Upland Forests and Woodlands

Woodland

Missouri’s upland forests and woodlands are habitats distinct from our bottomland forests. Learning about them helps you understand more about the plants and animals that live in them.

Browse Forests and Woodlands under Related Habitats below for a general introduction to Missouri's many kinds of wooded habitats.

Upland forests and woodlands in the Show-Me State fall into three main categories: dry, dry-mesic, and mesic.

Dry Woodlands

In Missouri, dry woodlands typically occur on south- and west-facing slopes with shallow, rocky soils, and in upland areas generally: hilltops, glades, and bluff tops, often on rocky, sandy, or thin soils. Although we have some dry-mesic forests, Missouri has no true forests that are classified as dry.

In our dry woodlands, the dominant trees, having little moisture, are typically fairly short, 30 to 60 feet, and the understory is relatively open, with scattered shrubs. The groundcover layer is dominated by sedges, grasses, and wildflowers.

Typical Plants in Dry Woodlands

The main canopy trees in dry woodlands include post oak, blackjack oak, chinquapin oak, black oak, white oak, bur oak, black hickory, white ash, shortleaf pine, sugar maple, and winged elm. In the Bootheel’s rare dry sand woodlands, southern red oak is a dominant canopy tree.

Understory plants, shrubs, and vines in dry woodlands include New Jersey tea, fragrant sumac, Carolina buckthorn, catbriar, dwarf hackberry, serviceberry, and lowbush blueberry. In the Bootheel, deciduous holly and American hazelnut are notable understory species.

Groundcover plants in dry woodlands include little bluestem, Indian grass, sedges, tick clovers, yellow pimpernel, woodland brome, rock muhly, sideoats grama, bristly sunflower, poverty grass, dittany, asters and goldenrods, pussytoes, Indian physic, and yellow crownbeard. In the Bootheel’s dry sand woodlands, there are rough buttonweed, rushfoil, sweet goldenrod, variegated milkweed, wood rush, eastern prickly pear, tick trefoils, and prairie bush clover.

 Dry-Mesic Forests and Woodlands

Dry-mesic sites have more moderate amounts of soil moisture, so the canopy trees grow taller — 60 to 90 feet — and straighter than in drier sites.

Dry-mesic forests and woodlands occur mainly on ridges and east-and west-facing slopes. Soils average 3 feet in depth and are mainly silt loams.

Dry-mesic forests have a moderately developed, shade-tolerant understory. Because the canopy and understory shade the floor of these forests, the ground flora’s best season is in the spring; by midsummer it is patchy.

Dry-mesic woodlands typically share many of the same species as the nearby dry-mesic forests, but being woodlands, they have a more open canopy and a patchy to absent understory, permitting a well-developed, prominent groundcover.

Before European settlement, much of today’s Ozark forested landscapes were dry-mesic woodlands or savanna. Managed burns seek to restore these historic habitats.

Also, before widespread lumbering, shortleaf pine dominated vast tracts of the Ozarks. Most of these pine forests and woodlands grew back as oak-hickory forest. Land managers have been working to restore our pine and oak-pine forests and woodlands.

Typical Plants in Dry-Mesic Forests and Woodlands

Dominant or canopy trees include white, black, and several other oaks; shagbark, mockernut, and pignut hickories; and shortleaf pine. Other characteristic trees include maples and ashes.

Understory trees, shrubs, and woody vines include flowering dogwood, American hazelnut, fragrant sumac, eastern hop hornbeam, lowbush blueberry, serviceberry, Virginia creeper, summer grape, and Carolina buckthorn.

Ground-flora plants abound, though in true forests, most are dormant except in spring before the trees leaf out. In woodlands, grasses, sedges, and wildflowers are prominent all season long. Typical ground plants include sedges and grasses, tick trefoil, trillium, Christmas fern, black cohosh, spring beauty, toothwort, and false Solomon’s seal.

Mesic Forests and Woodlands

Our mesic forests and woodlands lie in areas between wetter lowlands and drier heights. Their soils are deep and loamy, and they typically occur on steep north- and east-facing slopes and ravines. The canopy is tall (often more than 90 feet).

As with dry-mesic forests, mesic forests typically have a well-developed understory of small trees and shrubs that restricts the ground layer to a profusion of spring wildflowers, before the forest floor is shaded.

Also like their dry-mesic counterparts, mesic woodlands have a more open canopy and a sparse understory, allowing a lush ground flora throughout the growing season.

