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Blue Ridge Escarpment Conservation Area |
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Piney Knob Fork
Approximate size: 974 acres
Old Grown Acreage: 125
Piney Knob Fork contains a Large Old Growth Patch, one candidate old growth site, and 125 acres of old growth. Hemlock Forest is the dominant community for the area. Eastern hemlock and white pine trees reach nearly 3 feet in diameter in the steep upland section of Piney Knob Fork. In the mid-to-low section of the watershed, some eastern hemlock trees reach 4 feet in diameter and over 100 feet in height. The latter hemlocks are reported to be located east of patches of younger forest in low elevation sections of Piney Knob Fork. Catawba rhododendron is present in the understory of Hemlock Forest in this area. Some individual rhododendrons of this species are 25 feet tall. |
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Whiteside Mountain
Approximate size: 3,363 acres
Old growth acreage: 45 acres
Whiteside Mountain contains a FS Large Old Growth Patch, a NC Natural Heritage Listing, three candidate old growth sites, and 45 acres of old growth. Forest communities include: Hemlock Forest, Carolina Hemlock Forest, and Subxeric Pine. Talus slopes and boulder field conditions are present in Whiteside Cove. Boulder fields are present in Whiteside Cove. Large old trees are reported to exist among boulders in this area. Rare herb, shrub, or grass species may be associated with these boulder fields as well.
Some stunted pitch pine trees on Blackrock Mountain are only 6 inches in diameter, yet cores samples estimate their age at from 300 to 400 years old. (source: Bob Zahner). |
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Sassafras Mountain
Approximate size: 4,245 acres
Sassafras Mountain contains a FS Large Old Growth Patch, three candidate old growth sites, and a NC Natural Heritage Listing. Whitewater River Gorge forest communities include: Acidic Cove (with eastern hemlock and Carolina hemlock growing next to each other). Eastern hemlock and Carolina hemlock exist side by side in the Whitewater River Gorge. This situation could be due to bouldery conditions and the presence of acidic soils. Similar circumstances have been found on the east fork of the Tuckasegee River, and in the Dobson Knob roadless area near Linville Gorge. Small granite domes may be present in this area.
Than Axtell commonly spotted black bear sign in this area. Brown trout are abundant in its streams. Ocone bells are found in the northern part of their range near the Whitewater River. This occurrence is outside the Sassafras Mountain area, and near the state line in South Carolina. Species usually found in Florida may be present in some parts of Whitewater River Gorge. Gaddy lists some of these disjunct species and their locations. (source: Mary Byrd Davis [Old Growth in the East-1993])
Parts of Silver Run Creek may have beaver meadows, bogs, and mixed-age forests. A special waterfall with mist habitats may exist in the Sassafras Mountain area. Rare species may be associated with it (source: TWS meeting 12/15/00). A few areas near Sassafras Mountain are reported to have very high herb diversity. The exact location of these occurrences was not recorded. The occurrences may be associated with lower elevation beaver habitats in the Silver Run Creek watershed. Note: Beaver habitat and bogs have been found north of this area on the privately owned Clarke Tract. The Clarke Tract has been placed in a conservation easement, and is contiguous to the Panthertown Valley area. |
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Yellow Mountain
Approximate size: 2,657 acres
Old growth acreage: 502 acres
This area does not include a FS Large Old Growth Patch, but has one candidate old growth site and 502 acres of old growth. At least 100 acres of Subxeric Oak forest, with old stunted white oaks, have been identified on Yellow Mountain. The forest communities include: Northern Hardwood, High Elevation Northern Red Oak, Dry Oak, and Subxeric Oak. The Cole Mountain old growth site has one of the few occurrences of Northern Hardwood forest in the Highlands area (source: Bob Zahner). Bob Zahner knows about numerous rare and endemic herb species in the High Elevation Northern Red Oak community on Cole Mountain. It is possible some rare herbs or shrubs have adapted to dry and rocky conditions in the Yellow Mountain area. Boulder fields may be present. |
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Brushy Fork Mountain
Approximate size: 2,682 acres
Old growth acreage: 0
There are no FS Large Old Growth Patches in this area, but it includes five candidate old growth sites. Forest communities include: Submesic Oak and Dry Oak were found in the Greens Creek watershed to the north in August 1997. Some north-facing slopes of Brushy Fork Mountain may support Rich Cove forests. The north fork of Betty Branch may support numerous forest communities. Cliff and rock outcrop environments are likely on Panther Knob and Cope Knob. |
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