Appalachian balds
In the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States, balds are mountain summits or crests covered primarily by thick vegetation of native grasses or shrubs occurring in areas where heavy forest growth would be expected.
Balds are found primarily in the Southern Appalachians, where, even at the highest elevations, the climate is too warm to support an alpine zone, areas where trees fail to grow due to short or non-existent growing seasons. The difference between an alpine summit, such as Mount Washington in New Hampshire, and a bald, such as Gregory Bald in the Great Smoky Mountains, is that a lack of trees is normal for the colder climate of the former but abnormal for the warmer climate of the latter. One example of southern balds' abnormality can be found at Roan Mountain, where Roan High Knob is coated with a dense stand of spruce-fir forest, whereas an adjacent summit, Round Bald, is almost entirely devoid of trees. Why some summits are bald and some are not is a mystery, though there are several hypotheses.
Types
Two types of balds are found in the Appalachians:Grassy balds
Grassy balds are relatively blunt summits covered by a dense sward of native grasses. Two types have been identified: those completely covered by grasses and those with a scattered overstory of mixed hardwoods with a grassy herbaceous layer. Grassy balds are normally found at the summit of hills, but can also be found on broad upper slopes.Species found here include mountain oat-grass, sedges, and forbs such as three-toothed cinquefoil and Blue Ridge St. Johns-wort.
Heath balds
Heath balds are typically found along narrow ridges and mountain crests, and consist of dense evergreen shrubs. While the formation of grassy balds is a mystery, heath balds are often located in areas where the soil experiences heavy drainage or is highly acidic, which would complicate the growth of large wooded plants.Four general types of vegetation are found on heath balds:
- Evergreen shrublands of Catawba rhododendron
- Mixed shrublands of Catawba rhododendron, mountain-laurel, and black huckleberry
- Deciduous shrublands of American mountain-ash, minniebush, and southern mountain-cranberry
- Deciduous shrubland of smooth blackberry
Origin and dynamics
The mountaintop meadows called the Southern Balds form a distinctive stretch for hikers of the Appalachian Trail.
List of major Appalachian Balds
Mountain | Elevation | Range | State | Surface |
Richland Balsam | 6,410 ft/1,950 m | Great Balsam Mtns. | N.C. | Grassy |
Black Balsam Knob | 6,214 ft/1,894 m | Great Balsam Mtns. | N.C. | Grassy |
Grassy Ridge Bald | 6,189 ft/1,886 m | Roan Highlands | N.C. | Grassy |
Andrews Bald | 5,920 ft/1,804 m | Great Smoky Mtns. | N.C. | Grassy |
Round Bald | 5,826 ft/1,775 m | Roan Highlands | Tenn./N.C. | Grassy |
Jane Bald | 5,820 ft/1,773 m | Roan Highlands | Tenn./N.C. | Heath/Grassy |
Silers Bald | 5,607 ft/1,709 m | Great Smoky Mtns. | Tenn./N.C. | Grassy/Young forest |
Hump Mountain | 5,587 ft/1,703 m | Roan Highlands | Tenn./N.C. | Grassy |
Buck Bald | 5,560 ft/1,609 m | Great Balsam Mtns. | N.C. | Grassy |
Huckleberry Knob | 5,560 ft/1,609 m | Unicoi Mtns. | N.C. | Grassy |
Whitetop Mountain | 5,540 ft/1,688 m | Grayson Highlands | Virginia | Grassy |
Big Bald | 5,516 ft/1,681 m | Bald Mtns. | Tenn./N.C. | Grassy |
Thunderhead Mountain | 5,485 ft/1,672 m | Great Smoky Mtns. | Tenn./N.C. | Heath |
Hooper Bald | 5,429 ft/1,655 m | Unicoi Mtns. | N.C. | Grassy |
Yellow Mountain | 5,420 ft/1,652 m | Roan Highlands | Tenn./N.C. | Grassy |
Hemphill Bald | 5,400 ft/1,646 m | Great Smoky Mtns. | N.C. | Grassy |
Bob Stratton Bald | 5,360 ft/1,634 m | Unicoi Mtns. | N.C. | Grassy |
Wayah Bald | 5,342 ft/1,628 m | Nantahala Mtns. | N.C. | Heath |
Tusquitee Bald | 5,240 ft/1,597 m | Nantahala Mtns. | N.C. | Grassy |
Maddron Bald | 5,200 ft/1,585 m | Great Smoky Mtns. | Tennessee | Heath |
Siler Bald | 5,200 ft/1,585 m | Nantahala Mtns. | N.C. | Grassy |
Sandymush Bald | 5,152 ft/1,507 m | Central Blue Ridge Mtns. | N.C. | Grassy |
Cheoah Bald | 5,062 ft/1,543 m | Cheoah Mtns. | N.C. | Grassy |
Gregory Bald | 4,949 ft/1,508 m | Great Smoky Mtns. | Tenn./N.C. | Grassy |
Spence Field | 4,920 ft/1,500 m | Great Smoky Mtns. | Tenn./N.C. | Grassy/Young forest |
Brasstown Bald | 4,784 ft/1,458 m | Southern Blue Ridge Mtns. | Georgia | Heath |
Ben Parton Lookout | 4,754 ft/1,449 m | Great Smoky Mtns. | Tennessee | Heath |
Parson Bald | 4,732 ft/1,442 m | Great Smoky Mtns. | Tenn./N.C. | Grassy |
Rabun Bald | 4,696 ft/1,431 m | Southern Blue Ridge Mtns. | Georgia | Heath |
Max Patch Mountain | 4,629 ft/1,411 m | Bald Mtns. | N.C. | Grassy |
Russell Field | 4,455 ft/1,358 m | Great Smoky Mtns. | Tenn./N.C. | Grassy/Young forest |
Elk Garden | 4,450 ft/1,356 m | Grayson Highlands | Virginia | Grassy |
Beauty Spot | 4,437 ft/1,352 m | Unaka Mtns. | Tenn./N.C. | Grassy |
Big Bald Mountain | 4,075 ft/1,242 m | Southern Blue Ridge Mtns. | Georgia | Grassy |