PITCH PINE (PINUS-RIGIDA MILL) COMMUNITIES IN NORTHEASTERN NEW-YORK-STATE

Pitch pine (Pinus rigida Mill.) is found in communities scattered around the edges of the Adirondack Mountains. These communities occur on rock pavement of granitic gneiss or sandstone in the Jefferson County region or deep sands in Oneida, Saratoga, Clinton, Essex, Warren, Schenectady and Albany counties. Detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) of the vegetation in 83, 10 X 10-m plots at 13 sites showed that species composition at each site was distinct. The first DCA axis was significantly correlated with soil extract specific conductance, percent very coarse sand, tree age, percent of oaks in the canopy and percent of heaths in the herb and shrub layers. The second axis was significantly correlated with tree height, species richness, soil pH, specific conductance and percent coarse sand. Two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN) separated communities on rock from those on sand. Communities on sand were classified according to the extent of ericaceous shrub cover, dominance of oaks and/or white pine in the canopy, and the degree of mesophytism of the community.