These include cedar barrens and river bluffs. Some biotically important wetlands also follow this pattern. The most widely distributed and perhaps important plant community on the reservation is the cedar barren. On the reservation these drought-tolerant plant communities occur only on shallow, flaggy soils, derived from limestone geologic material. Dominant species in the cedar barrens are grasses, such as little bluestem, and a variety of forbs, with some eastern red cedars and stunted oaks.
Bare rock is fairly common.
Cedar barrens are habitat for several species of rare plants. Prairie species more common in the midwestern United States are also characteristic of these sites. River bluffs are found bordering the river reservoir where the Clinch River and Poplar Creek have cut through limestone ridges. River bluff communities contain an assemblage of plant species that flourish in these exposed, rocky environments where the buffering effects of the river provide humidity and some amelioration of extremes in temperature. This rugged environment is home for several rare plant species.