Image: ANF Old-Growth Forest (1)

Description: Betula alleghaniensis — Yellow birch, old-growth fallen tree. Within the Tionesta Research Natural Area of Allegheny National Forest, in Wetmore Township, McKean County, Pennsylvania. The exposed, stilted roots have grown from the stump of long-ago fallen tree. Remote and difficult to access, the research area protects an old-growth forest of hemlocks, white pines, and northern hardwoods. It and the adjacent Tionesta Scenic Area form one of the largest tracts of old-growth forest east of the Mississippi River. The forest has had its share of disturbances--deer overbrowsing, encroachment from oil and natural-gas drilling, and the destructive May 1985 tornado. The hemlock woolly adelgid has not yet been detected here; however, beech bark disease has killed many trees. "Despite the disturbances, the forest is magnificent. It was late in the day when I visited, and I had time to explore only a small portion of the forest. Will make a return trip."
Title: ANF Old-Growth Forest (1)
Credit: Flickr: Old-Growth Forest (1)
Author: Nicholas
Permission: This image, which was originally posted to Flickr.com, was uploaded to Commons using Flickr upload bot on 22:42, 12 June 2011 (UTC) by Dincher (talk). On that date, it was available under the license indicated. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. You are free: to share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work to remix – to adapt the work Under the following conditions: attribution – You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 CC BY 2.0 Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 truetrue
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