Our Forests and Trees, One Year After Helene

In the fifteen months since Helene toppled trees and triggered landslides across the Blue Ridge, our forests have begun to recover. Yet some of our most-affected forests may never be the same. By one measure, we now see our youthful forests as they appeared a century ago, after they were logged and repeatedly burned, but much of our next forest will arise surrounded by homes with novel threats from non-native invasive species and extreme weather.

Our greatest concern is wildfire. Helene increased woody and brushy fuels, and this makes wildfire suppression more difficult. With each passing season, fuels evolve, and residents need to be well-informed and well-prepared to live safely with fire.

Alison Ormsby is the Forest Specialist with Adventure Scientists. She has a Ph.D. in Environmental Studies and taught at the university level for 20 years. She is currently co-chair of the Tree Protection Task Force for Buncombe County, NC and has served on the boards of numerous local environmental organizations.

Keith Aitken is Asheville's first Urban Forester. He plans to present the public engagement phase of the Urban Forest Master Plan which will help guide the plan's development. Please take the master plan's survey here.

Michael Cheek is our NC Region 3 Mountain Division Director and Regional Forester.

This is the regular meeting of the Sierra Club group in Asheville. If you happen to be in Asheville, the in-person meeting is at the Reuter Center of UNCA, 300 Campus View Dr, Asheville, Room 102. The program is also online via Zoom.