Great Smokey Mountains By: Shavona Kennedy

Biome Type & Climate Winter Summer Fall Spring Temperate Rain Forest

Cultural History Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the largest protected land areas east of the Rocky Mountains. With over 500,000 acres of forest, the Smokies contain an enormous variety of plants and animals. In terms of biological diversity, a walk from mountain base to peak is often compared to the 2,000 mile hike on the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine The Smokies also have a rich cultural history. Cherokee Indians moved into the area about 1,000 years ago, and permanent white settlement began around Most families depended on farming for their livelihood. Life for many of these families changed with the coming of commercial logging operations around 1900 that stripped trees from three-quarters of what is now park land. Established in 1934, the park was created from more than 6,000 tracts of private and commercial land that were bought with money raised by public and private donations.

Plants Variations in elevation, rainfall, temperature, and geology in these ancient mountains provide ideal habitat for over 1,600 species of flowering plants, including 100 native tree species and over 100 native shrub species. From mid-April to mid-May, spring ephemeral wildflowers bloom profusely in the deciduous forests during a brief window of growth before trees leaf-out and shade the forest floor. From mid-June to mid-July, extravagant displays of mountain laurel, rhododendron, azalea, and other heath family shrubs flower en masse, especially on high elevation heath balds. The park is also a global center for non-flowering plants, including 450 bryophytes—mosses, liverworts, and a few hornworts. Non-flowering species also include some 50 ferns and fern allies and at least one horsetail. The park is home to three federally listed threatened (T) and endangered (E) plant species: spreading avens (E), Virginia spiraea (T), and rock gnome lichen (E), the latter being part fungus. View a listing of federally Threatened and Endangered Species. Over 300 additional species of native vascular plants are considered rare, meaning they are generally found in small populations or have five or fewer occurrences within the park. Also considered rare are nearly 200 of the 450 non-vascular plants. A total of 76 species of park plants are listed as threatened or endangered in the states of Tennessee and North Carolina.

Non-Native Species & Plants Hemlock Woolly Adelgids Rainbow Trout Oriental bittersweet Wild Hogs Mimosa Kudzu Balsam Woolly Adelgids

Native Species Great Smoky Mountains National Park contains some of the largest tracts of wilderness in the East and is a critical sanctuary for a wide variety of animals. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a premier place for birds and has a total of 66 mammal species live in the park. The park contains a number of different animals including Birds, Amphibians, Fish, Mammals, Reptiles, and Synchronous Fireflies.

Preserving Characteristics The mountain is one of the worlds oldest and no other place in the United States of the same area has the same biodiversity. There are over 17,000 species of animals and 100 types of trees.

Area Threats Threats to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park come in many forms. Man is the root cause for some of the problems, while nature produces and enhances others. Despite the spectrum of political beliefs, the facts remain, and the real problems facing the Smokies require monitoring and management. Insuring the survival of the Smokies' ecosystem is a major charge given to the National Park Service. Air quality is a major Park concern. Water quality faces threats from man's civilization, park visitors, and nature. Acidic deposition, combined with the Smokies' acidic bedrock threatens aquatic ecosystems. Pests and disease also threaten the Smokies' ecosystem. Currently the most visible and serious threat is the balsam woolly adelgid.

Efforts The Park Service is working with state regulatory agencies, the Environmental Protection Agency, and industrial and utility interests to develop a comprehensive plan to prevent future damage through such measures as offset programs, the use of improved technology, and determination of emission caps and government standards for various pollutants. To remedy air pollution problems at the park, additional reductions of nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide are necessary.

Fun Facts The park has more tree species than northern Europe and contains one of the largest blocks of virgin temperate deciduous forest in North America. Almost 95% of the park is forested, and about 25% of that area has not been disturbed. Some trees attain record size in the Smokies and are over 20 feet in circumference. During the Ice Age, the Smokies were a refuge for hundreds of plant and animal species retreating before the glaciers. These species found suitable living conditions in the upper elevations of the Smokies. Because the park contains a variety of habitats, it is now home for some 1,500 species of vascular plants, 10% of which are considered rare, and well over 4,000 non-flowering plant species.

Work Cited "Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Non-native Species (U.S. National Park Service)." U.S. National Park Service - Experience Your America. Web. 17 Jan < species.htm>. "Great Smoky Mountains National Park Information Page." Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Web. 17 Jan < "Information on The Smoky Mountains." Gatlinburg Cabins in Gatlinburg TN. Web. 17 Jan <