ENTS- Here are some notes on a really fine, extensive stand of second-growth tuliptree forest in the Smokies. It's probably the most inspiring second-growth forest that I've ever seen, with many trees 8'cbh in splendid groupings, and some as large as 12'cbh. I've been exploring the Smokies for over 30 years now. What a wonderful thing it is to go back to these recovering stands and see how much bigger the trees are now than they were when I first saw them.
If you take the Gabes Mountain Trail from Elkmont, you'll pass through about 7 miles of nearly-unbroken cathedral tuliptree forest on an easy trail that traverses gentle slopes and little coves (that's the Southern Appalachian term for a small valley). This is a band of fertile, circumneutral soil in an area dominated by more acidic conditions. Here there is almost no understory to obstruct long views through the open stands of bright trunks stretching up unbranched to high crowns. Other stands of second-growth tuliptrees have more divided and crooked trunks. This one is exceptional. The grand finale of the forest is an ancient remnant tree above the trail, a giant about 5'dbh. The Park's old growth map is shaded on the mountainside above. Can't wait to return to explore it. Beyond this (past 2 trail junctions) is a stand of virgin forest with many more ancient trees...but go too far and you'll enter a long stretch of very depressing dead, ancient hemlock forest, a nearly pure stand with a scattering of other trees. There are two exceptional beech trees, though. The larger I measured at 13'3"cbh. Soon this will be a wreckage of fallen trunks mostly 2-3 ft thick, a few around 4 ft. The Park Service will be hard-pressed to clear the many miles of disaster-stricken trail. I expect that some like this, being lightly used, may even be permanently closed. For now, the hemlocks still stand, their limbs starting to fall. (Be warned...from here to the trailhead at The Sinks there are 13 difficult stream fords!) Go now if you want to see the hemlocks still standing. Dan Miles
