page_title: Pinkham Notch
section_title: Below 2500 ft. — Northern hardwood forest
hierarchical_section_title: Pinkham Notch / Environment / Below 2500 ft. — Northern hardwood forest
caption_attribution_description: English: The floor of Pinkham Notch, looking toward Mount Washington - Photographer:Srsteel. uploaded by Srsteel. available online at www.srsteel.co.uk New version uploaded with URL watermark removed en:2008-02-15 --TimTay (talk) 14:53, 15 February 2008 (UTC)
context_page_description: Pinkham Notch is a mountain pass in the White Mountains of north-central New Hampshire, United States. The notch is a result of extensive erosion by the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the Wisconsinian ice age. Pinkham Notch was eroded into a glacial U-shaped valley whose walls are formed by the Presidential, Wildcat, and Carter-Moriah ranges. Due to the volatility of the area's climate and rugged character of the terrain, a number of rare or endemic ecosystems have developed throughout the notch.
  The notch was discovered in 1784 by Jeremy Belknap, but its isolation prevented further development for several years. The construction of New Hampshire Route 16 has led to increased accessibility and a rise in tourism. Its location makes it a hub for hiking and skiing.
context_section_description: The lowest elevations of Pinkham Notch are occupied by a northern hardwood forest. This forest type is primarily deciduous and consists mostly of sugar maple, American beech, and yellow birch. There is also a proliferation of understory and forest floor plants; common examples include wild sarsaparilla, painted trillium, hobblebush, and Indian cucumber-root.
  The northern hardwood forest also contains the greatest diversity of animal life in the notch. Mammals include chipmunks, raccoons, white-tailed deer, black bears, and moose. There are also a large number of birds in this forest; frequently seen are red-eyed vireos, hermit thrushes, and ovenbirds. Amphibians are also found in the northern hardwood forest. Red efts, the terrestrial stage of development for the red-spotted newt, congregate in large numbers after heavy rains; also present are American toads, spring peepers, and wood frogs.
  At around 2,000 feet (610 m), species from higher forest zones begin to mix with the northern hardwoods in what is known as the "transition zone". As elevation within this zone increases, species from the lower hardwood forest begin to drop out. By 2,500 feet (760 m), yellow birch is the only deciduous species that remains, and the forest becomes a spruce-fir forest.
caption: The floor of Pinkham Notch, looking toward Mount Washington
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