Mixed Hardwoods

The majority of the Cumberland Plateau supports mixed hardwood species (exceptions being moist gorges and coves and xeric ridgetops). On the Plateau uplands, oaks are the most widespread genus, with white oak, scarlet oak, black oak, post oak, and chestnut oak the most common (Hinkle 1989). Of the oak species, white oak is most common in upland communities (Martin 1975). Hickories are generally of limited importance, but dominate some stands probably as a result of past disturbance (especially selective logging and high grading). The most common hickories in the region are shagbark, mockernut, and pignut. Hinkle (1989) concluded that hickory species were not common canopy components and the Cumberland Plateau should not be considered a component of the oak-hickory forest.

In general, mixed oak species dominate slope forests of the undulating Cumberland Plateau. Chestnut oak, white oak, and black oak dominate upper slopes, while middle and lower slope positions are dominated by white oak, northern red oak, and sugar maple (Hinkle 1989). Middle and lower slope positions support mesic communities composed of American beech, red maple, yellow-poplar, white basswood, white ash, and yellow buckeye. Composition of slope forests on the Cumberland Plateau is influenced by soil moisture and nutrient conditions (Hinkle 1978). Species composition shifts are projected for some mesic oak forests of the Plateau as shade-tolerant species in the understory, e.g., red maple, sugar maple, and American beech are recruited to larger size classes after small-scale disturbance events (Hinkle 1989; Kuddes-Fischer and Arthur 2002; Gilbert and others 2003; Hart 2007; Hart and Grissino-Mayer 2008).