Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

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Report of the Secretary of Agriculture in relation to the forests, rivers, and mountains of the southern Appalachian region

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  • 94 SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN REGION. Table-Mountain Pine {Pinuspungens) is a medium-sized tree, whie\ reaches a height of 70 feet and a diameter of 24 inches. It occurs on dry, rocky ridges between 1,500 and 3,000 feet elevation, and is most common along the Blue Ridge and on the Chilhowee and Holston mountains. It reaches its greatest size in the mountains of western North Carolina. It is not so large nor so valuable a tree as the short- leaf and black pines. Its wood is coarse and sappy. It will grow, however, on dry, rocky soil where the black pine does not. It seeds freely and makes rapid growtn, at least when young. Scrub Pine {Pinus virginiana) is a slender tree, seldom more than 80 feet in height and 18 inches in diameter, which is common on dry, sandy, or gravelly land below 2,000 feet elevation. It propagates freely and makes rapid growth. It is not large enough to be of importance as a timber tree, though it is occasionally sawn. Black Spruce {Picea mariana) is a slender tree reaching a height of 150 feet and a diameter of 30 inches. It is seldom found below 4,000 feet elevation, and only around a few of the highest mountains, where it forms dense forests of pure growth, or is associated with hemlock on cold northern slopes or along cold streams. It seeds at intervals of several years and reproduces freely if afforded the proper light and soil conditions, which are generally not produced in lumbering. The wood is light, but strong, and is largely used for lumber. It is the chief source of wood pulp for paper. It is one of the most valuable trees, and reaches its greatest individual development on the slopes of the Smoky Mountains. Red Spruce {Picea rubra) is here a small tree, seldom 30 feet in height, and unimportant. It occurs only in a few mountain swamps. Hemlock {Tsuga canadensis) is one of the largest of east American trees, attaining a height of more than 140 feet and a diameter of 5 feet, which is reached in the Southern Appalachians. It is common along streams and on cold, wet northern slopes above 1,500 feet elevation. The bark is extensively used in tanning, and the trunk supplies much rough lumber. Seeds are borne frequently, but reproduction is poor, as good reproduction requires a delicate adjustment of light and moisture conditions, which are seldom furnished in lumbering. • Carolina Hemlock {Tsuga caroliniana) is a smaller tree than the preceding, and its distribution is limited to a few localities in the Southern Appalachians. The greatest size is attained in the mountains of North Carolina. It is one of the most stately of American conifers. Balsam {Abies fraseri) attains a height of 60 feet and a diameter of 2 feet. It is exclusively a Southern Appalachian tree, being confined to the summits of the highest mountains from Clingmans Dome north eastward. The maximum development is attained on the high peaks of the Black Mountains. The wood is soft and brittle and of little value. A medicinal resin balsam is obtained from its bark.
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Object’s are ‘parent’ level descriptions to ‘children’ items, (e.g. a book with pages).