Southern and Central Appalachian Cove Forest
Macrogroup: Northern Hardwood & Conifer
This map is a modeled distribution based on current data and is not a substitute for field based inventory. Contact
your State Natural Heritage Ecologist for more information about this habitat.
© Brian Streets (West Virginia Division of Natural Resources)
Description:
A hardwood or mixed forest with a high diversity of
mesophytic (moisture loving but non-wetland) trees. Canopy
species commonly include yellow buckeye, sugar maple,
white ash, basswood, tuliptree, cucumber tree, and
American beech, sometimes in a single stand. Hemlock is
sometimes present, mostly in acidic coves. Shrub and herb
layers are similarly rich, and calcium-bearing and
circumneutral bedrock tends to support the richest
examples. This forest is typical of sheltered, shady places in
the Blue Ridge and central Appalachian Mountains, forming
large patches (tens to hundreds of acres) on concave slopes
that accumulate nutrients and moisture. These are
communities of high diversity and often great structural
complexity.
State Distribution: MD, VA, WV
Total Habitat Acreage: 1,014,832
Ecological Setting and Natural Processes:
Percent Conserved: 33.0%
Found on sheltered coves and concave slopes. Soils are
often rocky and may be coarse or fine-textured, and may be
residual, alluvial, or colluvial. Single tree gap-phase
regeneration drives stand dynamics; occasional more
extreme wind or ice disturbance may operate at a larger
scale. Fire is probably not often a significant factor.
State
WV
VA
MD
State
Habitat %
56%
44%
0%
State
Acreage
571,349
443,212
271
GAP 1&2
(acres)
25,693
84,241
47
GAP 3
(acres)
118,872
105,502
47
Unsecured
(acres)
426,784
253,469
177
Similar Habitat Types:
The South-Central Interior Mesophytic Forest system is
similar to this one but occurs west of the Allegheny
Mountains. Dry-mesic forests like Appalachian (Hemlock)Northern Hardwood and Southern Appalachian Oak tend to
occur immediately above, and riparian or floodplain systems
just below cove landforms.
Crosswalk to State Name Examples:
Mesic Deciduous Forests (MD), Appalachian Rich Cove Forest
(VA), Mixed Mesophytic Forest (WV)
Crosswalk to State Wildlife Action Plans:
Mesic Deciduous Forests (MD), Forest Habitat - Deciduous
Forest (VA), Mixed Mesophytic Forest (WV)
Places to Visit this Habitat:
MAMMALS: allegheny woodrat, appalachian cottontail, eastern
small-footed myotis, indiana myotis, long-tailed shrew, southern
pygmy shrew, southern rock vole, virginia big-eared bat, virginia
northern flying squirrel
HERPTILES: common map turtle, eastern hog-nosed snake,
eastern ribbonsnake, eastern wormsnake, mountain earth
snake, northern coal skink, spiny softshell
PLANTS: Loesel's Twayblade (Liparis loeselii), Ostrich Fern
(Matteuccia struthiopteris), Herb-Robert (Geranium
robertianum), Linear-leaved Willowherb (Epilobium leptophyllum)
10
00
+
10
00
to
10
0
10
to
to
10
0
10
5
1
0
5
BIRDS: acadian flycatcher, black-throated blue warbler,
cerulean warbler, hooded warbler, louisiana waterthrush, scarlet
tanager, blue-headed vireo, swainson's warbler, wood thrush,
worm-eating warbler, yellow-throated vireo
to
Appendix lists scientific names
to
1
600,000
500,000
400,000
300,000
200,000
100,000
0
Patch Size Classes
The average patch size for this habitat is 7 acres and the largest single patch is
1,905 acres. This chart shows the proportion of the habitat that is in each patch-size
class.
Age Class Distribution
Percent of Habitat
Associated Species:
Habitat Patch Distribution
Acres
Blue Ridge Parkway National Park | VA
George Washington and Jefferson National Forest | VA
Holly River State Park | WV
Kumbrabow State Forest | WV
Monongahela National Forest | WV
50
40
30
20
10
0
1t
0
o2
t
20
0
o4
t
40
0
o6
t
60
0
o8
to
80
0
10
o
0t
10
0
14
Age (Years)
HERPTILES: big levels salamander, black mountain
salamander, blue ridge two-lined salamander, bog turtle, cheat
mountain salamander, common black-bellied salamander, green
salamander, midland mud salamander, northern pygmy
salamander, peaks of otter salamander, red salamander,
shenandoah salamander, shovelnose salamander, upland
chorus frog, white-spotted salamander
Predicted Habitat Loss to Development
1,020,000
Acreage
Species of Concern (G1-G4): Appendix lists scientific names
This chart shows the average age of trees associated with this habitat based on
forest Inventory data. For non-forested systems or small habitats the average age is
influenced by the surroundings.
1,010,000
1,005,000
1,000,000
INSECTS: American emerald, northern spreadwing
PLANTS: appalachian blue violet (Viola appalachiensis),
appalachian gentian (Gentiana austromontana), blue ridge
bittercress (Cardamine flagellifera), blue wild indigo (Baptisia
australis), fire-pink (Silene virginica) running buffalo clover
(Trifolium stoloniferum), smoke hole bergamot (Monarda
fistulosa)
1,015,000
2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060
Decade
This chart shows the predicted loss of habitat over the next five decades (8,843
acres) if loss continues at the same rate as 1990-2000. The average rate of loss is
177 acres per year.
Percent of Habitat
Habitat Connectedness Index
60
40
20
0
0t
5
o2
t
25
0
o5
t
50
5
o7
to
75
0
10
Degree of Fragmentation
(0=Highly Fragmented & 100= Highly Connected)
© Jim Vanderhorst (West Virginia Division of Natural Resources)
Southern and Central Appalachian Cove Forest
This metric measures how connected or fragmented the land directly surrounding (18
square miles) the habitat is, this the chart shows the proportion of the habitat in each
connectedness class.
http://nature.ly/HabitatGuide