A Subdivision of the Eastern Deciduous Forest

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The variability of the Eastern Deciduous Forest has led many biogeographers to try to subdivide the biome into more homogeneous segments. The attempts have not been particularly successful. However one such subdivision is shown above based primarily on a north and south division. Others have argued that the western half of the Eastern Deciduous Forest should be divided from the east based on the greater preponderance of oak-hickory forest in the west as well as the disparity in the commoness or rarity of other tree species.

Transition Forest: Transition Forest is a mixture of three primary forest types, all with conifer species adapted to colder temperatures. The first component is the true transition forest of New England and the southern portions of the eastern Canadian provinces. This component is a true mixture of trees from the Northern Boreal Forest (Taiga) and trees coming northward from the Eastern Deciduous Forest. The second component is commonly called Beech-Hemlock-Maple forest and is found primarily in New York, Pennsylvania, and southern New England. Finally coniferous regions of the Appalachian Mountains are considered part of the Transition type of forest.

 Eastern Mixed Forest: The Eastern Mixed Forest occupies most of the Eastern Deciduous Forest and consists of a mixture of different deciduous tree species and few conifers except under exceptional local conditions such as sandy or rocky soil.

Southern Coastal Forest: The forests of the southeastern United States are particularly complex representing a combination of extensive pine forests on sandy, red-clay, or limestone derived soils mixed with deciduous forests on the richer soil types. These deciduous forests on rich soil types can be very diverse and contain a number of southern species not found in the northern part of the deciduous forest such as several species of magnolias, gum trees, and oaks.