Otter Creek   Jess   Nov 06, 2002 07:28 PST  Otter Creek drains the area adjacent to Poor Mountain Creek in the low mountains in the northwestern corner of South Carolina. Oaks dominate the watershed except for one cove and a recovering clear-cut where tuliptree is more abundant. The understory in the oak forests is generally open, but Rhododendron maximum grows along the stream and R. minor grows on some of the upper slopes. Species cbh height topo position Ash, White 6'2" ~113' slope Ash, White 6'10" 122.6' drainage Basswood, White 5'11.5" 125.3' drainage Dogwood, Alternate-leaf 11.5" slope Hickory, Pignut NA 126.7' drainage Hickory, Pignut 8'11.5" ~127' slope Oak, Black NA ~117' bench Oak, Black NA 118.9' bench Oak, Black 6'0.5" ~120' cove Oak, Black 6'9" ~122' bench Oak, Black 8'6" ~122' bench Oak, Chestnut NA ~118' slope Oak, Chestnut 6'11" 122.9' bench Oak, Chestnut 5'9.5" 133.2' bench Oak, Northern Red NA 115.6' slope Oak, Northern Red NA ~125' bench Oak, Northern Red NA ~127' drainage Oak, Northern Red 8'4" 136.5' bench Oak, Scarlet 8'2.5" ~110' slope Oak, White 9'7.5" ~113' slope Oak, White NA 120.7' drainage Tuliptree NA 138.0' cove Tuliptree NA 144.0' cove The tallest chestnut oak and northern red oak grow side-by-side at the uphill edge of a small flat well above the stream. The creek is slightly over a mile long, so the entire watershed is probably less than 300. Assuming the black locust I saw on the way out, or one of the beech or mockernut hickories, reach 110', the Rucker Index for the site will be 125.1. I only had about three hours in the area last Wednesday, so the may be more towering trees left to be found. This site is another example of a tall tree area that has gone unnoticed. Jess Riddle   Home