydrologically isolated from rivers and streams.

These forests are transitional between central hardwood and northern hardwood forests. Common species may include sugar maple, yellow birch, American beech, eastern hemlock, white pine, red maple, and red oak.