The Flat Laurel Spruce CollaborativePutting SASRI partners and products together to restore flying squirrel habitat

Chris Kelly, Mountain Wildlife Diversity Biologist, NC Wildlife Resources Commission

Process and tools used to identify a candidate site and to design a suitable prescription.

Logistics and extras –community involvement, education and research

GOAL: Restore the conifer component to improve habitat for Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel by planting Red Spruce in an area altered by historic logging and wildfires.

2017 Spruce Restoration Project

Northern Flying Squirrel Habitat

Spruce/Fir-Northern Hardwood Forests• Truffles

• Den sites and nest material

Old growth characteristics

Streams, seeps

>4000 feet elevation in NC

Mature conifers are important to Northern flying squirrels

Best available science: Northern flying squirrel

Problem and need:Northern flying squirrel

Most of their habitat was logged. Some burned.The composition of the forest changed after logging and fires to a more hardwood-dominated mix.

Our high elevation forests became dominated by hardwood species.

Desired Future Condition:mixed conifer-hardwood stands

Smoky Mountains as a reference condition

Southern Appalachian Spruce Restoration Initiative

• Restore red spruce forests in ecologically appropriate locations throughout the Southern Blue Ridge ecoregion.

• Build a network of organizations and agencies dedicated to achieving our spruce restoration goal.

• Increase the capacity for growing spruce seedlings for planting, in order to meet the restoration goals.

www.restoreredspruce.org

SASRI products

• Map of current spruce

• Restoration Plan & criteria

• Fact sheet• Draft charter• Unicois planting• Nov 2017

workshop

So… how do we actually restore spruce?

•Release existing•Plant new

Release Treatments – Current Science• Rentch et al. 2016 Natural Areas Journal 36(1):29-37

• Release of red spruce seedling/saplings with DBH > 1 inch, LCR > 60%.

• Released by chemically girdling trees overtopping spruce that intersected with a projected cylinder.

• Benefits of release last for the 6 years of study (DBH & Height Growth & Light)

• Recommend removal of trees within 10 – 13 feet of cylinder (take 50%)

Release

Flying squirrel dens in canopy hardwoods

Propagating Red Spruce from seed at The Southern

Highlands Reserve

2013 Bumper Cone Crop: collected cones in 5 sky islands.

Plant

Flat Laurel Collaborative Spruce Restoration Project

Site history

• Logged 1905-1925

• Logging camps

• 1925 fire• 1942 fire• Plantations

1938+

Current Spruce overstory density

Flying squirrel habitat restoration

Increase spruce component

Connect habitat for CNFS

Squirrel surveys

Flying squirrel and bird surveys

Curr

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Priority areas based on overstory, elevation, aspect, and history.No info about the understory.

Do we need to plant?

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udy 50 1/10 ac plots to assess understory and overstory

Decision process for treatments• If acceptable level of advanced regeneration and

overstory spruce >25%, then no action.• If advanced regeneration is at acceptable level but

spruce basal area is <25%, then release suppressed spruce trees.

• If advanced regeneration is low/absent, then plant seedlings.

Treatments• Planting (in areas with low advanced regeneration):

• Existing openings – release from herbaceous competition?• Low density overstory hardwoods – future release potential• Closed canopy hardwoods – with release

• Release (planted spruce or existing volunteers): • Mechanical only (cut or girdle)• Chemical only• Chemical/mechanical

• Thinning Plantation Spruce (create structure)

Monitoring Growth and Survival

Carolina Vegetation Survey: Level 1 Height Diameter

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BigJ Hoop Huck milept Sant Whig

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Spruce seedling height during 5 sampling sessions

Spg 14Fall 14Spg 15Fall 15Fall 16Fall 17

Opportunities for class or individual investigation:1. Monitor seedling growth and survival and canopy openness2. Age a sample of trees using increment borers

3. Test soil pH4. Map future release work needs

* Around planted seedlings* Around best candidates already growing there

5. Map existing canopy gaps6. Groundtruth the Current Spruce Unit map using an app7. Assess health of the plantation trees (fungi, insect pests)

8. Survey for birds in the restoration area and plantation9. Survey more 1/10ac plots to assess understory conditions of future restoration sites10. Help clean seeds or repot spruce seedlings at Southern Highlands Reserve

christine.kelly@ncwildlife.org

Thank you!• U.S Forest Service• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service• Southern Highlands Reserve• The Pisgah Conservancy• Carolina Mountain Club• Backcountry Horsemen of Pisgah• Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards• Daughters of the American Revolution• The Climate Times of Boone• NCWRC Mills River crew

• christine.kelly@ncwildlife.org 828-230-1320