SAHC Awarded Cornell Lab of Ornithology Grant for Helene Recovery

Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Land Trust Bird Conservation Initiative Small Grant Program. SAHC and partners will use grant funds to address the devastating impacts of Tropical Storm Helene on fragile high elevation habitats on SAHC’s Roan High Preserve, reducing wildfire risk and working to restore globally rare habitats.

For over 50 years, SAHC has led partnerships to conserve and manage a protected landscape of more than 23,000 acres in the Highlands of Roan, including some of the highest elevations and richest repositories of biodiversity in the Appalachians. SAHC’s 1,240+ acre Roan High Preserve protects pristine high elevation habitat directly adjacent to the heart of red spruce – Fraser-fir forests on Pisgah National Forest. The Preserve supports a host of high elevation endemic or rare species, including the Carolina Northern flying squirrel, Saw-whet Owl, and Red Crossbill.

“In September 2024, our region was devastated by impacts from Tropical Storm Helene, and the Roan Highlands was one of the most hard-hit areas,” says Roan Stewardship Director Marquette Crockett. “High elevation hardwoods, oak, and conifer forests on south and east facing slopes were subject to large blow downs. High order streams were scoured, and landslides and debris flows occurred across roads and trails. We estimate that more than one-third of forests on SAHC’s Roan High Preserve suffered directly from severe blow downs, with smaller wind impacts scattered throughout the landscape.”

The U.S. Forest Service estimates that 10-20% of the spruce-fir stand on the adjoining Pisgah National Forest was completely lost and other sections damaged. In addition to the physical damage from the storm, downed woody debris and restricted access has increased the chance of catastrophic wildfire in this non-fire adapted system. In particular, wildfire within the red spruce – Fraser fir ecosystem, if unchecked, would cause the irreparable and permanent loss of this habitat, as evidenced by historic areas of spruce “graveyards” across the Southern Appalachians.

SAHC’s grant project will clear soil roads on the Preserve for access and wildfire response; reduce fine fuels in blow down areas by topping, limbing, and bucking downed trees; and study storm impacts on high elevation forest bird species.

“We are grateful to be able to contribute to recovery efforts in our landscape and community by reducing wildfire risk on the Preserve, as we actively work with partners to begin restoration of rare high elevation habitats,” adds Marquette. “We also look forward to learning more about avian response to this natural disaster by using automated recording units to inventory the bird community currently using the site and to monitor changes over time.”

 Thank you to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for supporting habitat conservation for birds, and to all of our members for providing contributions that help leverage grants like this!