Forest Health
 Forest health describes the condition and diversity of trees and other vegetation. Important processes happen in healthy forests as nutrients cycle through the soil and plants, purifying air and water. Healthy forests provide habitat for many species of animals and plants, keep soils rich and productive, and help regulate the climate. Forests also provide valuable recreational opportunities, and renewable natural resources for fuel, lumber, and paper.
The A.T. passes through some of the largest and least fragmented forest blocks remaining in the eastern U.S., including uncommon and fragile high elevation communities like the spruce-fir forests of the southern Appalachians.
Because of its passage through most eastern forest ecosystems, monitoring forest health along the Appalachian Trail provides a better understanding of the overall condition of eastern forests. Research will reveal the impacts of air pollution and forest pests and diseases on forest resources.
Air pollution, including ground-level ozone and acid rain, is already substantial across much of the A.T. lands and is increasingly killing sensitive species, including red spruce and sugar maple trees.
Destructive insects and diseases from other parts of the world are also killing native forest trees including American beech, hemlock, Fraser fir, butternut, and flowering dogwood. These exotic forest pests and diseases must be detected early and monitored closely to control their spread and the damage they cause.
Eastern hemlock is an important forest and timber tree along the A.T. This species is under attack by the exotic hemlock woolly adelgid, an insect that can kill adult hemlock trees in just a few years. This pest was first noticed on the East coast in Pennsylvania in the late 1960's, is currently spreading north, south and west, dramatically altering the forests where eastern hemlocks exist.
Overall, studies show substantial decline in forested land in the Mid-Atlantic States and in Virginia from the late 1980s to the early 2000s, as well as increased fragmentation in the northeast. Tracking trends in the increase or decrease of forested lands is important because of the scenic and ecological services these forests provide, and because of the economic importance forests provide for communities.
Monitoring will alert land managers, members of surrounding communities, and policy makers to the health of eastern forests to ensure that planning and protection is tied closely to the future health of the Appalachian forests.
Current Volunteer Opportunities
American Chestnut Monitoring
An orientation and training session for volunteers is scheduled for Saturday May 10, 2008 from 10am to noon at Gambrill State Park, Frederick, Maryland. The project will initially cover the section of the A.T. under the jurisdiction of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, stretching from Rockfish Gap in Virginia to Pine Grove Forest State Park in Pennsylvania. There will be an additional training session on May 17 starting at 10am at Shenandoah National Park headquarters. Individuals interested in participating in the pilot project may attend the session – no reservations are needed. For additional information on the trainings contact pickett@us.net.
ATC and TACF are also partnering at these events as part of TACF’s Chestnut Journey. People at these events are encouraged to hike a mile for the American chestnut and to learn more about this MEGA-Transect partnership.
March 1-2, Amicalola Falls State Park, Georgia
May 17-18, Trail Days, Damascus, Virginia
June 7, National Trails Day, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
August 17-19, Long Trail Festival, Rutland, Vermont
Read more about these events. (PDF)
Read more information on ATC’s American chestnut monitoring program.
Future Volunteer Opportunities
MEGA-Transect partners are working on developing a program for volunteer monitors to:
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