Southern Appalachian Red Spruce - Northern Hardwood Forest / Rhododendron Forest – CEGL004983

Mixtures of red spruce (Picea rubens) and northern hardwoods, with dense shrub layers of great and Catawba rhododendrons (Rhododendron maximum and R. catawbiense) occur near the summits of the two "Beartowns" on Clinch Mountain in the southwest Virgina Ridge and Valley province.  Elevation 4650 ft., Tazewell Beartown above Burkes Garden, Tazewell County.  Beartown Wilderness Area, Eastern Divide Ranger District, George Washington & Jefferson National Forests.