JOURNAL 



OF THE 



Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society, 



NOTES ON THE FOREST RESOURCES OF 

 NORTH CAROLINA. 



BY W. \V. ASHE. 



BOTANIC DIVISIONS. 



North Carolina can be divided topographically into three 

 fairl}- well-marked divisions: 



T. An eastern or coastal plain region, extending inland 

 from the coast a distance of one hundred to one hundred 

 and fifty miles and having an aggregate area approximat- 

 ing 24,000 square miles. Its surface is that of a gently 

 undulating plain of less elevation (ten to twenty feet above 

 sea-level) and a more nearly level surface eastward, and 

 becoming more elevated (three hundred to five hundred 

 feet) and rolling along its western border. Its soil is gen- 

 erally a sandy loam or sand, though in limited areas clav 

 predominates. In the more eastern portion of this region 

 are numerous extensive swamps or marsh areas surround- 

 ing small lakes or bordering the streams. In some of these 

 the soil is mainly an admixture of sand and vegetable 

 mold, while in others it is a fertile loam. In this district 

 the normal annual temperature is about 61° F.,. and the 

 normal annual rain-fall about fiftv-five inches. 



