We uglies and the balds and the grosses and the ickies, we need to fight back!
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It is possible that "pends balds" could make one think of encroaching hair recession — the pending baldness.
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In a Twitter thread, she revealed that the newest version of the goat will be less homicidal looking, the turtle won't look like it just ate a handful of Xanax, and redheads and balds will finally have emoji representation.
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12 p While there is some evidence that grassy balds have natural origins, the forest quickly started to reclaim the balds once large-scale livestock grazing was eliminated by the creation of national parks and national forests. Grassy balds such as Gregory Bald and Andrews Bald in the Great Smokies and the balds in the Roan Highlands are currently maintained as bald areas by the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service.Peter White, "Balds," Encyclopedia of Appalachia (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2006), 47-48. The mountaintop meadows called the Southern Balds form a distinctive stretch for hikers of the Appalachian Trail.
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How and why grassy balds form is a mystery. While cattle grazing maintained the balds throughout the 19th-century, the forest slowly started reclaiming them after the formation of the national park in the 1930s.Carson Brewer, Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Portland, Ore: Graphic Arts Center Publishing, 1993), 21. In the early 1980s, the park service polled park visitors regarding the state of the grassy balds, and the response was overwhelmingly in favor of maintaining the balds atop Gregory and Andrews.
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There have been difficulties in recovering a number of balds which have well established forest canopies due to decades of non-burning, these balds may be too far gone to recover. Some balds which have had significant forest species invasion have had mechanical removal and coppicing of trees to aid recovery of the balds through burning Fairfax, R., Fensham, R., Butler, D., Quinn, K., Sigley, B., Holman, J., 2009. Effects of multiple fires on tree invasion in montane grasslands. Landsc. Ecol. 24, 1363–1373. doi:10.1007/s10980-009-9388-yFensham, R., Fairfax, R., 1996.
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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.Peter White, "Balds," Encyclopedia of Appalachia (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2006), 47-48.
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Most of the area in the wilderness is above 4000 feet with large grassy balds.
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There are about 100 balds, although those caused by fire are steadily being lost due to a lack of recent fires. The grassy balds have a higher biodiversity than the dense rainforests, because they are home to birds and rodents not found elsewhere in the forest.
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Hamma Hamma Balds is a Washington state Natural Area Preserve. It is located in the eastern foothills of the Olympic Mountains in Mason County, above the Hamma Hamma River and adjacent to Olympic National Forest. The term "balds" refers to rocky outcroppings in the heavy forest. The preserve totals .
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Can burning restrict eucalypt invasion on grassy balds? Austral Ecol. 31, 317–325. doi:10.1111/j.1442-9993.2006.01560.
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Appalachian balds are areas covered by native grasses or dense shrubs that occur only on some high-elevation summits and slopes.
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The Disappearing Grassy Balds of the Bunya Mountains, South-Eastern Queensland. Aust. J. Bot. 44, 543–558. Fensham, R.J., Fairfax, R.J., 2006.
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Some recent studies have attempted to uncover the vegetation history of some balds through analysis of the soil's organic component, since grasses leave a characteristic carbon-13 fingerprint.Knoepp, Jennifer D.; Tieszen, Larry L.; Fredlund, Glen G. (1998). Assessing the vegetation history of three Southern Appalachian balds through soil organic matter analysis Res. Pap. SRS-13. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station.
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Southern ranges and mountains where sub-alpine environments occur include the Great Smoky Mountains, where sub-alpine environments only begin around in elevation, Roan Highlands on the North Carolina-Tennessee border, where sub-alpine growth descends below , and Mount Rogers and the Grayson Highlands in Virginia, where there is some alpine growth above . Appalachian balds are also found in the Southern highlands, and are believed to occur due to fires or grazing in recent centuries, or in some cases due to thin, sandy soils. Several balds are sprouting trees, and on some, the National Forest service actually mows the grasses periodically in order to keep the balds free of trees.
