Patterns of Species Segregation as Related to Topographic Form and Aspect

The purpose of this study is twofold. The first aim is to provide a quantitative description of the natural vegetation of a portion of Ash Log Mountain, Campbell County, Tennessee. The second aim is to test the hypothesis of homogenisty of the Mixed Mesophytic forest community, as proposed by Braun, with respect to minor topographic and aspectual variation of the landscape. The study area lies in Campbell County, Tennessee, in the Cumberland Mountains.

As a whole, the Southern Appalachian Region contains greater than twice the proportion of commercial forest lands than does the remainder of the nation. These forest lands are even more important in the rugged areas of the region, wherein agriculture is impractical (Ford, 1962). It is hoped that this study has made a contribution to the understanding of the patterns of organization of forest communities and of the taxa of concern, such as to permit fuller use and management of this important resource.

This study is a terminal one. Logging of the research area began in August, 1968, and the area has been buried by Strip-mining which began in the spring of 1969.