| Brasstown
Bald |
Jess
Riddle |
| Nov
29, 2004 20:35 PST |
Last week, my dad and I hiked along two sheltered Creeks on the
east side
of Brasstown Bald, the tallest mountain in Georgia at 4784' and
home to
several state champion trees. For most of the length of the
streams
rosebay rhododendron lined the streams and grew beneath a canopy
of second
growth hardwoods. White oak was the most common hardwood at
lower
elevations while northern red oak dominated the upper slopes and
hemlock
grew scattered throughout. The top of one the two streams was
never
cleared, and continues to support one of the finest yellow birch
forest
and boulderfield in north Georgia where the species is scarce.
Cbh Height Species
6'0"
85.7' Birch, Yellow
9'10" 85.9'
Birch, Yellow Potential state co-champion
11'9" ~89.7' Birch,
Yellow Swollen base
9'5" 133.3'
Hickory, Pignut
7'6" 125.8' Oak,
Black Tallest known in state
11'3" ~134' Oak, N.
Red Tallest known in state
3'10" 86.7'
Sourwood
The current state champion yellow birch grows in the same cove,
and has
large stilt roots enlarging the circumference. Another potential
co-champion grows elsewhere on the mountain. The black oak grows
with a
cluster on well formed northern red oaks having similar
dimensions on the
edge of the only clearcut conducted in the area in the last 30
years. The
northern red oak is a gorgeous remnant with a straight, columnar
trunk and
intact crown.
Jess Riddle
Rucker 5 Index = 113.9
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