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Classification Column.: 9VAC25-260-370. Classification Column., accessdate: June 18, 2017 Lewis Fork is a class i stream and Charlies Branch, Daves Branch, Grindstone Branch and Helton Creek are class ii streams. Grayson Highlands State Park, adjacent to the wilderness, contains balds, large open grassy areas at a high elevation with good views in many directions. Ponies have been introduced into the highlands and allowed to run wild while grazing the balds.
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The most outstanding example of rhododendron-laurel thicket is Jeffrey Hell, located in the Citico Creek Wilderness. Grassy balds--a type of highland meadow consisting of fields of thick grass and sparse tree coverage--are not uncommon in the higher elevations. The summit of the highest mountain in the range-- Huckleberry Knob--is a grassy bald. Other grassy balds include Oak Knob (a subpeak of Huckleberry), Hooper Bald, and Bob Bald (a subpeak of Stratton).
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The national park is currently managed by the department of national parks, recreation, sports and racing (NPRSR),Queensland Government, 2012. Bunya Mountains National Park Management Statement 2012 (Management Plan). Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing. There has been an integrated program of burning the unique grassland balds by Queensland Parks and Wildlife in the Bunya Mountains since the late 1990s with 27% of unburnt balds being burnt for the first time in many years.
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Grassy Ridge Bald in the Roan Highlands 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.Peter White, "Balds," Encyclopedia of Appalachia (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2006), 47. 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.
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These meadows provide excellent views of the surrounding area and present a striking change in scenery from the surrounding forests. The balds are dominated by large rocky outcroppings clear of vegetation excepting the occasional windswept tree and low grasses.
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Fussell, pgs. 76 - 77 Looking west from Massie Gap. The park also has a campground cabin store with candies and ice cream inside. The park hosts forests like those on nearby Mount Rogers, as well as a number of mountain meadows or balds.
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Lespedeza frutescens, commonly known as shrubby lespedeza, is a species of herbaceous plant in the legume family. It is native to eastern North America, where it is found on cliffs, balds, or ledges, forests, ridges or ledges, talus and rocky slopes, woodlands.
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They are almost bare of > trees, and have been named by the bushmen "bald hills." Balds Hills also at one time had a railway station on the still operating Ballarat - Creswick - Maryborough line (station now closed and no evidence exists) and several hotels (all closed).
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It grows on rosemary balds in areas of sand pine scrub, open areas where sunlight reaches through the canopy of taller vegetation. It also grows in the ecotone between open sunny areas and shaded understory, showing some preference for shade.Liatris ohlingerae. Center for Plant Conservation.
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The Unicoi Mountains remain one of the most primitive, undeveloped areas in the eastern United States. Human habitation in the range's river valleys and deep hollows was never more than sparse, and while logging occurred, logging operations in the Unicoi area were not as extensive as in other forested areas in the region. The Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, located in the northeastern Unicois, is home to one of the last remaining old growth cove hardwood forests in the eastern United States. Grassy balds and heath balds are not an uncommon occurrence atop summits in the Unicoi Mountains, the highest of which rise to elevations of over 5,000 feet.
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Informal trails weave across the Bear Rocks Preserve. An extensive trail system occurs on the adjacent national forest lands, including the Dolly Sods Wilderness. Bear Rocks' natural heathlands and open grass balds were originally recorded in 1746 by a survey party that included Peter Jefferson, father of Thomas Jefferson.
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Habitats for Aureolaria pedicularia include terrestrial locations such as cliffs, balds, ledges, forests, grasslands, ridges, rocky slopes, and woodlands. This plant lives in partly shady areas to sunny areas. The soil typical for this plant is dry and sandy soil. Aureolaria pedicularia is most commonly found in open oak woods and savannas.
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It produces solitary, terminal blue flowers in spring and early summer. It typically grows in moist areas, and is found habitats such as streambanks, mesic woods, grassy balds, seepy rock outcrops, and spray cliffs. The specific epithet "serpyllifolia" alludes to the resemblance between this plant and the culinary herb wild thyme, Thymus serpyllum.Michaux, André. 1803.
