The preservation of the Southern Appalachian streams. A forest problem

To the south of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, and occupying portions of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, lies the high plateau commonly known as the Southern Appalachians. This plateau attains its greatest width, of some 70 miles, in North Carolina, and has an average elevation of about 3 000 ft. It includes 275 peaks that exceed 5 000 ft. in height, and 36 summits of over 6 000 ft., among them Mount Mitchell, which is the highest point east of the Rockies, and the oldest land on the continent.