Carolina Environmental Diversity Explorations
Jocassee Gorges · By Stephanie Walters and Dirk Frankenberg
Forests on the highland plateaus
Figure 6. Canadian hemlocks grow in the upland forests of the Blue Ridge. (Photograph by Dirk Frankenberg. More about the photograph)
The upper slopes of the Blue Ridge support forests similar to those found at lower elevations much further north. Figure 6 shows one of these that are dominated by the Canadian hemlock and many other species, including the beeches and birches that characterize northern hardwood communities. Note the large hemlock trunks extending upward through the hardwood understory to form an overstory canopy over the forest.
