History and Accomplishments of Red Spruce Restoration Initiatives Across the Central and Southern Appalachians
This chapter traces nearly a century of red spruce restoration across the central and southern Appalachians. It highlights conservation partnerships, restoration science, seedling production, and policy support that enabled the planting of more than 2.5 million trees and accelerated recovery of critical high elevation forest ecosystems.
Subject Tags
- Forests
- Habitat restoration
Abstract
The widespread loss of red spruce forests across the central and southern Appalachians during the industrial logging era (1890–1940) inspired nearly a century of land conservation and restoration. This chapter covers the evolution of the restoration movement that began with Civilian Conservation Corps tree plantings in the 1930s, built momentum with the recognition of the loss of endangered species, and has grown through partnerships and supportive policies over the following decades to result in over 2.5 million trees planted and over an estimated 3,200 ha (7,907 ac) treated to accelerate red spruce (Picea rubens) release to the canopy. We describe how the long running restoration partnerships, the Central Appalachians Spruce Restoration Initiative (CASRI), and the Southern Appalachians Spruce Restoration Initiative (SASRI), each with dedicated individuals, have provided the foundation for collaborative restoration in critical landscapes across the historical footprint of red spruce ecosystems. Supporting science, including mapping forest conditions and restoration needs, and consistent local red spruce seedling production created the enabling conditions to scale restoration. This documentation of the partnerships’ successes and lessons learned can provide a roadmap for other restoration communities with a vision for landscape-scale ecosystem restoration.
Citation
Byers, A. C., Thomas-Van Gundy, M. A., Medlock, K., & Shallows, K. M. (2026). History and Accomplishments of Red Spruce Restoration Initiatives Across the Central and Southern Appalachians. In Ecology and Restoration of Red Spruce Ecosystems in the Central and Southern Appalachians (pp. 299-324). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
TNC Authors
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Katherine Medlock
Appalachians Conservation Director, South. Tennessee
The Nature Conservancy
Email: kmedlock@tnc.org -
Kathryn M. Shallows
The Nature Conservancy