Forest Ecosystems of the Southern Appalachians - Short Course

Forest Ecosystems of the Southern Appalachians
July 20-Aug. 1 with Drs. Stephanie Jeffries, North Carolina State University; Alan Weakley, UNC-Chapel Hill; Julie Tuttle, Duke University

This course will teach students how to read the forested landscapes of the southern Appalachian Mountains. Understanding the patterns and processes in forested ecosystems will require students to focus on vegetation, with an emphasis on natural communities. We’ll introduce topics such as biogeography, paleo-ecology, classification of vegetation, regional environmental patterns, succession and community dynamics, vegetation/environmental relationships, and current threats to the integrity of these systems across a variety of field sites, which will take us on two multi-day field trips away from the Station. We expect students to actively immerse themselves in the fascinating ecology of the southern Appalachian Mountains, through their enthusiastic participation, keen observation, and careful field notes.
Special Note: We will go on a few overnight trips during this course which will require off-site lodging. Students must pay these extra lodging fees ($75, subject to change) when you pay for the course.


The Highlands Biological Station, an inter-institutional research center of the University of North Carolina, is offering its 2015 series of summer courses and workshops that can be taken for undergraduate OR graduate credit toward your academic program. The following list of field-based courses and workshops are focused on the diversity of organisms in the region with special emphasis on identification and collection techniques as well as principles of evolution, ecology and conservation. Scholarships, Grants-in-aid of research for graduate students, and summer internships also available. Highlands, North Carolina, is located in the southern Blue Ridge Mountains, at an average elevation about 3,800 feet, and situated near the Nantahala National Forest, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Cherokee Indian Reservation, Appalachian Trail, and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

For more information and to apply, visit www.highlandsbiological.org/summercourses/ or call 828-526-2602.