The isolated red spruce communities of Virginia and West Virginia
This article is part of a larger document. View the larger document here.Abstract
Quantitative data on the composition and structure of coniferous forests containing red spruce in the mountains of central and southwestern Virginia and eastern central West Virginia, based on sampling carried out in 67 stands during the 1982 to 1984 field seasons, are provided. The average importance value ([relative basal area + relative density/2]) of red spruce was 46.8, and no other tree species occurred in all 67 stands. Yellow birch, eastern hemlock, Fraser fir, and balsam fir were the only other tree species with an average importance value >5, but the two species of fir were restricted to just a few stands. The general study area encompasses three different physiographic provinces (Appalachian Plateau, Ridge and Valley, and Blue Ridge), and compositional differences were apparent when the groups of stands sampled in the three provinces were compared. For example, fewer tree species (16) were recorded in the tree stratum in the Blue Ridge than in either the Ridge and Valley (21) or the Appalachian Plateau (22). Because the data presented herein were collected more than 25 years ago, they represent a baseline for future studies of montane coniferous forests in the Central Appalachians.