Succession of woody plants into a high elevation grassy bald of the Balsam Mountains

The vegetation in some southern Appalachian grassy balds is changing as shrub and tree invasion reduces the dominance of grasses. Successional changes were documented in one grassy bald, the Judaculla Fields, by monitoring the vegetation in 1/2 × 2 m permanent plots over a five-year period. Overall, the grass and mixed herb cover decreased by 25 and 21%, respectively, while woody shrub and tree species cover increased by 239 and 88%, respectively. The primary species invading the grassy areas was the low-bush blueberry (Vaccinium pallidum Aiton). The increase in conifer saplings present was probably a function of large seed crops during the five-year period. However, the rapid shrub invasion and loss of spruce-fir seed source presently observed is likely to preclude either the formation of spruce-fir forest or the maintenance of the grassy status of the bald.