Oak-Beech Heath Forest

This forest is typically found on steep ravine slopes and bluffs. It is similar to other Oak-Heath forests with the addition of American Beech in the overstory. This is the main Oak-Heath Forest type in southern Fairfax County. 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 through 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.

Oak-Beech-Heath 6919 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.

Oak-Beech-Heath 6919 NOVA data.xlsx