Source: MOUNTAIN XPRESS, 12/10/16

Mighty oaks from tiny acorns grow, though perhaps not as quickly or vigorously as foresters and landowners would like.
Although mature stands of oak and hickory dominate the forested slopes of our Blue Ridge Mountains, foresters have been sounding an alarm about the future of these species, particularly the economically and ecologically valuable oak, since the 1950s. That’s because when those forests are harvested, other types of trees — notably yellow poplar — start crowding them out.

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