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3,300 feet above its southern base at Fontana Lake. The mountain is located entirely within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Gregory Bald is a type of mountain known as a grassy bald. Unlike most summits in the Appalachians, which are heavily forested or culminate in jagged peaks, grassy balds are covered by a thick layer of wild grass.
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Carex merritt-fernaldii, or Fernald's sedge, is a species of sedge from northeastern North America. It was first described by Kenneth Mackenzie in 1923. It is named after botanist Merritt Fernald. This species can be found in a variety of places, such as cliffs, balds, ledges, meadows and fields, and woodlands, as well as anthropogenic surroundings.
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The mountain's summit is covered in a low rainforest thicket, composed mostly of the hill water gum. Other noteworthy plants on the mountain include New England blackbutt, chainfruit, prickly ash, grass tree and the mountain walnut. Another interesting feature of Mount Royal is the grassy balds, surrounded by temperate rainforest. Fire caused by lightning is one speculative theory of their origin.
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A mare and her foal on Wilburn Ridge. The balds are inhabited by a herd of introduced ponies allowed to run wild within the confines of the park. The ponies are very accustomed to humans and rarely halt their grazing as hikers pass close by. Many locals touch and feed the ponies, though this practice is frowned upon and against park policy.
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The range gets its name from the relatively frequent occurrence of grassy balds atop the more prominent summits. The Cherokee National Forest and the Pisgah National Forest protect substantial sections of the Bald Mountains. The Appalachian Trail traverses the crest of the range. Populated areas within the range include Erwin and Del Rio in Tennessee and Hot Springs in North Carolina.
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One example of southern balds' abnormality can be found at Roan Mountain, where Roan High Knob (el. 6,285 ft/1,915 m) is coated with a dense stand of spruce-fir forest, whereas an adjacent summit, Round Bald (el. 5,826 ft/1,776 m), is almost entirely devoid of trees. Why some summits are bald and some are not is a mystery, though there are several hypotheses.
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This bunchgrass grows in oak and hickory forests, woods, and meadows. It is a common grass on grassy balds in the southern Appalachians, where it occurs with redtop (Agrostis gigantea), timothy (Phleum pratense), Canada bluegrass (Poa compressa), Kentucky bluegrass (P. pratensis), red fescue (Festuca rubra), five-fingers (Potentilla canadensis), and sheep sorrel (Rumex acetosella). It is a dominant species in the Great Smoky Mountains.
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Andrews Bald, looking south from Clingman's Dome Andrews Bald is a mountain in the Great Smoky Mountains, located in the Southeastern United States. It has an elevation of above sea level, making it the highest grassy bald in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The mountain is one of two grassy balds maintained in the range by the park service. The other is Gregory Bald, in the western Smokies.
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Grass trees on Mount Kiangarow grow nearly 5 m tall and some are least several hundred years old. Scattered throughout the mountain forests are many natural clearings known as 'grassy balds'. These clearings are typically a few hectares in area and are caused by bushfires and geological conditions. Where there a slabs of unfractured basalt soil formation and root penetration is impossible, leaving a patch in the forest.
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Cook Cabin in Little Cataloochee Since the early 19th century, settlers were using the grassy balds along the ridges surrounding Cataloochee to raise livestock. Temporary herding camps were in place by 1814, when Henry Colwell made the first land purchase.Hattie Caldwell Davis, Cataloochee Valley: Vanished Settlements of the Great Smoky Mountains (Alexander, N.C.: Worldcomm, 1997), 17. In 1834, Henry's son, James Colwell (1797–1867) moved the family to Cataloochee.
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The habitat of this species is the white sand of the Florida scrub, already a rare and endangered type of ecosystem, and the lichen requires a specific spot within the habitat. It can be found on high dunes and ridges among sand pines (Pinus clausa) in the part of the scrub understory called "rosemary balds": land dominated by Florida rosemary (Ceratiola ericoides).USFWS. Cladonia perforata Species Fact Sheet. Multispecies Recovery Plan for South Florida.
