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