Typical Plants in Mesic Forests and Woodlands

Canopy trees include northern red oak, white oak, sugar maple, basswood, black walnut, white ash, bitternut hickory, and, in southeastern Missouri, beech.

Understory plants include spicebush, maples, pawpaw, and grape vines.

The ground layer is lush in spring with many wildflowers, including bloodroot, Dutchman’s breeches, wild ginger, bellwort, hepatica, and trillium. There is also a variety of ferns, including broad beech fern, maidenhair fern, fragile fern, and narrow-leaved spleenwort.

Upland forests and woodlands can occur anywhere in the state and make up about 90 percent of our current wooded cover. They occur on hilly and rolling terrain statewide, but primarily in the Ozarks, in the southern half of the state. A typical satellite view of Missouri shows all our forests and woodlands in dark green.

Trees surrounded by plants
Limited grazing of forests leaves plenty of food and cover plants for wildlife.
Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation.
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Trees surrounded by plants
Forest and Woodland Management
A closeup of an acorn
Oaks
Quercus spp.
Oaks are the most important group of trees in Missouri, in both human and ecosystem value. They dominate most of the forests, woodlands, and savannas in the state. Learn more about our 22 species.
Shagbark Hickory
Hickories
Carya spp.
Hickories are an important part of Missouri’s oak-hickory woodlands and forests. They have tremendous economic value, too. Learn about the nine species of hickory found in Missouri.
Illustration of shortleaf pine needles, twig, cones.
Shortleaf Pine
Pinus echinata
Existing in thousands of acres of nearly pure stands, shortleaf pine was once the dominant tree in much of the Missouri Ozarks. Today, Missouri’s only native pine tree is recovering from the extensive logging that had exhausted its old-growth stands by the 1920s.
Photo of bloodroot plant with flower
Bloodroot
Sanguinaria canadensis
Bloodroot’s pure white petals are even more remarkable given the plant’s bright red sap. This feature, plus the unique leaf shape, make this early spring wildflower easy to identify.
Photo of mayapple colony looking like numerous green umbrellas on forest floor
Mayapple
Podophyllum peltatum
Mayapple is a common spring wildflower that makes its biggest impression with its leaves, which resemble umbrellas arising from a single stalk. It often grows in colonies.
Photo of spring beauty plants and flowers
Spring Beauty
Claytonia virginica
Our most widely distributed early spring flower, spring beauty has 5 white or pink petals with distinct pink veining, and 5 pink anthers. The narrow, bladelike leaves are fleshy. These flowers often grow in abundance, covering a patch of ground with the beauty of spring.
Image of smooth chanterelle
Chanterelles
Cantharellaceae (various members of family)
Chanterelles are funnel- or trumpet-shaped and have wavy cap edges. Most are bright orange or yellow, although one, the black trumpet, is brownish black.
Photo of false turkey tail bracket fungus closeup, one showing smooth underside
False Turkey Tail
Stereum ostrea
False turkey tail grows in large, layered groups of leathery, parchmentlike brackets with multicolored zones and a smooth underside. Look for it on stumps and logs of deciduous trees, especially oaks.
image of Walker's Cicada clinging to a perch
Annual Cicadas
Neotibicen spp. (in Missouri) (formerly Tibicen)
Annual cicadas look like larger and greener versions of the famous periodical cicadas. Annual cicadas go through a life cycle of only about 2–5 years, and some are present every year — thus they are called annual.
Eastern carpenter bee standing on a wooden surface
Eastern Carpenter Bee
Xylocopa virginica
The eastern carpenter bee somewhat resembles a bumblebee but has a noticeably black, shiny abdomen. Carpenter bees are rather solitary and excavate their nests in wood.
Tan stink bug on dead leaves
Stink Bugs
In North America, more than 200 species in 64 genera
Stink bugs are shield-shaped insects that can smell really bad. This is a large family of true bugs known for producing a foul odor when harassed.
Photo of a tan jumping spider
Tan Jumping Spider
Platycriptus undatus
The tan jumping spider usually lives on tree trunks. Its gray, tan, and brown coloration camouflages it against tree bark. There is usually an undulating pattern on the abdomen.
American snout butterfly resting with wings folded
American Snout
Libytheana carinent
Most of us identify butterflies by their color patterns, but you can ID the American snout by its long “nose.”
Photo of a Hackberry Emperor
Hackberry Emperor
Asterocampa celtis
The hackberry emperor eats hackberry leaves as a caterpillar. The adults fly erratically. They often alight on people to absorb sodium from sweat.
Photo of a Luna Moth
Luna Moth
Actias luna
The luna moth’s distinctive lime-green color and long tails distinguish it from all other North American moths.
