Southeastern mixed forests


The Southeastern mixed forests are an ecoregion of the temperate broadleaf and mixed forest biome, in the lower portion of the Eastern United States.

Setting

This ecoregion covers the Piedmont region of the eastern United States, stretching in a broad arc from extreme southwest New Jersey southwest to Mississippi. It is distinguished from neighboring ecoregions by elevation and vegetation. At lower elevations to the east are the Middle Atlantic coastal forests on the Atlantic coastal plain. Similarly, the Southeastern conifer forests occupy the Gulf coastal plain to the south. Higher, and to the north and west, are the Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests and the Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests of the Appalachian Mountains.

Climate

This ecoregion lies within the Cfa Köppen climate zones, and the Cf and Do Trewartha climate zones, placing it in the humid subtropical climate category, with hot, humid summers, and mild to cool winters. The coldest month mean temperature at or above freezing, and significant precipitation in all seasons.

Flora

Both oaks and hickories are abundant in this ecoregion. Additionally, some 3,635 species of native herbaceous and shrub species have been recorded here.
American chestnut was formerly an important tree in this ecoregion, but its population was destroyed by the chestnut blight in the early 20th century. It still persists as an understory tree, but is often killed by the blight before it matures.

Oak-hickory forests

The most common oaks of this ecoregion are white oak, northern red oak, black oak, and scarlet oak. Black and scarlet grow in open forests. Black oak grows in nearly single-species stands on dry, exposed sites. Scarlet oak grows in various habitats. Chestnut oak is found on ridgetops.
The hickories of this ecoregion are identifiable by their pinnately compound leaves. They include pignut and mockernut hickory, both of which grow on a variety of sites from dry ridges to mesic habitats.
Understory trees include sassafras, hophornbeam, and green hawthorn. Flowering dogwood blooms in early spring.
Shrubs include highbush blueberry, lowbush blueberry, mapleleaf viburnum, huckleberry, mountain laurel.
Common pine species are shortleaf pine and loblolly pine. The pine forests are regenerated by fire. Without fire, hardwood species grow in below the pines.
Sugar maple, a shade tolerant tree, grows amid the oaks and hickories in the northern part of this ecoregion.
, Maryland

Mesic forests

Mesic forests occur in fertile, mesic, low-elevation habitats such as deep ravines and sheltered north- or east-facing slopes. Dominant trees include American beech, tulip tree, northern red oak, white ash, black maple, sugar maple, basswood, and bitternut hickory.
Understory trees include pawpaw and painted buckeye.

Mesic mixed hardwood forests

Mesic mixed hardwood forests grow on mesic uplands, ravines, lower slopes, and well-drained flatwoods. Typical trees are American beech, tulip tree, various oaks and hickories, and several other hardwoods. Understory trees include American hornbeam, flowering dogwood, and American strawberry-bush.

Successional forests

forests include eastern juniper, black locust, and quaking and bigtooth aspen.

Remaining intact habitat