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TOPIC: Rocky Bald, Macon County, NC
http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees/browse_thread/thread/e4d652a8ba35a4e0?hl=en
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== 1 of 2 ==
Date: Fri, Aug 8 2008 1:39 pm
From: "Josh Kelly"


ENTS,

On Wednesday, July 6th, Ed Schwartzmen and I explored Rocky Bald (one of two
peaks in the area of that name, this one is northwest of Wine Spring Bald),
a 5200' peak in Macon County, NC. While the ridgeline of the "bald" had
once been pasture and is now reverting to forest, three coves on the north
side of the mountain harbor fabulous northern hardwoods forest that, above
4500', are in old-growth condition. In the highest elevations in these
coves American beech dominates, sometimes forming the pure stands known to
local ecologists as "Beech Gap Forest" that often have dense carpets of
Pennsylvania sedge or dense thickets of blackberry, witch hobble, beech
seedlings or other shrubs. The slopes and coves below the Beech Gaps are
more sheltered and suffer less from wind and ice damage and in those
situations yellow birch, yellow buckeye, and sugar maple of respectable
sizes and a lush and diverse herb layer develops. The canopy heights in
this old-growth forest are not impressive, but what do you expect from
hardwoods at 4500'? The highly textured canopy of this forest varied from
10' in recent tree fall gaps to 80', with the occasional emergent buckeyes
perhaps going to 100'. What really stole the show were yellow birches.

 
Burly Birch

Butree Birch

Many were greater than 3' dbh, and two of the ancient birches we encountered
measured 59.4" dbh (15.56' in circumference)! The two trees are of very
different character. The trunk of the first is quite rhomboid, with a
highly buttressed, flaring base. It is much more impressive in view from
side slope and much narrower from up or down slope. The second is very
burly, and the reported diameter was measured above breast height to avoid
two large burls. This tree defines gnarly and has a very massive trunk up
to its first branches perhaps 20 feet off the ground. The burly wood forms
excellent hand and foot holds that make it great for climbing. I believe
these two birches have some of the largest diameters of any reported by
ENTS. Finding them reminds me that the worlds largest yellow birch may be in
the Southern Apps.

Josh

== 2 of 2 ==
Date: Fri, Aug 8 2008 6:05 pm
From: "Jess Riddle"

Josh,

Sounds like a great site. Those yellow birch are very impressive.

Jess