By Moira Gasior
Sharps Knob is located in Pocahontas County, not too far from Snowshoe Mountain. In the early 1970s, Sharps Knob was surface-mined for coal, leaving the land scarred. The company that mined planted non-native grasses and red pine trees (which was best practice at the time). Today, Monongahela National Forest, Green Forests Work, the Office of Surface Mining, Appalachian Headwaters, and Snowshoe Foundation are partnering to restore Sharps Knob to its original red spruce-northern hardwood ecosystem.
Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area AmeriCorps member Rachel Rosenberg, serving with USDA Forest Service in Marlinton, has had the opportunity to participate in this ongoing project. We spoke to her, as well as Breezey Snyder with Green Forests Work about their experiences working on the restoration of Sharps Knob.
Red spruce forest atop Red Spruce Knob along the Highland Scenic Highway in Pocahontas County, WV.
Red Spruce and its Decline
The Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area is made up of 18 counties in the Allegheny Highlands of western Maryland and West Virginia, encompassing some very unique ecology. Many of the species and ecosystems found here are typically found at much higher latitude, such as Canada or Maine.
These ecosystems thrived in Highlands because of the high elevations making up the mountainous landscape. One of the more unique ecosystems found here are red spruce-northern hardwood ecosystems. It is estimated more than 500,000 acres of red spruce forests blanketed mountain ridges and knobs before European settlers made their homes in this region.
West Virginia northern flying squirrel.
Red spruce ecosystems are habitat to more than 240 unique animal and plant species. Here, these species mix with more southern species, creating an abundance of biodiversity. The Cheat Mountain salamander, the West Virginia northern flying squirrel, the snowshoe hare, migratory winter birds, and the northern goshawk all call red spruce forests their home. Other associated trees are eastern hemlock, yellow birch, red maple, American beech, mountain ash, and black cherry. Mosses and liverworts often have heavy cover over the rocky ground.
“Red spruce forests are important sites for carbon sequestration. So restoration lets us put things back where we want them, but it also lets us (hopefully) prevent things we don’t want, like invasive species, from taking root in these disturbed areas they usually love,” explains Rachel Rosenberg. Rachel serves in the Marlinton Ranger District and assists with ongoing invasive species management projects, education and outreach, and restorative ecological projects.
The history of West Virginia and Western Maryland is punctuated with extractive industry practices. In 1909 at peak lumber operations, nearly one and a half billion board-feet of lumber were produced for industrial use. Extensive logging operations helped support the United States’ Industrial period, but damaged the landscape and waterways. “So much of the landscape here in this state and in the wider Appalachian region has been shaped by booms and busts of extractive industries such as mining and logging,” says Rachel. In addition to the timber industry, mining practices impaired air and soil quality, creating acid rain and soil erosion.
Canaan Mountain previous to replanting; notice how barren the landscape is, stripped of it’s forests. Photo from USDA Forest Service.
This year, Monongahela National Forest is celebrating its centennial. One hundred years ago, the lush mountains we strongly identify with West Virginia today were almost entirely stripped bare. “Monongahela National Forest was born out of a need to restore these headwaters areas and get back some of those critical ecosystem services, flood and erosion control chief among them. Today the restoration efforts continue, and we have an added focus, red spruce forests.” The creation of the Mon helped to replant the forests here, create integral forest infrastructure, and standardized land management practices.
CCC boys planting in Greenbrier County. Photo from USDA Forest Service.
Today, red spruce forests make up about 30,000 acres in West Virginia. During the logging era, some tree stands were simply overlooked by early surveyors, such as Gaudineer Knob. Other stands were replanted nearly 80 years ago members of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), and state and federal agencies.
Recreating a Forest
For about 40 years, the land remained the way the mining company left it, until ecologists revisited the area and began planning to restore the red spruce ecosystems that once existed there.
Breezey Snyder started with Green Forests Work this spring, working closely with Dr. Christopher Barton, who is also a professor at Kentucky University (where Breezey is obtaining a masters degree). She explained the process of recreating an ecosystem from start to finish, detailing the steps that need to be taken to ensure the success of the project. “There is essentially a three step process. These mine lands were reclaimed; meaning the land was contoured to approximately match what it had been before the mining, the ground was compacted, and then it was planted with red pine trees and non-native grasses. So, the first step is to rip the ground and bulldoze the trees, because the mining company mainly planted Norway spruce and red pine and these species are not historically part of the ecosystem we have here. The dozed trees are left on the project site to help with erosion, create micro-habitats, and give some nutrients back to the soil as the trees decompose. Ripping the soil (or decompacting) is done with a bulldozer that has large blades on the back. These blades are dragged through the soil in a grid pattern.” Decompacting the soil also allows for deeper roots in the seedlings, helping to secure their changes for survival.
