MAMMALS OF MARYLAND 



7 



developed understory. Flood-plain forests are particularly luxuriant 

 in the Western Shore section. Tidal marshes are commonly found 

 around the numerous estuaries. Elevation is from 100 to 300 feet, and 

 the topography is rolling. 



Piedmont Section 



The Piedmont section occupies the area of the Piedmont physiologi- 

 cal province (Fenneman, 1938) and a small part of the Coastal Plain 

 known as Elk Neck in Cecil County. The forests in this section con- 

 sist mostly of white oak, black oak {Quercus velutina), tulip poplar, 

 smoothbarked hickories {Oarya sp.), and flowering dogwood (Oomus 

 florida). In some areas chestnut oak {Qioercm prmus) or scarlet oak 

 {Quercus coccinea) is common, and occasionally stands of scrub pine 

 or pitch pine are found. Beech (Fagus grandifolia) is often encoun- 

 tered on ravine slopes, and mixed mesophytic forest communities occur 

 in some of the larger valleys with steep north slopes. These communi- 

 ties contain a mixture of central and northern hardwoods and some- 

 times hemlock {Tsuga canadensis). Elevations in this section range 

 between 300 and 800 feet, and the topography is gently rolling. Much 

 of the land has been cleared for farming. 



Ridge and Valley Section 



Chestnut oak is the common tree throughout most of the section, 

 and in the higher elevations it is often found in nearly pure stands. 

 In dry areas and on slopes with southern or western exposure there is 

 scarlet oak, interspersed with occasional stands of scrub pine, pitch 

 pine, or Table Mountain pine {Pinus pungens) . Most of the ravines 

 and steep northern slopes are occupied by mixed mesophytic forest 

 communities in which the common species are hemlock, white pine 

 {Pinus strobu^)^ beech, sweet birch {Betula lenta), basswood {Tilia 

 americana) ^ sugar maple {Acer saccharum)^ tulip poplar, white oak, 

 and northern red oak {Quercus rubra). On the valley floors, white 

 oak, black oak, tulip poplar, and flowering dogwood communities 

 occur. Groves of red cedar {Juniperus virginiana) are found in the 

 limestone areas of the Hagerstown Valley. The section consists of a 

 series of parallel ridges that range up to 2,000 feet in elevation. 



Allegheny Mountain Section 



This area is a high, undulating plateau, averaging about 2,500 feet 

 above sea level. Several ridges, some 500 feet high, cross this plateau 

 diagonally from northeast to southwest. The highest point in the 

 State, Backbone Mountain (3,342 feet), is in this section. Hemlock 



