Conservation Status and Classification

How vulnerable is a natural community to being eliminated? How similar or dissimilar is it to other natural communities? These questions are answered by naming and classifying natural communities, which helps us identify them and understand where each is found.

The U.S. National Vegetation Classification is the standard often used to classify natural communities.

Conservation Status

Conservation status indicates how vulnerable a natural community is. Learn more about conservation status, which can be measured globally and regionally.

Global Conservation Status: G5 – Secure

Subnational Conservation Status:

MD: SNR – Not yet assessed

;

VA: S5 – Secure

;

WV: SNR – Not yet assessed

Classification

Official names reduce the confusion by providing a common language for talking about natural communities. Why so many names?

Abbreviated Common Name: Chestnut Oak Forest

Common Name: Chestnut Oak Forest (Central Appalachian-Northern Piedmont)

Scientific Name: Quercus montana - (Quercus coccinea, Quercus rubra) / Kalmia latifolia / Vaccinium pallidum Forest

Scientific Name Translated: Chestnut Oak - (Scarlet Oak, Northern Red Oak) / Mountain Laurel / Blue Ridge Blueberry Forest

Classification Code: CEGL006299

Associated Ecological System: Dry Oak - Pine Forests Ecological System in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park