Classification of the Albany Coastal Forests

Abstract

Albany Coastal Forests are subtropical vegetation type occurring in the western part of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Alexandria Forest is the largest complex of forest patches of this type. Smaller, numerous patches of the Albany forests occur in deeply incised valleys of the rivers in the Albany region. These forests are in contact with the matrix zonal vegetation of the subtropical Albany thickets. This chapter reports on survey (based on full-floristic vegetation plots) of these forests and the classification which yielded six forest (habitat-level) communities, grouped into three Forest Subtypes. The major tree dominants in these forests are Celtis africana, Afrocarpus falcatus, Mimusops obovata, Erythrina caffra, Apodytes dimidiata, Maytenus undata and Sideroxylon inerme. Canonical correspondence analysis was used to characterise major environmental drivers underpinning the revealed vegetation patterns. An identification key assisting in field recognition of forest subtypes and communities is also presented.