| Bluff
Mountain Nature Preserve, NC |
James
Smith |
| Mar
11, 2007 00:42 PST |
I had occasion today to take a hike into the Bluff Mountain
Preserve in
Ashe County. This is a Nature Conservancy site and you have to
go
through them to hike there and also hire a NC guide. We met up
with our
guide, an arborist, and he took us to the mountain on a very
enjoyable
and educational hike.
We passed through several rare plant communities, including a
mesic
glen, an old-growth hardwood grove, an old-growth hemlock grove
(all
Carolina hemlocks), and one of only two fens in the Southern
Appalachian
highlands.
Apparently, the Nature Conservancy's tack on hwa is to "let
nature take
its course". They're not going to do anything to combat hwa
beyond
monitoring the deterioration of the groves in their care.
Hemlock wooly
adelgid was recorded on Bluff Mountain for the first time in
2006, but
it has yet to reach the stands of Carolina hemlocks on the
ridgelines. I
found the hemlocks there to be free of the bugs.
The old growth groves on Bluff Mountain are not of champion
caliber size
due to the extremes in weather there. But the hardwoods have
been cored
and many are in the 150-200 year-old range. The oldest hemlocks
cored
are 300+ years-old.
We had a great time on this hike, and I recommend it to anyone
interested in these forest types. Of course the hikes are
tightly
regulated by the Nature Conservancy and no bushwhacking beyond
the
narrow trail corridors is allowed.
I posted a few photos of the glen, the fen, and the old hemlock
groves
(mainly along a tremendous escarpment) at Webshots. You can see
it here:
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/558112829AcGYWv |
| Bluff
Mountain Nature Preserve, NC UGHHHHH |
Will
Blozan |
| Mar
11, 2007 15:01 PST |
James,
Great shots! What a serious BUMMER on the TNC's response to HWA.
Exactly
what does "nature conservancy" mean? Surely they would
realize or recognize
that management of these sites is not limited to pulling weeds.
Sounds like the exquisite Carolina hemlock in the wild will be
virtually
extinct as an ecosystem. Carolina hemlock bluff forests are
truly unique and
endemic ecosystems that will not be replaced by similar species.
Because of
the southern locations of the groves HWA will completely
eliminate them.
With such a catastrophic prognosis I am appalled that the
managers of these
"preserved" forests can ethically sit back and monitor
the elimination of
the species from the southern Appalachians.
Next week I will looking at the southern-most known grove of
Carolina
hemlock bluff forest on earth. The state of South Carolina is
going to treat
it in its entirety. This means rappelling down the cliffs to
save the trees
and hiking (with gallons of water) to these remote areas. It is
an epic
effort but one that I believe is well worth the effort.
Obviously, SC
believes it is worth the expense to save this last vestige of a
forest type.
The site is also known for the petroglyphs and natural rock
shelters used by
Native Americans. I can only assume that this site was important
to the
native peoples even though devoid of water and dangerous to
access.
Will
|
| RE:
Bluff Mountain Nature Preserve, NC |
Joshua
Kelly |
| Mar
11, 2007 15:52 PST |
James,
I've heard Bluff Mountain touted as "the most biodiverse
mountain in the
Appalachians". Over 700 species of vascular plants have
been recorded there.
I think that the amphibolite mountains and other areas with
unusually rich
bedrock would be great study sites for ENTS.
I wasn't aware that another "Southern Appalachian Fen"
had been located.
Any indication about where it is? I've heard that some of the
bogs at
nearby Long Hope Creek are fen like, but hadn't heard they had
been
classified as such. I had heard that a second "High
Elevation Mafic Glade"
had been located on Phoenix Mountain - those are still some
ridiculously
rare and localized natural communities. I'd like to hear more
about the
northern hardwoods forest from Bluff - did you take any notes on
species
composition or tree diameters? Thanks for the report.
Josh
|
| RE:
Bluff Mountain Nature Preserve, NC UGHHHHH |
James
Smith |
| Mar
11, 2007 17:53 PST |
That's good to hear that SC is taking an aggressive attitude
toward
treating these rare groves. I don't understand how the Nature
Conservancy can consider an alien introduced past as
"nature taking its
course". It's insane. I don't think it would take that much
in funds to
treat those groves along the 300-foot escarpment. They are 100%
Carolina
hemlock. No canadensis in there at all. You would need some folk
adept
at rappelling and rock climbing, but it could be done. In
addition,
there is a hefty amount of water available in the stream that
tumbles
down the escarpment, so lugging lots of water in wouldn't be an
issue. |
| RE:
Bluff Mountain Nature Preserve, NC |
James
Smith |
| Mar
11, 2007 18:07 PST |
The other fen is also owned by the Nature Conservancy and is
located at
Celo, below Celo Knob in the Black Mountains. It's not as high
as the
one on Bluff Mountain. One amazing thing about the fen that I
noticed
was that it was unbelievably quiet there. Easily the quietest
place I
have ever been. I let the rest of the group push on and got
permission
to hang back to enjoy the silence alone. It was astounding.
