The Walker Branch Watershed is located on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Reservation in eastern Tennessee. The watershed consists of two subcatchments with a total area of approximately 100 ha.
The climate is typical of the humid southern Appalachian region. The forest soils are acidic, very cherty, infertile, and permeable. They are formed over dolomitic bedrock, but retain little evidence of their carbonate parent material. The forest vegetation is primarily oak-hickory with scattered pine on the ridges and mesophytic hardwoods in the valleys. Currently, the forest is comprised mostly of oak (several species), tulip poplar, and red maple.
