Appendix

Habitats of Shenandoah National Park

The classification of park habitats used in the plant and bird checklists was developed by Charles E. Stevens of Charlottesville, Va. Descriptions of the habitats are:

1 Oak, oak-hickory forest—principally red, white, and chestnut oak, with a sprinkling of several species of hickory, white ash, red maple, and a few other deciduous species. Occurs on slopes and the moister ridges. Principal forest type in the park.

2 Cove hardwoods—a mixture of many deciduous trees—particularly yellow-poplar ("tuliptree"), red and white oak, basswood, sugar maple (in some hollows), and black and yellow birch—often accompanied by hemlock. Occurs in moist hollows.

3 Hemlock, hemlock-white pine groves—composed largely of these species, with little ground vegetation. Occurs in cool, moist areas, often at the heads of hollows. Limberlost is the prime example.

4 Oak-pine forest—mainly scarlet and chestnut oak and pitch pine in open stands, with dense shrub layer of scrub oak and mountain-laurel and other "heath" species. Southwest slopes and dry ridges.

5 Birch-maple forest—principally yellow and black birch, red oak, and basswood, with understory of striped and mountain maple, witch-hazel, red-berried elder, and other species. Occurs in cool, moist, rocky areas, generally at high elevations. Example: north face of Hawksbill Mountain.

6 Wooded streams, stream margins, boggy places—includes all the park's wet environments, except for type 9. Streams run mostly through forest types; at lower elevations often bordered by common alder. A few boggy spots around springs are open, with herbaceous vegetation.

7 Open fields, road shoulders—grasses, sedges, and other herbaceous plants, with scattering of shrubs and small trees. Few of these areas left; now mainly Big Meadows, Patterson's Field, and along Skyline Drive.

8 Shrubby abandoned fields—later stage of type 7, with blackberry, hawthorn, pitch and scrub pine, and other woody pioneer species. Example: Milam Gap.

9 Shrub swamp—principally Big Meadows Swamp, where common alder, grey birch, and hawthorn are the main woody species.

10 Open cliffs and rock outcrops—scattered about park. Includes road cuts where rocky.

11 Shaded cliffs and rock outcrops—scattered about park.