You'd have
to go there to hear what I mean.
I am woefully ignorant when it comes to identifying tree
species. I
missed my chance to learn them at the side of my dad, who knew
every
Southern tree by sight (leaf, bark, nut or seed). He tried to
teach me
when I was a kid, but it went in one ear and out the other. I
was too
busy seeing the forest instead of the trees. Alas.
However, the oldest trees apparently are Red oaks, white oaks,
and
locust (I think that's what Munroe said). Lower on the mountain,
the
forest is dominated by sugar maple (not old growth, but
recovering
forest about 90-100 years old). The forest below 4200 feet is
over 50%
sugar maple. Saw lots of hornbeam and yellow birch, also along
the
ridgelines.
The old growth trees are not of impressive girth. They're
twisted old
trees, gnarled by cold and lots of ice apparently. Our guide
took us
through a grove that had trees cored to be over 300 years old
(the
Carolina hemlocks) and 150-200 years old (hardwoods).
Acid rain is beginning to be a major problem there, with even
the heath
plants showing stress from it.
Apparently the Nature Conservancy and the State of North
Carolina just
closed a deal to protect Phoenix Mountain.
I didn't take any measurements of any trees. You have to stay
with the
group at pretty much all times and any detouring off the largely
single-file trail is discouraged. (They even have an outhouse at
the
trailhead to keep folk from crapping on the ridge.)
The resident steward of the peak is an arborist (Doug Munroe),
so he may
be open to some of you professional ENTS folk attending a hike
with an
eye toward taking some measurements. Just don't mention that you
want to
treat the hemlocks for hwa. I did argue with him briefly about
this, but
as he was a nice guy and leading the hike, I didn't push it.
|
| RE:
Bluff Mountain Nature Preserve, NC UGHHHHH |
Will
Blozan |
| Mar
11, 2007 19:25 PST |
James,
I would do it in a heartbeat if given the chance. The last job I
did in SC
that involved rappelling was the highlight of my career. I have
not yet
found a forest finer than that of a Carolina hemlock bluff- with
ravens
squawking, the wind whistling and tweaking the twigs into
gnarled
masterpieces, and the views over the landscape. I have recently
determined
that when my time comes I want my ashes to be spread in the
shade of a
Carolina hemlock perched on a precipice with a good view and a
raven as
caretaker. This is likely just a dream since they will be long
gone before
that time comes.
Will
|
|
Bluff Mountain Nature Preserve, NC |
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| |
| Nature
Conservancy reply |
James
Smith |
| Mar
14, 2007 15:24 PST |
I wrote a letter to the Nature Conservancy about the Carolina
hemlock
grove on Bluff Mountain and suggesting that they do something to
save
it. I received a brief reply from their main office (VA)
informing me
that they are going to battle hwa. I was given another contact
to get in
touch with a field agent to speak to about specific actions they
are
going to take. I'll let you know what I learn.
For what it's worth, here's the letter I wrote to them:
Recently, I had occasion to hike with a guide at a Nature
Conservancy
site. I noticed the virgin groves of Carolina hemlock growing on
a rocky
bluff and asked the Conservancy guide about plans to protect
these trees
from the threat of Hemlock wooly adelgid. He informed me that
the Nature
Conservancy policy was to "let nature take its course"
and just allow
the trees to succumb.
Considering that hwa is an introduced pest and is hardly a part
of the
natural orders of things in eastern North America, I don't think
it's
fair to refer to the threat as nature taking it's course.
Does the Nature Conservancy have any plans to treat any of the
groves of
Eastern and Carolina hemlocks on its properties with the
injected form
of adelgicides. It seems bordering on criminal to allow these
groves to
die off, perhaps become extinct, when they can be saved as
botanists and
bilogists work to come up with a way to control the adelgid.
I would be willing to donate time and effort to help treat
Conservancy
groves with the adelgicides necessary to save them from hwa. Do
you have
any plans to do so, or was the guide correct in telling me that
the
Conservancy is going to stand by and allow the groves under its
care to
die off?
Thanks for your time. Sincerely,
James R. Smith
Matthews, NC. |
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