The Coastal Spruce Fir Forest
by Julia Rush
Sea to Trees is a podcast that tells the stories of the science happening in and around Acadia, from the rocky shoreline to the evergreen forests to the granite mountaintops.
This season we’re getting up-close and hands-on at three different ecosystems in Acadia to get a feel for what it’s like studying science here.
Along the coast of Maine a special cold-adapted forest ecosystem thrives: the coastal spruce fir forest. The cool air that blows off the ocean provides an ideal environment for these colder species, but their future, like many, is uncertain. In this episode, we’re traveling through time to understand how coastal spruce fir forests in Acadia have changed over the past sixty-six years.
We’ll hear from Gillian Audier, this year’s Cathy and Jim Gero Acadia Early-Career Fellow in Science Research, about her work resurveying Dr. Ron Davis’ 1959 inventory of coastal spruce forests in Acadia. Camilla Seirup, who works as an environmental specialist for Acadia National Park, shares her experience resurveying Ron’s work as a University of Maine graduate student. And Ron Davis reflects on the impact of his initial inventory from 1959.
Reference Links:
- Shifting baseline syndrome: https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/shifting-baseline.htm
- Continuing red spruce research: https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/acad_understory.htm
- History of Science in Acadia: https://www.nps.gov/acad/learn/science-legacy.htm