Dan D Williams MS
A Naturalist's Guide to Understanding and Identifying
Southern Appalachian Forest Types.
Forest manager & environmental educator with the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources.
I have spent 26 years interpreting forest research for non-scientists interested in learning more about the forests of the Southeastern United States.
Forest Summary Found along streams and on north-facing, low protected slopes in the middle elevation zone. Canopy dominated by a large number of tree species including some mix of the following: yellow poplar, mountain silverbell, white basswood, white ash, red maple, sugar maple, yellow buckeye, black birch, Eastern hemlock. Yellow birch is absent or rarely [...]
Forest Summary Found on acidic sites. Found on creek flats and protected (often steep) slopes in the low (1500-2500′) and middle (2500-4500′) elevation zones. Hemlock dominates the canopy along with three or fewer associates. Acid-loving species like Heath family members common. Rosebay rhododendron frequently dominates the understory. At successional maturity, hemlock dominates exclusively. The hemlock [...]
River Cove Forest Found along rivers in the low elevation zone. American sycamore is almost always in the canopy. American hornbeam is almost always in the understory. Rosebay rhododendron is often prominent in the understory. River cove forests grow in the low elevation zone (1500-2500′) on bottoms along the Park’s river-size streams: Oconaluftee River (Smokemont) [...]
