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.
Tilia americana L. var. heterophylla DESCRIPTION Shade Tolerance = Tolerant Soil Moisture Niche = Moist Sites Vertical Preference = Canopy Basswood has large heart-shaped leaves. So do red mulberry and Eastern redbud, but they are uncommon in the Park, occurring mainly in the low elevation zone. Basswood leaves have uneven leaf bases unlike either of [...]
Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) DESCRIPTION Shade Tolerance = Very Tolerant Soil Moisture Niche = Moist Acidic Sites Vertical Preference = Canopy Evergreen boughs and pine-like bark make this conifer easy to identify. Large hemlocks with high foliage can sometimes be confused with white pine. Look on the ground beneath the tree. Hemlock needles are short, [...]
Fraxinus pennsylvanica DESCRIPTION Shade Tolerance = Intermediate Soil Moisture Niche = Moist Sites Vertical Preference = Dispersed Canopy Both green and white ash have opposite compound leaves. Hickories, black walnut, mountain ash and black locust also have compound leaves, but their leaves are alternately arranged. In fact, the ashes are the only trees in the [...]
