Maple - Ash Swamp Forest (Northern Piedmont-Central Appalachian)
Learn More
Where to Explore It
There is often standing water in this natural community, which is dominated by green ash and red maple or silver maple. Among low plants, small-spike false nettle and lizard’s-tail are common. (There is more than one type of Maple - Ash Swamp Forest; this one is found in the northern Piedmont and Central Appalachians.)
This natural community is found in poorly drained portions of floodplains in the northern Piedmont and Central Appalachians.
The range map shows the states in which this natural community has been documented.
More About This Natural Community
The Maple - Ash Swamp Forest is found in poorly drained areas of floodplains, such as backswamps, abandoned oxbows, sloughs, and depressions. Consequently, it can be underwater for extended periods—sometimes much of the growing season.
Most of the trees in this community are green ash and silver maple and/or red maple. Even ash and maple trees can’t survive in some of the wettest parts of these swamps, which may be covered instead by wetland plants such as lizard’s-tail or small-spike false nettle. Shrubs are absent for the most part, although vines such as Virginia creeper and eastern poison-ivy are common.
For a more in-depth look at this community, click on a link under “Where to Explore It.”
Look for It in These National Parks
- Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
- George Washington Memorial Parkway
- Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
- Manassas National Battlefield Park
- National Capital Parks - East
Conservation Status
How vulnerable is a natural community? Is it at risk of elimination? Learn about conservation status.
Classification
Official names reduce confusion by providing a common language for talking about natural communities. Why so many names?