Plants and Animals
 | Open Park Map |
 | Compare Natural Communities |
Explore this page
Plants
The Chestnut Oak Forest has the look of a rugged survivor, with its sparse vegetation and the twisted branches of mountain laurel. Species diversity is low—you’ll see mostly chestnut oak trees and mountain laurel. In some places, the soil is so dry, infertile, and matted with roots that mosses and reindeer lichen may be the only things growing on the forest floor.
What’s missing? American chestnut may have been an important part of the canopy in years past. Ecobit: Chestnut Sprouts: Phantoms of the Past
Canopy Trees
The trees whose crowns intercept most of the sunlight in a forest stand. The uppermost layer of a forest.
- chestnut oak
- northern red oak
- American beech (occasional)
- blackgum (occasional)
- red maple (occasional)
- scarlet oak (occasional)
Understory Trees
Small trees and young specimens of large trees growing beneath the canopy trees. Also called the subcanopy.
Shrubs, Saplings, and Vines
Shrubs, juvenile trees and vines at the right height to give birds and others a perch up off the ground but below the trees.
- mountain laurel
- black huckleberry (occasional)
- deerberry (occasional)
- hillside blueberry (occasional)
- pink azalea (occasional)
- sweet birch (occasional)
Low Plants (Field Layer)
Plants growing low to the ground. This includes small shrubs and tree seedlings.
- chestnut oak seedlings
- mosses
- reindeer lichen
- striped prince's-pine
- parasol sedge (occasional)
- poverty oatgrass (occasional)
- trailing arbutus (occasional)
Non-Native Invasive Plant Species
The extremely dry, acidic soil here is not very welcoming to non-native plants.
Animals
Even though natural communities aren’t named after animals, animals do play a crucial role in maintaining natural communities. Plants and animals need each other. To name just a few examples, plants provide food and habitat for animals, and animals help plants reproduce by spreading pollen and seeds. To learn more, see The Role of Animals in Natural Communities in Ecology Basics.