A Natural History of the Central Appalachians

Chapter 05: Non-Forested Areas of the Central Appalachians

CHAPTER 05 NON-FORESTED AREAS OF THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS ALTHOUGH FORESTS ONCE EXTENDED over most of the Central Appalachians, there have always been some non-forested areas. Some of these are of particular interest because of the unique geological, topographic, climatic, or anthropogenic factors ultimately responsible for their existence or their ability to support unusual assemblages of plants (and animals). The primary types of non-forested areas that can be recognized are bogs, wetland shrub communities, shale barrens, cedar glades, rock face and rock outcrop communities, grass balds, shrub balds, old fields, and roadside communities. All of these have limited distribution, but old fields and roadside communities are much more common today than when the first Europeans arrived in the region. BOGS Some of the most widespread of the naturally occurring non-forested areas in the Central Appalachians are bogs (or “glades,” as some of the larger examples are known) at higher elevations on the Appalachian Plateau, and to a much lesser extent at a few places in the Ridge and Valley and the Blue Ridge. These bogs result from the presence of a layer of bedrock near the surface in a high-elevation valley or flat-topped ridge. The bedrock impedes drainage and allows water to accumulate, a prerequisite for the presence of peat mosses. A well-developed bog is characterized by a nearly continuous carpet of peat mosses over a layer of dead, loosely compacted peat. As mentioned earlier in this book, the largest and best-known example of a bog in the Central Appalachians is Cranberry Glades (elevation 3,400 feet), near the headwaters of the Cranberry River in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. Cranberry Glades, which covers approximately 750 acres, is not entirely a bog; there are four well-defined bogs separated from one another by winding and sluggish streams bordered by thickets of wetland shrubs and other types of vegetation. The carpet of peat mosses in the bogs is interrupted in places by slightly elevated mounds (hummocks) dominated by hair-cap mosses. The dead plant material that FIGURE 34 Pitcher plants at Cranberry Glades in West Virginia makes up the peat in a bog is very acidic, often with a pH as low as 3.5. Few plants can survive under such acidic conditions, and many of the species found in bogs are found nowhere else in the Central Appalachians. Among these are a number of insectivorous plants, including sundew, bladderwort, and pitcher plant, which is not indigenous to the Central Appalachians but was introduced by man in several places and has now become thoroughly established (fig. 34). Open areas of Cranberry Glades support a diverse assemblage of other plants, including cottongrass, beak rush, various other sedges, and northern bog goldenrod. Cottongrass, named for the cottony tufts produced when the seeds are mature, provides an especially attractive late summer display throughout areas of the bog where it grows (fig. 35). The transition zone between bog areas dominated by peat moss and the surrounding forest is extensive at Cranberry Glades, and the zone provides the habitat for a number of rare and distinctive plants. Among these are the shrubby conifer American yew, rose pogonia orchid, marsh marigold, and skunk cabbage. Eastern hemlock, red spruce, yellow birch, red maple, and black ash make up the forest surrounding the bog, with great laurel abundant in the understory. Because the trees present in some portions of this forest literally grow “with their feet in the water,” the general aspect is that of a swamp. Other, smaller bogs on the Appalachian Plateau include Markleysburg Bog in Fayette County, Pennsylvania; Laurel Run Bog in Grant County, West Virginia; Cupp Run Bog in Preston County, West Virginia; and Big Run Bog, Tub Run Bog, and Alder Run Bog, all in Tucker County, West Virginia. These bogs range in size from less than 10 to more than 150 acres and occur at elevations ranging from 2,375 to 3,820 feet. Big Run Bog, with a total area of about 44 acres, is a typical example. Unlike the much larger Cranberry Glades this bog occupies only a single area, but it has a similar mosaic of vegetation types, with many of the same species present. Big Run Bog has been extensively 83 05 NON-FORESTED AREAS OF THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS and the ecology of the valley was drastically altered. Today...