Bald Top Ridge, GRSMNP, TN   Jess Riddle   Nov 05, 2005 13:20 PST  A couple of weeks ago I had an afternoon free to explore in the Greenbrier section of the Smokies, and chose to explore an unnamed cove that drains part of Bald Top Ridge's north side. At around 2100' elevation, the cove empties into the broad flats along the Middle Prong Little Pigeon River, which are occupied by rich second growth hardwood stands. The cove's aspect, elevation, and proximity to rich forests suggested potential for tall second-growth hardwoods. A vigorous, second-growth, hardwood forest occupies the narrow lower section of the cove. The narrowness of the cove, lack of rock piles, absence of black locust, size of trees, and level of diversity indicated settlers had cleared but not farmed the cove. As typical of such sites, tuliptree dominate the canopy with scattered yellow buckeye, basswood, bitternut hickory, green ash, and sycamore. Similarly, acute leaved hepatica, wild ginger and other species flourish in the herb layer, and the understory is largely open. Above that section, the cove briefly levels and broadens before forking. An uncut stand of hemlock, chestnut oak, and formerly American chestnut extends down the cove to that level. Along both forks of the cove, the forest gradual transitions from second-growth to unlogged. The older sections of forest generally resemble the cut over stands below them, but they feature less tuliptree, no sycamore or green ash, and support yellowwood, sugar maple, and white ash. To make a loop out of the hike, I traversed the crest of Bald Top Ridge, and descend back to the Ramsey Cascades Trail parking area by way of Little Laurel Branch. A stunted forest of black gum, chestnut oak, and table mountain pine grows on the ridge over a dense tangle of rosebay rhododendron and mountain laurel with a wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) herb layer. A cascade on the lower part of Little Laurel Branch blocked timbering operations in the area, so much of the watershed remains old-growth. A hemlock forest with scattered fraser magnolia, tuliptrees, red maple, and a rhododendron understory occupies the fork I descended. Shortly below the cascade, a dense stand of young, rapidly growing tuliptrees flanks the stream, and hardwood stands following farming occupy the bottom of the watershed. Species Cbh Height Location Ash, Green NA 112.5'+ Flats Ash, Green 6'8" 128.1' Cove Ash, Green NA 131.0' Cove Ash, White 11'6" 133.3' Cove Basswood, White 9'10" 133.3' Cove Beech 12'8" 126.6' Little Laurel Br. Hemlock, Eastern 14'2.5 136.7' Little Laurel Br. Hemlock, Eastern 14'0" 146.7' Cove Oak, Chestnut 14'10" 99.5' Cove Sycamore NA 127.3' Flats Sycamore 5'2" 135.5' Cove Sycamore 8'3" 141.7' Cove Tuliptree NA 136.4' Little Laurel Br. Tuliptree NA 151.9' Cove Tuliptree 14'+ 152.7' Little Laurel Br. Tuliptree NA 159.5' Little Laurel Br. Jess Riddle     Home