Image of a spotted salamander
Spotted Salamander
Ambystoma maculatum
The spotted salamander is one of Missouri's six species of mole salamanders. It is slate black with two irregular rows of rounded yellow spots from the head onto the tail. It occurs in forests in the southern two-thirds of the state.
Photo of a western ratsnake curled up in grasses under a fence.
Western Ratsnake
Pantherophis obsoletus
The western ratsnake, a glossy black snake, is one of Missouri’s largest and most familiar snakes. Its size and dark color make it seem imposing, but it is as harmless to humans as it is bad news for rodents.
Image of a wood frog
Wood Frog
Lithobates sylvaticus (formerly Rana sylvatica)
The wood frog is tan, pinkish tan, or brown, with a dark brown mask through the eye and ear. It is perfectly camouflaged among fallen dead leaves. A rare frog, it lives in cool, wooded hillsides in portions of eastern Missouri and some southwestern counties.
Image of barred owl
Barred Owl
Strix varia
The barred owl is easily identified both visually and by sound. Learn to recognize its call, and on moonlit nights in their habitat, you may hear it quite often!
Black-capped chickadee image showing characters for identification.
Black-Capped Chickadee and Carolina Chickadee
Poecile atricapillus and P. carolinensis
Chickadees are common in backyards. These black-capped, perky insectivores are present year-round. There are two species in Missouri that look quite similar.
Photograph of a male red-bellied woodpecker
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Melanerpes carolinus
A striking woodpecker with grayish white face and underparts, black-and-white banded upperparts, and a red band on the head or nape. The red belly is often not noticeable.
Photograph of a Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse
Baeolophus bicolor
A small gray bird with a crest on its head, the tufted titmouse is drab only in terms of color. Its ringing “peter-peter-peter” song should be familiar to all Missourians.
Photo of two male wild turkeys displaying
Wild Turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
The large size, iridescent bronze plumage (which can look merely dark at a distance), and naked blue and red head distinguish this ground-dwelling bird from others in our state.
Image of an eastern chipmunk
Eastern Chipmunk
Tamias striatus
Chipmunks are sleek, attractive, active ground-dwelling squirrels. They live in tunnels but are generally out during the day, making them one of the few mammals that people can enjoy watching.
Image of a gray squirrel
Eastern Gray Squirrel and Eastern Fox Squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis and Sciurus niger
The eastern gray squirrel and eastern fox squirrel are both very common in Missouri. Their names describe their general coat color: the first is grayish, the other a foxy red.
Image of southern flying squirrel
Southern Flying Squirrel
Glaucomys volans
Flying squirrels don’t actually fly, but they are expert hang gliders. Instead of running around on the ground, they climb to the top of a tall tree, launch into the air, glide downward to the bottom of another tree and repeat the process to get where they’re going.
Photo of white tailed buck
White-Tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
In summer, white-tailed deer are reddish-brown to tan above; in winter, they are grayish. The throat and belly are white. This common Missouri deer is named for the bright white of its flaglike tail.
Photo of two bears
American Black Bear
Ursus americanus
One of the largest wild mammals in Missouri, the American black bear is unmistakable with its black fur and powerful bearing.

Forests and Woodlands

Forests and Woodlands

Most Missourians just call it “the woods,” but land managers use the terms “forests” and “woodlands” to describe the variety of wooded habitats in Missouri.

Bottomland Forests

Bottomland forest
Bottomland Forests

True bottomland forests occur on rich, deep soils in low places that are seasonally wet. Canopy trees are usually sycamore, pin oak, bur oak, silver maple, cottonwood, and black walnut.

Glades

Photo of an igneous glade at Taum Sauk Mountain in springtime, with view to distance
Glades

Often described as desert-like, glades actually share more plant species with our tallgrass prairies.

Savannas

Union Ridge Conservation Area
Savannas

Like prairies, savannas are open areas dominated by native perennial grasses and forbs. With up to 30 percent tree cover, they have more trees than prairies, but fewer trees than true woodlands.

Roadsides, Industrial Sites, Mining Areas

Callery pears along highway roadside.
Roadsides, Industrial Sites, Mining Areas

A disturbed habitat can be a roadside, vacant lot, crop field, or mining area. It can also be a river bank, a sand bar, or a place where a big tree was blown over in the woods. In a less catastrophic sense, prairies, glades, savannas, and woodlands are disturbance-adapted habitats.

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