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Carex flexuosa, commonly called flexuous white-edge sedge, or Rudge's white- edge sedge, is a species of flowering plant in the sedge family, Cyperaceae. It is native to the eastern North America, where it is found in eastern Canada, the northeastern and midwestern United States, and southward in the Appalachian Mountains. Its natural habitat is in upland forests, rock outcrops, and Appalachian balds. It is typically found in areas with acidic soil.
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A one-year survey in Alachua County, Florida, reported the species as "rare". Specimens have been collected from several ecosystems, including old fields, river terrace forests, flatwoods, Florida Sand Pine scrub, Slash Pine forests, Appalachian grass balds, and rice fields. Robert and Betty Barnes reported the species as occurring in broomsedge fields throughout the southeastern Piedmont. The species is typically found in the herb stratum (among grasses and other short plants) and may be collected with a sweep net.
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Packera schweinitziana, commonly called New England groundsel, is a species of flowering plant in the aster family (Asteraceae). It is native to eastern North America, where it is primarily found in eastern Canada and the northeastern United States, with disjunct populations in North Carolina and Tennessee on Roan Mountain.Packera schweinitziana Flora of North America Its natural habitat is in sunny, wet areas, often in acidic soil. In the southeastern United States, its habitat is restricted to Appalachian balds.
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In Target Demographic, Jimmy details a very specific type of viewer which is attractive to advertisers due to their excessive wasteful spending on material goods. The first version was "Blonde Connecticut Housewives". The segment has also examined "Jersey Shore D-Bags" (actual residents of the area, not cast members of the MTV reality show), "Indian Doctors", and "Balds". This sketch was only done in the early days of the show and has seemed to be retired.
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Wetter slopes and riparian areas may support western redcedar, bigleaf maple, red alder, salmonberry, and oxalis. Grassy coastal headlands and mountaintop balds feature Roemer's fescue, thin bentgrass, California oatgrass, and diverse forbs. This large but disjunct ecoregion covers in Oregon and in Washington, including parts of the Olympic and Siuslaw National Forests and the Cummins Creek and Rock Creek Wildernesses, as well as higher elevations in the Cape Meares National Wildlife Refuge. California has not been mapped yet.
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F. incerta is native to the eastern half of the United States. Its range extends from Minnesota, Nebraska, New England, and the Appalachian balds southwards to Colorado and possibly New Mexico. It is present in sandy and clayey soils and favors old grassland, meadows, and heathland, but is also found in sparse woodlands, forest rides, prairies, parks, lawns, and roadside verges. In many areas, it is the most abundant species of Formica ant and the first to recolonize restored grassland.
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The bald area atop Jane is much less substantial than its two massive neighbors, and is partially overgrown by rhododendron. The Appalachian Trail (following the state border) crosses its summit. Grassy Ridge Bald dominates the center of Grassy Ridge. It has an elevation of about , making it one of the highest grassy balds in the Appalachian Mountains (Black Balsam Knob, located southwest of Asheville, is slightly higher at 6,214ft.) The bald area atop the mountain covers several , with patches of trees and shrubbery in some places.
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West Virginia University botanist Earl L. Core addressed the origin of the "sods" in 1973: > How did it happen that these grassy tracts were originally [prior to white > settlement] treeless, when all the surrounding areas were covered with > trees? No one really knows. Although the "sods" and "balds" have been the > subject of much speculation, discussion, and research, no generally-accepted > explanation has yet been proposed for their existence. Perhaps there is not > really any one cause; the treelessness may be the result of a complex > situation which may vary from place to place.
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For this reason, the park service does not maintain the bald atop the mountain (the Great Smoky Mountains National Park currently maintains only two grassy balds-- Gregory Bald and Andrews Bald).Daniel Pierce, The Great Smokies: From Natural Habitat to National Park (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2000), 178. A narrow corridor for the Appalachian Trail, which crosses the summit, is kept clear for thru-hikers. There is still a small bald area at the summit, approximately in diameter, where the Appalachian Trail makes a 90-degree turn.
