Red Spruce Restoration
A Rare and Endangered Ecosystem
The Southern Appalachians are home to 49 of the fifty highest peaks in the eastern United States. These montane sky islands support habitats and species unique to the Southern Appalachians, including high-elevation boreal forests of endemic Fraser fir and Red Spruce at its southernmost extent on the continent. These systems are considered the second most endangered forested ecosystems in the United States.
A Giant in the Forest
Red Spruce trees can live to be over 400 years old and tower over 100 feet tall. These ancient giants are part of a rare and precious ecosystem found only in the high peaks of the Southern Appalachians.
A Century of Decline
In the early 20th century, industrial logging and associated stand-replacing wildfires reduced these conifer forests by up to 60%. The logging altered soil conditions, hindering natural regeneration. In subsequent years, red spruce and Fraser fir forests were further degraded by human-caused atmospheric deposition, southern pine beetle, and an introduced invasive insect called the balsam woolly adelgid. One hundred years after the era of destructive logging, these forests have still not recovered.
The America the Beautiful Restoration Project
The recently proposed America the Beautiful project represents a multi-agency partnership aimed at restoring red spruce and Fraser fir in North Carolina. This initiative provides the Southern Appalachian Spruce Restoration Initiative (SASRI; established 2012) the ability to elevate, organize, and direct spruce restoration work across three states—Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee—on federal, state, tribal, and private lands at a scale never before achieved.
Protecting Imperiled Species
Efforts are heavily underway to ensure that species like the imperiled Northern Flying Squirrel and the Spruce-fir moss spider are not harmed during the restoration process. These rare species depend on healthy spruce-fir forests and are a critical part of restoration planning.
How You Can Help
America the Beautiful grant funds require cost share and matching contributions. Your donation helps North Carolina meet its portion of this match to perform restoration work for spruce forests. By supporting this project, you're helping recover one of the most endangered forest ecosystems in the United States and protecting the rare species that call it home.