Dan Williams, forest resources manager in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, has written a new book, The Forests of Southern Appalachia: In The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It explains how to identify and understand the park’s forests based on elevation, landform, forest succession and exotic tree pests.
Elevation and landform are defined and summarized in the Forest Finder, a graphical representation of the 15 major southern Appalachian forest types found in the park. Each forest type is described in detail, as are most of the major trees of the southern Appalachians.
Southern Appalachian forest succession is clearly explained, and the reader is shown how to interpret changes in forest succession brought about by land clearing and logging operations in the park. The associated tree table shows shade tolerance ratings, canopy position and moisture preference for major southern Appalachian trees and shrubs.
Williams has spent 26 years interpreting forest research for non-scientists interested in learning more about the forests of the southeastern U.S. He spent many hours in National Park collecting information from 100 non-invasive tree study plots as part of the research for this book.