Wooded ravines, mountain bowls, and moist coves and hollows provide some of the most fertile settings in the Northern Appalachian - Acadian region. Over 200,000 of these features are concentrated on harder bedrocks and moderate elevations, although they are found across all settings. Like streams, cove and ravine systems form interconnected networks, and it can be hard to determine where one occurrence ends and another begins. Most are small, averaging 18 acres in size, with 88% of them being less than 25 acres. In landscapes conducive to their development, extensive ravine networks occur, connected by toe-slopes. These appear on maps as large examples, although the size may reflect the extent and complexity of the system more than an increase in the size of the individual draws.
Of the almost 4 million acres of bowl/ravine features in the ecoregion, TNC identified 13 percent as critical for protection. This constitutes less than 1% of the ecoregion. Currently, 76 % of the 499 critical occurrences lie within lands of Gap 1 or 2 protection status, although that percentage reduces to 40% when the occurrences are examined across environmental gradients.
Please see NAP Ecoregional Plan 2005, Cove and Draw Ecosystems (Anderson, 2005) for more information.