This report is the first comprehensive inventory of the vascular flora and macroscopic fauna known to occur within the Fernow Experimental Forest in northcentral West Virginia. The compendium is based on information obtained from previous surveys, current research, and the personal observations of USDA Forest Service personnel and independent scientists. More than 750 documents on Fernow-related research have been published. The earliest report on the vegetation on what is now the experimental forest dates back to 1856.

No abstract

No abstract

The vascular flora of the region we considered include 94 families representing at least 461 species. Fifty-four of these or nearly 12 percent are species known to have been introduced. Asteraceae (46 species) is the single largest family; Cyperaceae (31), Liliaceae (29), Poaceae and Rosaceae (20 each) also are important families in the general study area. The 461 species of vascular plants recorded constitute only 17.2 percent of the total species (2,683) known from the State of West Virginia but account for a larger proportion (31.5 percent) of all species known from Tucker County or Randolph County.