It is a deciduous forest type of well-drained, acidic soils, characterized by oaks (Quercus) and plants of the heath family (Ericaceae).
[1] It is commonly found in the high elevations of the eastern United States.
[citation needed] Such forest areas typically have a dense fibrous root layer at the surface of the soil, and in many areas predominate on south-facing or southwest-facing slopes.
[citation needed] Many of the existing oak–heath forests once featured American chestnut as an important canopy species.
[2][3] Heath plants common to this ecology include mountain-laurel (Kalmia latifolia), various blueberries (genus Vaccinium), huckleberries (genus Gaylussacia), sourwood or sorrel-tree (Oxydendrum arboreum), and azaleas and rhododendrons (genus Rhododendron).