Environmental Description:  This acidic conifer woodland swamp occurs on moist to saturated soils in headwater basins of the Allegheny Mountains region of West Virginia, at elevations of 960-1130 m above sea level. It occurs on Mississippian and Pennsylvanian bedrock, usually on Mauch Chunk shale or Greenbrier limestone, and occasionally on the more acidic Pottsville or Conemaugh formations. It occupies gently sloping land (1-10° slopes) along small headwater streams, in mixed wetland mosaics, often at the base of upland slopes. This type is at the drier end of the wetland range. Microtopography is characterized by irregular hummocks formed over tree roots, tip-up mounds, nurse logs, and decaying wood. Anthropogenic disturbance includes historic logging and fires around the year 1900. Current fluctuations in hydrologic regime occur as a result of beaver activity, but do not appear to immediately threaten this community. Most Abies balsamea show slight to severe damage from Adelges piceae (balsam woolly adelgid), including bark infestation and gout damage; however, this community type also includes the best multi-aged disease-free stand of Abies balsamea in West Virginia, where the species is at the southernmost edge of its range. Combined with excessive deer herbivory, the adelgid damage may be severe enough to eliminate balsam fir and change the dominant species composition of this community in the future. Soils are moderately to poorly drained loamy soils with mottling in the upper 20 cm and occasional gleyed horizons. Hydric soil indicators include sandy redox, stripped matrix, depleted matrix, and redox depressions. Soil chemistry is characterized by high Al, Fe, H, N, and total exchange capacity; moderate K, P, organic matter; and low B, Ca, Cu, Mg, Mn, Na, S, Zn (n=10). The unvegetated surface is predominantly litter, with an average of 3% downed wood and 1% standing water (Ceperley 2002, Byers et al. 2007).