Spruce Knob Revisited: A Half-Century of Vegetation Change

Abstract
A comparison is made of the present vegetation of Spruce Knob, West Virginia, with that of 51 years ago, as reported by A. B. Brooks. Since 1908 the area has been protected from fire, but has been more frequently visited as a result of construction of a road passing near the summit. The principal changes noted in the vegetation are: (1) increase in size and abundance of red spruce; (2) establishment of red maple; (3) establishment of at least two species of shrubs not present in 1908, and disappearance of several that were common at that time; and (4) establishment of several herbaceous species, including two naturalized exotics.