4256 x 2831 px | 36 x 24 cm | 14,2 x 9,4 inches | 300dpi
Aufnahmedatum:
7. April 2010
Ort:
Balsam Mountain, Smoky Mountain National Park, North Carolia
Weitere Informationen:
Balsam Mountain Campground was set up not long after the inception of the National Park in 1934. The rare spruce-fir forests that cloak the highest elevations of the Smokies were among the primary reasons the Smoky Mountains were designated a national park. Covering only 13, 000 of the park’s 500, 000 acres, this is the southern limit of this relic of the ice age. Over 10, 000 years ago, when glaciers covered much of the United States, a forest much more reminiscent of those in Canada today migrated south. When the glaciers retreated, this forest survived on the highest points of the Smokies, creating an “island” forest that has many ecologically important components besides red spruce and Fraser fir trees. At 5, 300 feet, Balsam Mountain is Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s highest campground.
