Wash Morgan Hollow, TN    Jess Riddle    Nov 21, 2005 07:21 PST  Ents, Wash Morgan Hollow drains into the Roaring River in north-central Tennessee. The 73 acre Nature Conservancy property lies along a narrow, straight, north facing cleft within a large limestone ridge. The small stream flowing down the ravine, which enters the area over a waterfall, has dissolved the adjacent limestone so that a series of small, overhanging rock shelves line the stream. Waterleaf grows on the slopes above the shelves, and allegheny spurge (Pachysandra procumbens) also remained in the late fall herbaceous layer. The shrub layer is patchier with spicebush, bladdernut (Staphylea trifolia), river cane, and paw paw occurring in clumps on the lower slopes. The overstory is more mixed, and shows greater differences between the east and west-facing slopes, the east-facing appearing moister. Tuliptree, white basswood, green ash, slippery elm, shagbark hickory, sugar maple, and beech were the most common canopy species. Sycamore, honey locust, eastern red cedar, and boxelder grow at the downstream end of the site; boxelder forms nearly pure stands along adjacent sections of the Roaring River and frequently reaches six to seven feet cbh. Dogwood grows frequently on the east side, and umbrella magnolia grows scattered on the west side. http://www.state.tn.us/environment/nh/natareas/washmorg/ provides more information on the site; however, note that the sycamores are not large, the dominant ash are green rather than white, red maple does not occur on the lower slopes, and a few butternuts (white walnut) endure along the stream. Species Cbh Height Ash, Blue 4'5" 95.7' Ash, Blue 5'9" ~101' Ash, Blue 3'10" 102.6' Ash, Blue 3'4" 111.2' Boxelder 4'5" 71.2' Eastern Redcedar 4'0" 88.3' Eastern Redcedar 5'8" 89.8' Honeylocust NA 88.1' Honeylocust NA 98.8' Magnolia, Umbrella 2'10" 66.5' Oak, Chinquapin 4'7" 102.2' Oak, Chinquapin 6'10" 108.9' (113?) Oak, Shumard 9'10.5"          ~116' Tuliptree NA 128.8' Walnut, White 5'0.5" 87.3' The blue ashes are new ENTS height records although ENTS has measured the species at only one other site. The boxelder grows along the roaring river, and several slightly taller individuals also grow in the area. The cedars are also new height records, and one other individual at the site exceeds 80'. The thinner cedar grows on the east-facing slope, and competition with sugar maples has forced the tree to grow tall. All other cedars on that moist slope have died, many recently. Several cedars remain in the shorter canopy on the drier west-facing slope. The larger cedar grows at the foot of the west-facing slope, so it can effectively compete with the shorter trees upslope. The honeylocust is a new state height record. The umbrella magnolia edges out a tree on the Biltmore Estate in Asheville for the title of tallest measured by ENTS. Shooting vertically on the chinquapin oak gave approximately 113', so the highest twig was likely missed on the other measurements. The shumard oak was the largest tree seen in the area, and grows well up the east-facing slope. The approximately 75-year-old tuliptrees still have potential for considerable height gain, but have not matched the performance of the species at many other sites. Jess Riddle   Home