page_title: Whitetop Mountain (conservation area)
section_title: Natural history
hierarchical_section_title: Whitetop Mountain (conservation area) / Natural history
caption_attribution_description: English: The fir/spruce mountain meadows on Whitetop Mountain.
context_page_description: Whitetop Mountain (conservation area) is a wildland in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests of western Virginia that has been recognized by the Wilderness Society as a special place worthy of protection from logging and road construction. The Wilderness Society has designated the area as a “Mountain Treasure”.
  The second highest mountain in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, Whitetop Mountain and nearby Buzzard Knob are a commanding presence with a vertical elevation of 3500 feet and good views over the South Holston River at Damascus.
  The area is part of the Mount Rogers Cluster.
context_section_description: Unusual species include the northern flying squirrel, northern saw-whet owl, purple finch, Swanson’s thrush, magnolia warbler, red crossbill, winter wren, peregrine falcon, Blue Ridge St. John’s wort, mountain rattlesnake root, mountain bittercress, Grays lilly, and  three-toothed cinquefoil.  There is a salamander special management area on the north side of Whitetop Mountain with the greatest known diversity of salamanders for any area on earth of comparable size.  The pygmy salamander, shovelnose salamander and Weller's salamander are found here.
  Several stands of old growth forest have been identified on the southern side of the area.  Frazer Fir and red spruce are found at the summit of Whitetop, while beech and  maple are dominant below 4700 feet.
  Six streams in the area, Daves Branch, Big Branch, Pennington Branch, Helton Creek, Whitetop Creek , and  Sturgill Branch, are recognized for their water quality.  Wild natural trout streams in Virginia are classified by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries by their water quality, with class i the highest and class iv the lowest.  These streams are class ii streams.
caption: The fir-spruce mountain meadows on Whitetop Mountain
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