This field trip will focus on old growth forests in Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  The Great Smoky Mountains is the most diverse temperate forest in the eastern US.  Because of the changes in elevation, slope, topography, and moisture, a walk or drive through this national park has been compared to visiting forest communities from the southern state of Georgia to the northern state of Maine.  We will visit a number of these vegetation associations as we explore the region and witness firsthand the rich flora and fauna of the site.  We will also see some of the challenges facing the park, including high visitation, exotic species, and habitat management.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Introduction

Schedule

Various park handouts (available for copy in Biology 440 Smokies folder):

a) Books on the Smokies
b) Creation of the National Park
c) Great Smoky Mountains Trail Map
d) Cherokee Indians
e) What makes it unique?
f) Threats to Spruce-Fir forest
g) Exotic species
h) Self-guiding nature trails:

Laurel Falls
Spruce/Fir

i) Species lists:

Amphibians and Reptiles
Trees
Ferns
Birds
Flowering Plants
Mammals

Description of trails to be covered during the weekend trip: Trillium Gap, Laurel Falls, and Road Prong trails (available for copy in Biology 440 Smokies folder)

Relevant References (see reprints in Biology office for copies of some selected references)

    GSMNP reference list

Links:

Great Smoky Mountain National Park:  National Park Service home page.  Visit the In Depth section to get more information about natural history, flora and fauna, and resource conservation.

Maps (we will visit the western section of the Indiana Dunes on Saturday):

Map of General Area
Map of the National Park

All Taxon Biodiversity Inventory Project for Great Smoky Mountains National Park:  home page for the ATBI project that will discover and catalog all of the biological diversity within the park.

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