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Hannah Cabin in Little Cataloochee, built in the mid-1800s Along with the fertile bottomland in Cataloochee, the raising of livestock was the primary incentive that drew early settlers to the valley. The grassy balds were perfect summertime pastures for sheep and cattle, and hogs could roam and forage in the dense forests. Every year, Cataloochee's residents would drive their livestock and turkeys to markets in Waynesville or Charleston, South Carolina.Hattie Caldwell Davis, Cataloochee Valley: Vanished Settlements of the Great Smoky Mountains (Alexander, N.C.: Worldcomm, 1997), 11, 21-22.
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Northern coastal grasslands, or coastal prairies, are generally found below on coastal terraces or mountain balds. In areas where fire has been suppressed, coastal scrub plants invade. Common grasses include bentgrass (Agrostis spp.), California brome (Bromus carinatus), Nootka reedgrass (Calamagrostis nutkaensis), California oatgrass (Danthonia californica), red fescue (Festuca rubra), Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis), tufted hair-grass (Deschampsia caespitosa), prairie Junegrass (Koeleria macrantha), tall trisetuem (Trisetum canescens). Common forbs include Douglas iris (Iris douglasiana), western blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum), hairy gumplant (Grindelia hirsutula), and footsteps of spring (Sanicula arctopoides).
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Loggers at their camp in the Bunya Mountains, 1912 The mountains are covered with ancient conifer rainforest that co-exists with a number of other unique natural features - 'balds' which are open grasslands including some that contain rare grass species, vine, and sclerophyll forests. Parts of the forest were once logged for various timbers including red cedar, bunya pine and hoop pine. However, most of the peaks are completely uncleared and covered in forest as the range was too steep for early timber clearers. The mountains are home to the largest natural Bunya pine forest in the world.
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The rule provided some degree of protection by reducing the negative environmental impact of road construction and thus promoting the conservation of roadless areas. Whitetop Mountain was not inventoried in the roadless area review, and therefore not protected from possible road construction and timber sales. The mountain balds, dating back to the 1800s or earlier, are maintained by prescribed burning, with burns every two or three years depending on conditions. Most of the area is part of the 5100 acre “Whitetop Mountain Special Area. The special area’s management goal is to provide habitat for rare species.
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Andrews Bald is a grassy bald, and, at , it is the highest bald in the national park. In mid-June, the bald provides a wonderful display of Catawba rhododendron and flame azalea, the best show for the least effort, although it can’t quite match that of the more isolated Gregory Bald. Due to the natural encroachment of the forest onto the once grazed open balds in the park, Andrews Bald (along with the aforementioned Gregory Bald) has been designated as an experimental research zone, whereby the national park service will preserve the area as a grassy bald.
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In the 1830s, Cades Cove entrepreneur Daniel Davis Foute financed the construction of a road connecting his iron forge in Cades Cove with his resort hotel at Montvale Springs. Known as the Cooper Road after its builder, Joe Cooper, the road followed Abrams Creek from Cades Cove into Happy Valley, crossed Chilhowee Mountain at Murray Gap (near Look Rock), and descended to Montvale Springs. Throughout the 19th century and early 20th century, Cades Cove residents used this road to drive cattle back and forth between markets in Maryville and the grassy balds atop the western Smokies.Burns, 79-80.
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View from Little Bald Knob on the Wild Oak Trail. The forests have been altered by logging and clearance for agriculture, urban and industrial development (including mining) with only small patches of original forest remaining, the largest of which is in the Great Smoky Mountains; nearly all of Shenandoah National Park, for example, is regrown forest but still vital habitat for wildlife. The spruce and fir forests of the highlands have been logged particularly intensively and in many cases have not regenerated leaving areas of Appalachian balds heath. Also, as large predators such as wolves and cougars have been removed, the forests are now being overgrazed by deer.
