Near Whitetop in Grayson County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Old Growth Forest Remnants
Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 3, 2022
1. Old Growth Forest Remnants Marker
Inscription.
Old Growth Forest Remnants. . Here you see something like the old growth forest that grew along all these upper slopes, some of the last old growth cut in eastern North America. The largest mature yellow poplar trees (Liriodendron tulipifera) and hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) would have been taller that those you see here. These shaded coves were protected from even natural forces such as wind, drought and temperature extremes and supported astounding trees: early residents claim to have seen hemlocks over 12 feet in diameter, and yellow poplars even larger. Today's hemlocks are threatened by the hemlock wooly adelgid (Adelgus tsugae), an invasive insect introduced to the U.S. in 1924 from Asia and first appearing in Virginia in the 1950s. the great-grandchildren of those who travel the Creeper Trail today will hopefully enjoy something even closer to that "old growth".
Here you see something like the old growth forest that grew along all these upper slopes, some of the last old growth cut in eastern North America. The largest mature yellow poplar trees (Liriodendron tulipifera) and hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) would have been taller that those you see here. These shaded coves were protected from even natural forces such as wind, drought and temperature extremes and supported astounding trees: early residents claim to have seen hemlocks over 12 feet in diameter, and yellow poplars even larger. Today's hemlocks are threatened by the hemlock wooly adelgid (Adelgus tsugae), an invasive insect introduced to the U.S. in 1924 from Asia and first appearing in Virginia in the 1950s. the great-grandchildren of those who travel the Creeper Trail today will hopefully enjoy something even closer to that "old growth".
Erected by Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Horticulture & Forestry. A significant historical year for this entry is 1924.
Location. 36° 36.481′ N, 81° 38.411′ W. Marker is near Whitetop, Virginia, in Grayson
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County. It is on Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail west of Whitetop Gap Road (Virginia Route 726), on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Whitetop VA 24292, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southwest Virginia and in the Blue Ridge Highlands. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 25, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 24, 2022, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 296 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on November 24, 2022, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
