Terrestrial Ecological Communities - Biodiversity of Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The new vegetation map was developed by the University of Georgia's Geography Department, with an independent accuracy assessment carried out by the National Park Service in 2005.
The classification of the Park's vegetation was carried out by ecologists from NatureServe, an offshoot of The Nature Conservancy. The classification is a hierarchical one, where each named vegetation community is part of a national, comprehensive vegetation classification.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park contains almost all of the major forest types of the Eastern United States, and a hike from the lower elevations to the high peaks is like a journey from Georgia to Maine.
The complex geology of the Park contributes to the diversity of habitats found in the Park. Geologic maps and data about the Park may be found at the USGS's Appalachian Blue Ridge Project.
Bibliography

"Sawteeth" near Charlie's Bunion

Cades Cove

Click photos to enlarge.
Photos by Charles Wilder.