FOREST CONDITIONS IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. 51 



The northern and western portions of the county still retain a largo 

 part of the original growth of chestnut, poplar, and red and white oaks. 

 Along the main streams and in the more accessible places, however, por- 

 table mills have taken out much of the better grades of oak and poplar. 

 Several years ago a company splashed logs down Big Laurel to its 

 mouth, but the operation was unprofitable. 



West of Shelton Laurel, white pine grows in mixture with the hard- 

 woods, and is the chief tree in the stand. Over considerable areas it still 

 forms as much as one-quarter of the merchantable standing timber. In 

 rocky cliffs along the French Broad River the three common species of 

 pine — scrub, shortleaf, and pitch — often mixed with a few white pines, 

 form almost pure coniferous stands. Their growth is slow and the 

 trees are small, averaging from 6 to 12 inches in diameter. The soil is 

 thin and susceptible to erosion, so that in cutting this type, enough trees 

 should be left to protect the soil and to furnish seed for a second crop. 

 These pines are prolific seed bearers, and if fire is kept out reproduction 

 can readily be obtained. 



Fire scalds, or old bums, are very numerous on the southern slopes in 

 the western part of the county, and much damage has been done by 

 forest fires elsewhere. It is estimated that at least 25 per cent of the 

 forests throughout the county are burned over annually. The present 

 sentiment of the people, however, is against fires, but nut gatherers and 

 campers still do enormous damage with fire each year. In the more 

 thickly settled regions the woods are injured by cattle which run at 

 large in the northern half of the county, where in many places reproduc- 

 tion from this cause is almost wholly lacking. 



YANCEY COUNTY. 



Yancey has an approximate area of 193,000 acres, with an average 

 assessed value of $2.60 per acre. Over 40 per cent of the land is held in 

 large tracts of 1,000 acres or more in extent. These holdings are valued 

 chiefly for their timber and are held principally as investments. 



The topography is generally rough and the average elevation high. 

 The Black Mountain Range in the southern portion of the county con- 

 tains many peaks more than 6,000 feet high, and Mount Mitchell, the 

 highest peak east of the Rockies, rises to an elevation of 6,711 feet above 

 sea level. In the northern and western sections of the county the ridges 

 have an average elevation of about 4,000 feet above sea level. Bald 

 Mountain rising to 5,500 feet. 



Four considerable streams. South Toe and Caney rivers, and Jacks 

 and Crabtree creeks, rise within the county, and flowing in a northerly 

 direction empty into Toe River, which forms the northern boundary of 

 the county. 



