How important are old-growth forests to the critters who live there?
Cerulean warblers seem to have a preference for old forests.
For many Blue Ridge residents, the term “old-growth forest” might simply conjure up images of tall trees, shade-loving wildflowers and woodpeckers tapping in the distance. But it’s not that simple, says Todd Schneider, a wildlife biologist at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
“There’s no definition as far as size, but old growth is basically virgin forest [that has never been logged] or forest that has had a long time to recover [from some type of disturbance]. It’s a complicated, multi-level structure. So you have the upper canopy, but then in the middle you have different-age trees, a lot of dead stuff on the ground that’s rotting, decaying, providing places for fungi and other plants to grow. It’s a much more organically rich site.”
Not only do old-growth forests lessen the effects of climate change by storing large amounts of carbon and filtering clean air; they provide critical habitat for certain animals. In the Southeast, says Schneider, some salamanders and invertebrates have “become really tightly associated” with old forests and need the habitat to survive.
Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest is home to 400-year-old trees.
“It’s really a matter of those species being tied in a kind of developmental or evolutionary sense to these environments so they really get in the groove,” he says. “That is what they’re capable of living in, and if you remove that, they fade out. The populations decline. They sometimes go extinct.”
Because birds generally adapt better to changing habitats than other critters, says Schneider, most Blue Ridge avians don’t depend on old-growth forests, although a few, like the Cerulean warbler that spends its summers in Southeastern woodlands, seem to prefer the mix of thick canopy and open gaps that let sunlight pour in.
Unlike in the western U.S., where the endangered northern spotted owl and other imperiled species still rely on old-growth habitat, says Schneider, “In the East, there’s very little old growth left.”
Over time, most native forests have been altered, at least to some degree, by lightning strikes, fire, storms, disease and clear-cutting.
“A lot of what we see nowadays, because we’ve had a couple hundred years of heavy human intervention, has been highly modified from what it was,” Schneider says. “We lost things like the [American] chestnut because of chestnut blight back in the early 1900s. That was a keystone species that influenced a lot of this forest in the Blue Ridge Mountains.”
One notable old-growth survivor is the 3,800-acre Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest in western North Carolina, which boasts more than 100 tree species—some over four centuries old and 100 feet tall—and is maintained in its primitive state, only accessible by foot. And in the Appalachian Mountains, “mature” forests are sometimes mistaken for their old-growth counterparts. In North Georgia’s Chattahoochee National Forest, the 175-acre Sosebee Cove boasts much of the same animal and plant diversity seen in old-growth woods, but is actually a “second-growth” or “mature” site.
Since old growth takes so long to develop—generally several hundred years or more—most Blue Ridge residents won’t be able to witness the evolution. Says Schneider, “It’s my great-great-great-grandchildren who might see the results.”
Help Protect Old-Growth Forests
- “Visit several of the sites,” says Todd Schneider, a wildlife biologist at the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, “to get a feel or impression of them, and a better understanding.”
- Volunteer to work with biologists at the U.S. Forest Service or other agency to conserve these valuable woodlands, or make a monetary donation.
- If you’re a landowner who’s willing to sell easements or other rights to protect forested land on your property, contact the appropriate conservation agency. Tax advantages and incentive programs are available. Says Schneider, “They might work something out with you, either actual outright buying or some kind of long-term lease agreement, so that the land is preserved.”
The story above first appeared in our May / June 2024 issue. For more like it subscribe today or log in with your active BRC+ Membership. Thank you for your support!