It seems that in the Appalachian Mountains, Ginseng will grow in many locations, mainly below the normal hardwood (Oaks, Maples, Birch, Beech, Black Walnut, Dogwood, Black Cherry, Hickory, Poplars and I am sure a few other species of trees will grow) tree line (i.e. the upper line on a mountain at which most if not all hardwoods will no longer grow and generally only firs, conifers, Azaleas, Rhododedron and scrub bushes grow). This normal hardwood tree line can vary quite significantly depending upon orientation of the mountain or terrain, viable soils for plants, available moisture, temperatures and winds. Above this line, mainly only Firs and other Conifers, flaming Azaleas, certain Rhododendrons and other scrub type brushes grow and there usually is a lot of dead trees, rock and bare ground. This portion of the mountains are generally exposed to high winds, severe temperature extremes, lack of retained moisture, lack of viable soils and often, exposed to too much sunshine which quickly evaporates much of the retained moisture. Either of these areas of mountains can vary quite significantly within a specific range of mountains within the Appalachians, again depending upon orientation but also whether individual mountains and peaks are wide spread or tightly aligned. Mountains and their' peaks which are somewhat further apart, generally do not experience the more extreme high winds and thus, generally do not experience the extreme cold temperatures since the orographic lifting is less. However, mountains and their' peaks which are very tightly aligned (close to each other) or which have other mountains which may be on either side of a range and fill the gaps between the peaks per see, causes winds to be more extreme due to funneling and thus, generally experience more extreme cold temperatures due to increased orographic lifting. As one can see, the further Northward you travel or live, the lower these areas occurs due to the noted reasons but also because the freezing level of the atmosphere, lowers the further North you travel or live.
Frank
