A Natural History of the Central Appalachians

Preface

THIS BOOK WAS WRITTEN to provide a fairly comprehensive yet relatively non-technical overview of the Central Appalachians, with primary emphasis on the forests of the region. The target audience includes students, teachers, and interested laypersons. The initial idea of doing such a book first came about during a discussion with Dr. Earl L. Core very early in my career. I expressed an interest in rewriting and expanding his book Vegetation of West Virginia at some point, and he gave me permission to do so. The project remained dormant for a very long time but resurfaced in the spring of 2010 when I discussed writing a book with West Virginia University Press. The final product, which is not limited to West Virginia and considers many more aspects than vegetation, represents a considerably extended version of Core’s book. The Blue Ridge Mountains formed the western horizon of the place where I grew up (Bedford County in south central Virginia). When I went to graduate school at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the fall of 1968, I began studying the forests of the Ridge and Valley Province. Research carried out in this portion of the Central Appalachians formed the basis of my M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. After completing my Ph.D., I accepted a position at Fairmont State College (now University) in northern West Virginia. During the twenty-seven years I spent at Fairmont State, I carried out numerous research projects in the forests of the Appalachian Plateau. Although I moved to the University of Arkansas in the fall of 2003, I continued doing some field work in West Virginia. I have been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to conduct field work on all seven continents and in every major type of terrestrial ecosystem, but the Central Appalachians remain one of my favorite places in the entire world. The countless hours I have spent in the field throughout various portions of the Central Appalachians provided the observations and information used to write this book. I gratefully acknowledge the suggestions provided by a number of colleagues who reviewed chapters or portions of chapters. These include Steve Adams, James Anderson, Mike Anslinger, Denise Binion, Paul Davison, Ray Fisher, William Gillespie, Hugh Mills, Kenneth Noe, Doug Ogle, Jim Parker, John Plischke, Jim Rentch, Adam Rollins, Walter Sturgeon, and Rich Turcotte. In addition, Hassan Amjad, Mike Anslinger, Jason Cross, Randy Darrah, Kim Fleming, Charles Garratt, Ray Garton, Jason Hollinger, Emily Johnson, Jess Jones, Ralf Meisterfeld, Hugh Mills, James Mitchell, Chuck Narad, Desirae Nelson, Doug Ogle, Matt Orsie, Eva Paulhus, John Pickering, Paul Sattler, Lynette Schimming, Jeff Skousen, Craig Stihler, Vivian Stockman, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, the American Fisheries Society, the Wildlife Resources Section of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, and the West Virginia Surface Owners’ Rights Organization are gratefully acknowledged for supplying some of the images used in the book. PREFACE xi ...