“The second step, typically, is having a contractor create wetlands, though this wasn't necessary for this year's Sharp Knob project. In certain sites, the creation of wetlands helps to slow and direct the flow of water over a project site. This mitigates sedimentation and erosion that can happen on freshly disturbed soils, while also providing habitats for amphibians.” Because the natural drainage has been disrupted, ecologists are now seeing some mountaintop wetlands, some of which have cranberries.
“Each restoration project is different and requires a different approach, so though usually creating wetlands is part of the restoration process, Sharps Knob did not require this. “I plan to have a career in ecological restoration and understanding the needs of each unique project is essential,” says Breezey.
Red maple tree
“The final step is the planting! A variety of native seedlings are ordered from nurseries to be planted in the spring. Planting in the fall shows a lower survival rate for most species. Red spruce is a large component of the order, but the ecosystem here isn't complete without hardwoods, so species like red and sugar maple, serviceberry, black cherry, and yellow birch are included. When possible, seedlings from seeds collected in the local area are used.”
Yellow birch tree
Black cherry tree
Rachel was in charge of ordering the different seedlings (funded by Green Forests Work), as well as caring for them prior to their planting. “We tried to source them as closely to WV as possible. I was able to order most of the species we wanted, but couldn’t get my hands on some of the weirder ones like hobblebush. We also could only order a fraction of the spruce we wanted because of availability, but thankfully we got a bunch from Dave Saville of the Highlands Conservancy.” After ordering and obtaining the seedlings, Rachel cared for them while they temporarily were stored in a massive cooler at the Marlinton Ranger Station facilities, making sure that the tree’s soil was moist but not moldy. Then, she and fellow AmeriCorps member Michael Zsembik (serving through VetsWork) transported all 40,000 trees to Sharps Knob. The trees were planted by a private contracting company in early May of this year.
According to Rachel, some people may argue against restoration projects on the grounds that natural succession will put things back as they were eventually. “And we see that in some places, which is great, but in many places there are these dominant plant communities (like red pine) that have taken over either with human help or by their own cunning. Especially with the red spruce-northern hardwood forests we are striving for, we often have to lend a helping hand to undo some of the harm that has been done.”
Michael and Rachel with the tree saplings at Sharps Knob.
Previously, a tree planting was done on Sharps Knob in 2018. Red spruce, donated by The Nature Conservancy, and American chestnuts, donated by the American Chestnut Foundation, were planted. Check out the video to the right to learn more about this tree planting.
The Future of Sharps Knob
The journey doesn’t end with the trees in the ground. The long-term survival of these seedlings is still unknown. The decompaction and ripping of the soil will help the new trees take root, but other factors, such as rainfall or wildlife, can impact the success of the planting. “The hardwoods have a tougher time growing. Deer are a compounding hardship since they will frequently eat the new growth on hardwoods. Deer spare red spruce unless food sources are scarce, “ explained Breezey. There are strategies planters can take to protect the seedlings from wildlife. “When possible, the planters try to hide the hardwood seedlings near the limbs of the dozed trees so they might grow for a couple years before being noticed by the deer.”
Old-growth red spruce forest at Gaudineer Knob.
The observable outcomes of this massive planting are on a lengthy timeline. With so much hard work and effort put towards the restoration of Sharps Knob, participating partners can now sit back and watch with “excitement, anxiety, and wonder”, according to Rachel. She ponders: “Will most of the seedlings survive the first year? Which species will end up doing the best in the long run? What scars will persist on the landscape even after our new forest is grown up? How will it compare to the old-growth red spruce forest in places like Gaudineer Knob?” Both Rachel and Breezey look forward to returning to Sharps Knob in the years and decades to come. They are both excited and anxious to see the changing landscape and ecological shifts.
Though restoration is not a substitute for conservation, restorative projects are incredibly important. They care for, heal, and support natural processes and ecosystems, one tree at a time. Humans play a large role in manipulating landscapes and ecosystems. But the way in which we interact with ecosystems does not have to be harsh on the earth. In caring for scarred earth, we are protecting future bioversity, fighting climate change, and investing in the growth of sustainable, healthy forests and ecosystems in West Virginia.
We commend all of the partners, volunteers, and AmeriCorps members involved for their combined efforts and hard work. Though it will be some years before the fruits of this labor are visible, the work is critical to helping revive native ecosystems.
Red spruce ecosystem restoration efforts are being made across the Appalachian region by various non-profit, government agency, and private groups. Specifically in our area, The Nature Conservancy, Central Appalachian Spruce Restoration Initiative (CASRI), the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, Green Forests Work, US Fish and Wildlife Services, Monongahela National Forest, WV Division of Forestry, and Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge are some of the organizations creating partnerships to create healthy and productive forests.
