We classified forest types at Wildwood Park using U.S. Forest Service "Forest Inventory and Analysis" and "NatureServe" ecological classification systems, as defined in the Central Appalachians Forest Ecosystem Vulnerability Assessment (Butler et al. 2015).
Four major forest types were identified at Wildwood Park, based on our field research and vegetation analysis. These include:
Mixed-Mesophytic Forests are dominated by indicator species such as yellow buckeye, tulip poplar, and sugar maple (Butler et. al 2015). Soil conditions vary from highly acidic to slightly basic. Thick canopy cover, dense herbaceous understory layers, and high species diversity are commonly found within mixed mesophytic/cove forests. |
Forest Classification:
In our forest assessment of Wildwood Park, four of the 12 assessed plots were classified as mixed mesophytic forest based on dominant species and site conditions.
Forest Species & Site Environment:
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Ordination analysis of 12 forest vegetation plots at Wildwood Park. Symbol size indicates the abundance of sugar maple (Acer saccharum) in each plot. Although sugar maple was found in all forest types, this species prefers mesic environments and was most common in Mixed-Mesophytic Forests at Wildwood Park (grey). |