In the 1970s, red spruce was the forest equivalent of a canary in the coal mine, signaling that acid rain was damaging forests and that some species – especially red spruce – were particularly sensitive to this human induced damage. In the course of studying the lingering effects of acid rain, scientists came up with a surprising result – decades later, the canary is feeling much better.

Related Research:

“The Surprising Recovery of Red Spruce Growth Shows Links to Decreased Acid Deposition and Elevated Temperature” (2018)
“Quantifying the Legacy of Foliar Winter Injury on Woody Aboveground Carbon Sequestration of Red Spruce Trees” (2013)
“Calcium Addition at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest Increases the Capacity for Stress Tolerance and Carbon Capture in Red Spruce (Picea rubens) Trees During the Cold Season” (2011)
“The Isolated Red Spruce Communities of Virginia and West Virginia” (2010)
“Acid Rain Impacts on Calcium Nutrition and Forest Health” (1999)
"Ecology and Decline of Red Spruce in the Eastern United States" (1992)

Scientists:

Mary Beth Adams, Research Soil Scientist, Morgantown, West Virginia
Paul Schaberg, Research Plant Physiologist, Burlington, Vermont

Produced by the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station.

Want more information? Visit us at https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/nrs/products/multimedia/podcasts/forestcast-special-episode-window-resurgence-red-spruce

Questions or ideas for the show? Connect with Jon at: jonathan.yales@usda.gov

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A Window of Resurgence for Red Spruce