FOKEST CONDITIONS IN TENNESSEE. 25 



ations are found in the north and northwest portion of the region, 

 where private logging railroads have been constructed. Small op- 

 erations, usually conducted with portable mills, are numerous and 

 widespread. Throughout the region are small and scattered tracts 

 of practically virgin timber which have been held for one reason 

 or another. The larger bodies and those containing timber of the 

 best quality are found in the northern part in Pickett, Overton, 

 Fentress, and Scott Counties. 



There are four distinct types of forest land in this region coves, 

 slopes, plateau ridges, and plateau swales. Of these, the cove and 

 slope types are the most important from the commercial standpoint. 



The proportion of land in each type varies greatly in different sec- 

 tions of the region. A careful survey of a large and fairly typical 

 tract on the waters of Rocky River showed about one-sixth of the 

 area to be cove and slope land, one-third plateau swales, and one- 

 half plateau ridges. On the other hand, in a well-dissected section 

 farther north nearly a third of the area consisted of cove land, 

 while practically all of the rest was of the slope type. 



Coves. The cove lands consist of the better portions of the val- 

 ley slopes and hollows well below the level of the plateau. The char- 

 acteristic soil is a deep, moist loam, rocky or stony, upon which is 

 a layer of humus, often several inches in depth. The underbrush 

 varies in density and usually consists of rhododendron, laurel, red 

 bay, witch hazel, persimmon, dogwood, and viburnum. The char- 

 acteristic and dominant trees of the type are white oak, yellow pop- 

 lar, and chestnut. Beech and sugar maple are also very numerous. 

 Among the associated species are hickory, black oak, red oak, chest- 

 nut oak, buckeye, red maple, basswood (linn), ash, elm, and an oc- 

 casional walnut, cucumber, and cherry. Hemlock is also found, 

 sometimes singly, but usually in groups, and sometimes with white 

 pine. The chief difference between this type and the true Appa- 

 lachian cove type lies in the smaller proportion of hemlock and the 

 larger amount of white oak. Reproduction is fairly good, although 

 shade conditions in the typical older stands favor seedlings of toler- 

 ant species, such as sugar maple and, to a less extent, hickory and 

 ash. Oaks, red maple, and yellow poplar come up in the natural 

 openings of the forest. Yellow poplar reproduces best, however, 

 on abandoned fields, where it sometimes forms an almost pure stand. 



The characteristic timber of this type is straight, tall, clean, and 

 of excellent quality. Virgin stands yield on the average about 

 8,000 board feet per acre. 



