Steve, I would like to walk the floor of Stebbin's Gulch also. One thing I am curious about is the nature of the edge of the southern rim of the gulch. There have been reports about the different microclimate found in the bottoms of deep narrow canyons like Stebbin's Gulch. The bottoms are cooler, and wetter than the surrounding uplands. The wind effects along the rim is obvious. What I am wondering is how far up the canyon wall, or back from the canyon edge does the presence of the canyon itself have an effect on the vegetation? If you look at the north rim the area right by the edge is an abundance of hemlocks and that is also where the ancient chestnut oaks are located. Beyond this narrow band the hemlocks and chestnut oaks were absent or present in more greatly reduced numbers. Other species like beech and maple became dominant beyond this narrow band along the rim. I am wondering if this is because of an edge effect around the rim of the canyon or from some other cause? Is it present on the far side of the canyon we did not visit? Can the same thing be seen around other canyons in the edge of the plateau in this region?
Ed --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Eastern Native Tree Society http://www.nativetreesociety.org Send email to [email protected] Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees?hl=en To unsubscribe send email to [email protected] -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
