Chestnut Oak Forest

This forest occupies a high spot in the terrain, usually on north-facing slopes and terraces, with Chestnut Oaks a dominant species. The community is an "evergreen" type of Oak-Heath Forest, with Mountain Laurel a dominant understory shrub. Witch Hazel is a common associate of this type of community, particularly above streams. The soil of all of the Oak-Heath forests are porous, dry, and relatively infertile.

Table of Contents:

Identification

Seasonal Highlights

For information on how the appearance of the community changes during the course of the year, click here

Dominant and Common Species

Sparse Species

Restricted Species

Downloadable Files

This document contains the images found above and additional information that makes it a stand-alone resource. It is intended to be used to help guide restoration efforts in this community.

Chestnut Oak 6299 NOVA description.pdf

This Excel document contains extensive data related to the community. In addition to the Dominant, Common, Sparse, and Restricted Species listed in the charts above, it also contains information about the Rare Species. This file will address many needs for the most detailed user of the data. In the data, one can:

  • Compare species abundance in Northern Virginia to the State-wide level.

  • Sort or filter by species, common name, form, abundance category, constancy, and multiple other metrics and measures

  • Compare "Mean Cover" score to "Mean Cover when Present Score" across species.

Chestnut Oak 6299 NOVA Data.xlsx