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How to Recognize It
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American beech and chestnut oak trees are common in the Eastern Hemlock - Hardwood Forest, growing on steep north-facing slopes overlooking the Potomac River. Sadly, the easiest way to recognize this natural community is by the snags and decomposing logs of eastern hemlock, killed by an invasive insect called the hemlock woolly adelgid. In the understory, look for American witch-hazel.
Ecobit: Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
Can you find this combination of key features?
Identifying This Natural Community
- A forest of mature American beech with chestnut oak, sweet birch, and northern red oak trees
- Young eastern hemlock trees beneath the larger trees
- Large dead eastern hemlock trees—some still standing and others on the ground
- American witch-hazel
- Relatively few shrubs and low plants
- Location: on a north-facing slope above the Potomac River
If so, welcome to the Eastern Hemlock - Hardwood Forest at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.
Not sure? Check out the Compare Natural Communities Tool.