West Virginia · National Park & Preserve trail

Burnwood Trail Stop 3: Forest Succession

in West Virginia

Old-Growth Forest Hike Stop 3 - Forest Succession The forest to your right is in stark contrast with the forest along the rest of this trail. This young forest was an old field probably used for livestock, hay, or a yard. Aerial imagery from Google Earth reveals that the National Park Service stopped mowing the field in the mid-2000s and young tulip poplar trees have quickly infilled.

Tulip poplars are not tolerant of shade and are quick to establish in open areas with high sunlight. This young forest is an example of a secondary, early successional forest that is in the beginning stages of development. Succession is the process by which vegetation communities change in species composition and structure through time as the ecosystem matures.

This forest is considered even-aged, where all of the trees began growing at the same time after mowing stopped. Old-growth forests are late-successional and uneven-aged, where trees naturally grow to their upper age limits and numerous canopy layers and ages of trees can be found. The uneven-age of older forests is evidence that the trees didn’t all establish after a large human disturbance that cleared the entire area.

States: West Virginia
Trail type: National Park & Preserve trail
Centroid nearest city: Greensboro, NC · 156 mi · ~4 hr drive
Centroid coords: 38.0774°, -81.0751°

About New River Gorge National Park & Preserve

National Park & Preserve

This trail is inside New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, a national park & preserve managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.

Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/burnwood-trail-stop-3-forest-succession.htm

Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/neri/index.htm

Plan your hike

Practical notes

Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.

Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.

When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.

If you've hiked Burnwood Trail Stop 3: Forest Succession and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.