Saving the Southern Appalachian Red Spruce Forest

A relic of the last Ice Age that thrives in colder temperatures, the red spruce was once a mainstay of the eastern North American forest from the southern Appalachians to coastal Canada. Widespread logging in the 19th and early 20th centuries cut its historic range in half. This made the remaining forests vulnerable to wildfires. Today, red spruce in the southern Appalachians exist mostly on the highest mountaintops, forming dark green “sky islands.”
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) is working with partners including the Southern Appalachian Spruce Restoration Initiative to preserve the red spruce forest. In addition to providing an unforgettable experience for A.T. visitors, the red spruce trees are the center of a complex ecosystem that several endangered species rely upon for their survival.