Archived Outdoors

Red spruce planted at Mount Mitchell

Mark Endries (right) helps a volunteer plant a young red spruce tree  in the Camp Alice area of Mount Mitchell State Park. USFWS photo Mark Endries (right) helps a volunteer plant a young red spruce tree in the Camp Alice area of Mount Mitchell State Park. USFWS photo

In May, 327 two-year-old red spruce trees grown by the Southern Highlands Reserve in Lake Toxaway traveled to the Black Mountains for planting in Mount Mitchell State Park.

The trees were grown through the Southern Appalachian Spruce Restoration Initiative, a partnership between the reserve and various state, federal, nonprofit and university organizations. They were picked up by Sue Cameron, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist who is an expert in the endangered species that depend on red spruce for survival, along with her team. The trees will provide new habitat for the endangered Carolina northern flying squirrel, the spruce-fir moss spider — which is the world’s smallest tarantula — and many others.

There is currently a shortage of spruce-fir forest in the Southern Appalachians, the result of heavy logging in the late 1800s and early 1900s accompanied by construction of railroads through the rugged terrain, as well as hot-burning wildfires, torrential rain, mid-century air pollution and damage from the balsam wooly adelgid.

Smokey Mountain News Logo
SUPPORT THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS AND
INDEPENDENT, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM
Go to top
Payment Information

/

At our inception 20 years ago, we chose to be different. Unlike other news organizations, we made the decision to provide in-depth, regional reporting free to anyone who wanted access to it. We don’t plan to change that model. Support from our readers will help us maintain and strengthen the editorial independence that is crucial to our mission to help make Western North Carolina a better place to call home. If you are able, please support The Smoky Mountain News.

The Smoky Mountain News is a wholly private corporation. Reader contributions support the journalistic mission of SMN to remain independent. Your support of SMN does not constitute a charitable donation. If you have a question about contributing to SMN, please contact us.