Trees In The Northern Hardwood Forest

Northern hardwood forests dominate middle to upper elevations from 3 500 5 000 feet in the park.

Trees in the northern hardwood forest.

Forest trees of alabama. Northern hardwood forests have been well sampled in virginia especially in the mount rogers whitetop area of the southern blue ridge and on allegheny mountain in highland county. This list of trees was compiled from the following sources. Sugar maple red maple hemlock basswood and yellow birch are the most common trees in michigan s northern hardwood nh forest.

Sugar maple yellow birch american beech and white ash are the common key indicator tree and shrub species in the northern hardwood forest. Typical secondary species are beech black cherry quaking aspen and white ash. The most dominant life form in the northern hardwood forest are deciduous trees which lose their leaves each fall and are almost completely dormant in the winter months. It also occurs farther south on north facing slopes and cool moist ravines.

American beech yellow birch and maple trees are indicators of this forest type although many species from other forest types grow here also. One hundred native trees are described in this manual. The northern hardwood forest occupies the northern third of the state and extends south at high elevations along the allegheny front. They include the important commercial tree species of alabama plus some flora that are quite limited in their range and use.

The wood from hardwood trees tends to be harder because the trees grow at a slower rate giving the wood its greater density. You can easily identify a hardwood from a conifer. Some northern hardwood conifer forests have been repeatedly high graded and are now dominated by low quality low value trees and are less dense less mature and less diverse. Hardwood trees usually have broad flat leaves as opposed to coniferous needled or scaled tree foliage another name for a hardwood tree is appropriately broadleaf.

Monograph 9 economic botany of alabama part 2 1928 by roland m. This forest type is characterized by a mixture of hardwoods and conifers and usually contains. Most but not all hardwoods are deciduous perennial plants which are normally leafless for some time during the year. High grading affects wildlife by removing the larger diameter trees which reduces the development of large nut producing trees large diameter cavity trees and.

These are the highest elevation deciduous forest in the eastern united states. Later successional trees of the nh type have the ability to reproduce themselves under the shade of the forest canopy. The trees and shrub species of the northern hardwood forest are known for their brilliant fall colors making the regions that contain this forest type popular fall foliage tourist destinations. The northern hardwood forest is generally found on the lower and warmer mountainsides gentle slopes where soils are neither extremely dry nor extremely wet.