Research about Great Smoky Mountains

USGS2011

40 Ar/ 39 Ar age-spectrum data for hornblende, biotite, white mica, and K-feldspar samples from metamorphic rocks in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee

This report contains reduced 40 Ar/ 39 Ar data of hornblende, biotite, white mica and (or) sericite, and potassium-feldspar mineral separates and phyllite groundmass samples from metamorphic rocks of the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina and Tennessee. Included in this report are information on the location of the samples and a brief description of the samples. The data contained herein are not interpreted in a geological context, and care should be taken by users unfamiliar with argon isotopic data in the use of these results. No geological meaning is implied for any of the apparent ages presented below, and many of the individual apparent ages are not geologically meaningful. This report is primarily a detailed source document for subsequent publications that will integrate these data into a geological context. All the samples in this report were collected in and around the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee.

North Carolina, Tennessee↗

USGS2005

Tree mortality, canopy turnover, and woody detritus in old cove forests of the southern Appalachians

A long-term study of tree mortality, canopy turnover, and coarse woody detritus inputs was conducted in cove forests of the Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee, USA. Seven old-growth stands were studied over a 10-yr period using 0.6–1.0 ha plots. Annual mortality of trees >10 cm dbh was 0.5–1.4% among stands (mean 0.7%). The highest mortality rate among canopy trees was exhibited by trees >80 cm dbh. An increase in mortality rate with canopy tree size was evident for two (Tsuga canadensis and Acer saccharum) of the three most abundant species in the forest. The increase in mortality with tree size had implications for canopy turnover and detritus input. Gap disturbance frequency was estimated at 0.008–0.019 forest area/yr, giving a return interval of ∼130 yr or less. Standing death was the most common mode of mortality (59%). Annual rates of snag formation were 1.4 snags/ha for trees >10 cm dbh and 0.4 snags/ha for trees >50 cm dbh. The density of large snags (>50 cm dbh) was 5 snags/ha. Snags accounted for 8% of the total standing tree basal area and 23% of the coarse woody detritus mass (total of 48 Mg/ ha). The mean annual rate of coarse woody detritus input was 3.0 Mg/ha. A decay rate constant was estimated at 0.07, yielding a detritus half-life of 10 yr. Although mean mortality rates and canopy turnover in old cove forests were moderate in comparison with other old forests of eastern North America, input and accumulation of coarse woody detritus were high for the region. This resulted, in part, from the relatively large sizes attained by canopy trees and the fact that larger trees tended to suffer higher mortality. In comparison to forests worldwide, rates of mortality, canopy gap formation, and decay of coarse woody detritus were intermediate.

Tennessee↗