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The area around Bear Rocks supports subalpine heathlands dominated by shrubs such as blueberries, huckleberries, mountain laurel, azalea, and rhododendron. Groves of stunted red spruce, flagged by ice and wind, outcrops of the Pottsville conglomerate, grassy meadows, and cranberry bogs also occur. There are stunted small groves of red spruce trying to make a tortured comeback here and there in the wind and coldheath barrens of huckleberries, blueberries, mountain laurel, mountain holly, speckled alder and other waist-high plants. In several places the heath barrens, also called "huckleberry plains" or "roaring plains", give way to natural balds of mountain oat grass that predate the devastation wrought by logging and fires during the late 19th century.
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Camp Merrie-Woode Homepage The North Carolina National Heritage Program lists Old Bald/Cherry Cove as one of the "significant natural areas of Jackson County" because of the forest of Northern Red Oaks in the region, as well as one of the two historic grassy balds in the county. The land is registered a U.S. National Heritage Area and is owned by a combination of the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, local, and private entities. Camp Merrie-Woode operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational institution. Camp Merrie- Woode's extraordinary natural setting has inspired a lasting appreciation of the world's beauty in thousands of girls and young women since 1919.
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The Taconic Crest Trail is a hiking trail in the Taconic Mountains in the northeastern United States. The trail extends from U.S. Route 20 in Hancock, Massachusetts, less than east of the New York border, north along the ridgecrest of the Taconic Range, first within Massachusetts, then weaving along the border of New York and Massachusetts and New York and Vermont, and ending in Petersburgh, New York, on NY Route 346, near the Vermont border. Much of the route has been conserved as state forest, conservation easement, or forest preserve. Forest types on the Taconic Crest Trail are mixed oak- hickory forest and northern hardwood forest with microclimate summit balds, alkaline-loving plant communities, and red spruce/ balsam fir stands on the higher summits.
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In the mid-20th century, Cornelius Rex Peake would operate the highest cultivated farm in the U.S. east of the Rocky Mountains, and would be instrumental in bringing the conservationist movement to the mountain. A plaque at the summit of Grassy Ridge Bald honors his memory. Most recently in the latter part of the 20th century, parts of the same farm areas have been re-cultivated by S.Kenneth Wilson, a direct descendant of the Peake and Ayers families that owned a significant amount of land which now makes up much of the North Carolina side of the Roan. In addition to herding livestock on and around the balds, his family has made significant efforts to restore many of the medicinal plant species that have been hunted to near extinction in the area.
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The character and distribution of Appalachian balds remained stable from the time the first naturalists explored the region, until forestry regulations no longer permitted annual pasturing of local cattle. How and why a summit develops into a grassy bald is unknown; they represent "an ecological enigma and a conservation dilemma". Weigl and Knowles note that "the presence of both rare, endemic plants and northern relicts requiring open habitat suggests a long evolutionary history" and offer a scenario in which grazing pressure of the giant herbivores of the Pleistocene retained the open tundra habitat as the Wisconsin glaciation retreated far to the north. With the arrival of the paleoindians and the disappearance of the megaherbivores, grazing pressure was maintained by deer and elk, and then by the grazing animals of European settlers.
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Rogers Ridge, a wildland in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests of western Virginia and the Cherokee National Forest of eastern Tennessee, has been recognized by the Wilderness Society as a special place worthy of protection from logging and road construction. The Wilderness Society has designated the area as a “Mountain Treasure”.Virginia's Mountain Treasures, report issued by The Wilderness Society, May, 1999Tennessee's Mountain Treasures, report issued by The Wilderness Society, May, 1996 High grassy ridges offer views of mountain ranges to the north and south; balds on Rogers Ridge are among the most extensive in the Southern Appalachians; and Gentry Creek has 30-foot waterfalls that cascade over high rock walls to clear pools below. With few midstory trees, tall trees with lush ground vegetation combine to give the hiker an experience of a mystical, openwoods atmosphere.
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