Dendrology - Part 2 (Slides) for the Big Laurel-Whitetop Laurel Creek Watershed

This blog post provides a comprehensive description of the tree and woody plant identification / taxonomy of the species identified in the earlier blog post “Dendrology of the Laurel Creek - Whitetop Laurel Creek Watershed, Part 1, September 23, 2025

As previously stated, “Dendrology (tree and wedoody plant identification and taxonomy) is an important part of planning or protecting riparian zones, erosion control, and floodplain management.  The Big Laurel Creek - Whitetop Laurel Creek Watershed consists of many varied ecosystems and plant communities, including high elevation forests, alluvial forests, and roadsides and fields in the developed floodplains. ...

 Below is a list of important tree and plant species in the watershed:

  1. Frasier Fir (Abies fraseri)
  2. Red Spruce (Picea rubens)
  3. Yellow Birch (Betula alleghaniensis)
  4. Northern Red Oak (Quercus rubra)
  5. White Oak (Quercus alba)
  6. Chestnut Oak (Quercus montana)
  7. Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus)
  8. Yellow Poplar / Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)
  9. Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata)
  10. Cucumber Tree (Magnolia acuminata)
  11. American Chestnut (Castanea dentata)
  12. Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)
  13. Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia)
  14. Rosebay (Rhododendron maximum)
  15. Common Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)
  16. Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) "

Detailed information on each of these tree and plant species is provided on the following slides.

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Please contact me in the comments, or at <walterparker@vt.edu>,for a copy of the pdf file of these slides with active hyperlinks to the footnoted references.  S/ WP




































































































Location: Whitetop Laurel Creek near Damascus, VA, USA

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