Fernbank Forest

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Fernbank Forest is a 65-acre (25 hectares) mature mixed forest located at the Fernbank Science Center in Atlanta, Georgia. It has one of the few remnants of original forest vegetation in the Georgia Piedmont; as such, it has been extensively studied by scientists. Large specimens of white oak and tulip poplar, which grow up to 131 feet (40 meters) tall, dominate the tree canopy. There also are a few equally tall loblolly pine. Other canopy species include American beech, black oak, northern red oak, southern red oak, pignut hickory, bitternut hickory, mockernut hickory and red maple. Eastern flowering dogwood and eastern redbud are prominent among the smaller trees. The forest floor is covered by many shrub, wildflower, and fern species.

Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis
Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis
White Trillium, Trillium grandiflorum
White Trillium, Trillium grandiflorum


Common animals include raccoon, opossum, gray squirrel, chipmunk, American crow, pileated woodpecker, box turtle and several snake species, including the venomous copperhead.

The soils are mostly well-drained, with medium brown or dark reddish brown sandy loam topsoils. The subsoils are clay loam or clay; they are medium red or dark red. The darker soils, which support higher plant diversity, have developed on mafic rock; the medium-toned soils are on felsic rock.



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