The Southern Appalachian Highlands (referred to herein as the Appalachians) and Interior Highlands (referred herein as the Ozarks) are the two largest mountainous regions between the Atlantic seaboard and the Rocky Mountains. The forests and other types of vegetation present in these two regions occur over a landscape that varies considerably with respect to elevation and topography, and they truly can be considered “bookends of the Eastern Deciduous Forest Biome” (EDF). Braun comprehensively characterized the EDF as sufficiently similar to be considered as one vegetation type, but the latter encompasses a wide range of differences in geology, soil, vegetation, and history. As such, numerous distinctions can be made within the EDF. These are most notable in the two “bookends.” These distinctions are reflected most prominently in the structure and composition of the vegetation present at a particular site. Much of the area in both regions consists of rugged dissected plateaus, but the Appalachians also contain numerous mountains with summits and ridges exceeding 1200 m. Mount Mitchell (2027 m) in North Carolina is the highest peak in all of eastern North America. In contrast, maximum elevation in the Ozarks is 839 m (Mount Magazine in Arkansas). Rocks exposed at the surface in both regions are mostly sedimentary, primarily sandstones and limestones/dolomites formed during the Paleozoic Era. The Appalachians and Ozarks were largely unaffected by “recent” continental glaciation, but disturbance factors related mostly to human activities have been and continue to be important in the two regions.