26 images Created 25 Mar 2020
Southern Appalachian Beech Gap
At high elevations pure stands of American beech trees are known as beech gaps. Beech bark disease, a complex made up of the beech scale insect cryptococcus fagisuga and a closely associated fungus Nectria coccinea var. faginata poses a serious threat to this community. Most all of the beech gap communities in and around the Great Smokies have succumbed to the beech bark disease or a combination of the disease, pests, pollution, and exacerbated by the warming climate. This trend is being felt throughout the southern Appalachians, with the possible extinction of this forest community in the next few years. The beech gap community is assigned a Global Conservation Status Rank of G1. A G1 ranking translates to – Critically Imperiled – At very high risk of extinction due to extreme rarity (often 5 or fewer populations), very steep declines, or other factors.
I've been documenting the slow decline and death of the beech gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina since 2007. This work is still in progress.
I've been documenting the slow decline and death of the beech gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina since 2007. This work is still in progress.
