Ecology and Restoration of Red Spruce Ecosystems in the Central and Southern Appalachians

This open access book synthesizes 20 years of successful partnerships and research on the ecology and restoration of Central and Southern Appalachian red spruce ecosystems, and provides a “state of the science” to take next steps given climate change implications. The authors have come together through the Central Appalachians Spruce Restoration Initiative (CASRI) and the Southern Appalachians Spruce Restoration Initiative (SASRI) partnerships composed of federal and state natural resource management agencies, conservation non-profits, and research institutions. The work is a result of this partnership, and aims to provide guidance to new and future managers and build support for continued restoration and conservation efforts. One of the last books on the ecology of eastern red spruce forests was written in 1992 and documents the decline of red spruce from the effects of atmospheric deposition. Recent studies have shown that this is no longer the story of red spruce since the CleanAir Act came into effect; red spruce is recovering, but in need of climate-informed management. There is a need to tell the current story of the climate adaptation of this keystone species that provides habitat for 100s of threatened and endangered species in the high elevations of the southern and central Appalachians.