TREE SPECIES. 27 



alon^ the Blue Ridge and on the Chilhowee and Holston mountains. It reaches 

 its greatest size in the mountains of western North Carolina. It is not so large 

 nor so A'aluable a tree as the shortleaf and black pines. Its wood is coarse and 

 sappy. The species will grow on dry, rocky soil, where the black pine does not. 

 It seeds freely and makes good growth, at least when young. 



Scruh pine {Plnus mrginiana). The scrub pine is a slender tree, seldom more 

 than 80 feet in height and 18 inches in diameter. It is common on dry sandy or 

 gravelly land below an elevation of 2,000 feet. It propagates freely and makes 

 rapid growth. It is not large enough to be of importance as a timber tree, though 

 it is occasionally sawed. 



Black sjrruce {Picea mariana). The black spruce is a slender tree, reaching a 

 height of 150 feet and a diameter of 30 inches. It seldom grows below an elevation 

 of 4,000 feet. It is found around only a few of the highest mountains, where it 

 forms dense forests of pure growth, or is associated with hemlock on northern 

 slopes or along streams. It seeds at intervals of several years and reproduces 

 freely if afforded the proper light and soil conditions, which are generally not 

 found in areas where lumbering has been carried on. The wood is light and 

 strong and is largely used for lumber. It is the chief source of wood pulp for 

 paper. The species is one of the most valuable trees, and reaches its greatest 

 individual development on the slopes of the Smoky Mountains. 



Red spruce {Picea 7nibra). The red spruce is here a small tree, seldom 

 reaching 30 feet in height, and unimportant. It occurs only in a few mountain 

 swamps. 



Hemlock {Tsuga ca')iade7isis). Hemlock is one of the largest trees of eastern 

 United States. In the Southern Appalachians it attains a height of more than 

 140 feet and a diameter of 5 feet. It is common along streams and on cold, 

 wet northern slopes above an elevation of 1,500 feet. The bark is extensively 

 used in tanning, and the trunk supplies much rough lumber. It seeds frequently, 

 but reproduction is poor, as good reproduction requires a delicate adjustment 

 of light and moisture conditions. 



Carolina hemlock {Tsuga caroliniana). The Carolina hemlock is a smaller 

 tree than the preceding species, and its distribution is limited to a few localities 

 in the Southern Appalachians. The greatest size is attained in the mountains of 

 North Carolina. It is one of the most stately of American conifers. 



Balsam {Abies frase^'i). The balsam attains a height of 60 feet and a diameter 

 of 24 inches. It is exclusively a Southern Appalachian tree, being confined to the 

 summits of the highest mountains, from Clingmans Dome northeastward. The 

 maximum development is attained on the high peaks of the Black Mountains. 



