Sugar Cove & Cohutta RI   Jess Riddle   Aug 29, 2004 18:08 PDT  Sugar cove lies in the middle of the largest road less area in the Georgia mountains, the 35,268 acre Cohutta Wilderness area. Between 2600’ and 3600’ the forest in the middle of the northeast facing cove varies between nearly pure tuliptree to a well-developed mixed mesophytic community dominated by tuliptree, white basswood, and sugar maple, hence the name. The understory is generally open, but a thicket of young maples is growing up in one area and spicebush grow scattered in other sections. The herbaceous layer displays considerable variety with lady fern and foamflower being the most abundant, but some sun-loving species like pokeweed also thrive in the cove thanks to a series of large canopy gaps. The hiking guide for the area attributes the gaps to a tornado striking the area in 1998. The gaps contrast with the density of the adjacent tuliptree boles that have grown up in the past 70 or 80 years. The middle section of the cove where most of the sugar maples grow also has a few remnant trees, including a current state champion 10’9” x 105’+ sugar maple. Species Cbh Height Ash, White 8’9” ~130’ Basswood 7’6” 112.7’+ Basswood 7’1” 113.2’ Basswood 6’6” 116.3’ In side cove Birch, Black 4’3” 93.0’ Buckeye 7’6” 120.8’ Cherry, Black 3’8” ~119’ 102:1 H:D Cherry, Black 5’3” ~122’ Cucumbertree 7’1.5” 112.3’ Cucumbertree 5’7” 112.7’ Hickory, Pignut 7’3” 126.9’ In side cove Maple, Sugar 9’5” 108.3’+ remnant Maple, Sugar 6’8” 108.7’ Maple, Sugar 8’9” 119.3’ Remnant Oak, N Red 6’6” 115.2’+ Tuliptree 7’3.5” 130.1’ Typical Tuliptree 9’11” 138.1’ Remnant Tuliptree 10’8” 140.7’ Remnant Witch hazel 1’4” 41.0’ Not in sugar cove Witch hazel 1’10” 44.4’ Not in sugar cove The sugar maple sets a new height record for the state. The tallest of the second growth tuliptrees in the cove are likely in the low 140’s. The witch hazel is the current state champion, and former height record holder. I have been suspicious of the former 48.5' measurement for a while now, a tape-drag measurement that was not cross triangulated. Rucker Index 130.02’ Tuliptree 146.4’ Hemlock 145.5’ Pignut hickory 140.3’ White pine 140.0’ White ash 130’ Black cherry 126.4’ Yellow buckeye 120.8’ Sugar maple 119.3’ White Basswood 116.3’ Northern red oak 115.2’ This Rucker Index for the wilderness area is substantial higher than the previous one, but likely still well below what actually grows in the area. The listed sugar maple and pignut hickory are likely good approximations of areas growth potential. Continued searching may reveal five feet taller individuals for most of the other species; northern red oak and white pine may show substantially greater gains. Jess Riddle Re: Sugar Cove & Cohutta RI   Jess Riddle   Aug 31, 2004 05:35 PDT  ... One more detail turned up regarding sugar cove when I spoke with a gentleman who is very knowledgable about the Cohuttas. He informed me that Sugar Cove was the last area cut by the Conasauga Lumber company, the main timber operation in the area, before the ended operations in 1936. Jess Riddle RE: Sugar Cove & Cohutta RI   Robert Leverett   Aug 31, 2004 06:00 PDT  Jess: For a period of time, my dad worked for the Conasauga Lumber company. He told me that there were significant sections of the Cohuttas that hadn't been cut. He didn't think in terms of old growth or virgin timber, just whether an area had been previously logged or not. He was keenly observant and new his trees. Bob   Home