Fishing season will soon be upon us and many of us will be heading to our favorite stream or pond.  Well, if those fishing spots are on private lands you need to be aware of a new trespass law that took effect in October 2011.  The law, called the Landowner Protection Act, requires you to have written permission to fish, hunt, or trap on properly posted lands and it must have a date that is less than 12 months old.  You must carry the permission form while fishing and you are required to show the form to law enforcement officers upon request.  If you cannot show written permission, the officers can immediately give you a citation.

The new law gives landowners two ways they can post their lands.  The first is using traditional signs mounted on trees and posts no more than 200 yards apart.

Under the new law, landowners can paint vertical purple marks instead of signs.  The bottom of the marks must be at least 3 feet, but not more than 5 feet from the ground and be at least 8 inches in length.  Markings must not be spaced more than 100 yards apart.

Although the new law may seem to be a burden, in my experience most landowners will grant you permission to fish if you talked with them first.  Now you must get them to sign the written permission form and carry it with you while fishing.  State law encourages private landowner to allow recreation on their property without increasing their liability should someone be injured while doing so.  One simple and often successful approach used to obtain landowner’s permission to fish is to offer to share your catch with them!

For more information and sample permission forms in both full page and wallet sizes, go to the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s web site at http://www.ncwildlife.org/Portals/0/Conserving/
documents/LandownerProtectionAct/LPAFAQ_2011.pdf

-Jim Borawa, Senior Environmental Scientist and Avid Angler

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Yellow birch trees, along with other hardwoods, comprise high elevation maple-beech-birch and spruce-fir forest communities.  The Southern Appalachian mountains offer one of the last refuges for these forest types due to its climate.  Sadly, these communities are subject to high concentrations of acid deposition, which leads to the leaching of elements essential to healthy tree growth and survival.  Calcium, for example, bolsters the ability of yellow birch trees to regenerate after injury or damage and is readily leached out of the soil from acid deposition.  Based on EFETAC’s initial look,  it appeared that calcium-dependent yellow birch trees were on the decline.  Were they being impacted by acid deposition?  Was there enough calcium in the soil for them to survive?  How do they respond to damage in calcium poor soil?   We need to know more.  So begins the story of Equinox’ three year partnership with EFETAC to  understand the dynamics of acid deposition and yellow birch forest communities.

The first year of study began by collecting data at sites where a range of different size yellow birch trees occur.  Equinox collected ecological data such as site elevation, aspect, slope, and regeneration.  Data was collected for each yellow birch tree including the tree’s height, diameter at breast height, canopy condition, and whether or not the tree had any existing wounds or other damage.  Data was also collected for  black cherry (Prunus serotina), red spruce (Picea rubra), and sugar maple (Acer saccharum) trees occurring at the site as a control.  Soil samples were collected at the base of three randomly selected yellow birch trees and sent to a laboratory to analyze the mineral content of the soil (below).

A slide hammer with attached soils chamber was used to collect mineral soil samples of varying depths.

The idea was to obtain a physical and chemical profile of each site in order to determine sites most susceptible to acid deposition.  Although inconclusive, it appeared that the most damage was observed on the largest yellow birch trees in the highest, most north-facing plots with the lowest soil pH.

The second year of the study delved deeper into tree-specific data at each site.    Twenty-four sites with the most acidic soils were revisited where a 2 inch core was extracted from  the three largest yellow birch trees.  On the opposite side of the tree, a 3/8 inch hole was drilled into the tree to simulate a damage wound (below).

As a control, cores were taken and wounds were also made on the three largest black cherry trees at the site.  Tree damage data was again collected to determine if any change had occurred from Year 1.  The tree cores were sent to the Northern Research Station in Minnesota for various chemical analyses and age determination, while the drilled holes will be used to evaluate wound response over time.

Various types of damage were recorded across YB plots, including open wounds, cankers (abnormal growths), and conks (fruiting bodies indicating advanced decay).

At the close of Year 2, each plot was revisited  and observations were made regarding the tree’s response to the wound.  Observations showed that yellow birch trees were slow to heal; they exhibited almost no healing and even showed some signs of decay.  Black cherry trees had begun to heal the wound with sap or resin and showed very little decay, if any.  It appears that black cherry trees are more capable of retaining calcium in environments where it is limited and can therefore heal faster.  The second year study ended with a snowy field day and we were glad to overwinter inside while poring over the data we collected.

The initial damage response of most black cherry was to fill the wound with sap.

The third and final year of the study was spent monitoring the wound response of damaged trees.  Each site was revisited and every cored and damaged tree was evaluated for heal or decay.  Humus samples at the base of the three largest yellow birch trees at all plots were also taken in Year 3 to chemically analyze the ionic concentrations of essential nutrients as well as retention of heavy metals associated with acid deposition. 

Humus was collected from a standard 30 cm diameter area; sample depths ranged based on the extent of humus formation within the sample area.

By this time, I knew the plots like the back of my hand – at certain plots I could even remember the types of lichen growing on each tree!  Through working with the same tree individuals for so long, it was as though a relationship was formed between the forest and me.  It was exciting to go back and check on the trees – not surprisingly, some pretty consistent results were observed.  Across all plots, nearly every single black cherry tree that was damaged showed a 100% closure! Sadly, the same was not true for YB; wounds were still open,  sap was leaking, and the bark was swelling.  The wound holes were, for the most part, dark and damp with signs of decay beginning to show.  I can’t discredit the few birch that represented an aberration from the norm by actively healing and closing their wounds – for some reason or another (only time and testing will tell), these outliers managed to initiate the curative process.  Data collection for Year 3 was concluded in November 2012, and for a second consecutive season, there was snow at the last plot.

Comparative analysis of differing wound response over time by black cherry and yellow birch. Note the full wound closure in cherry compared to the inactivity and slight decay in birch.

So where does this research project go from here?  What does the data tell us about how yellow birch trees are responding to acid deposition?  Because the onus of critical data analysis lies in the hands of the EFETAC, we won’t know their scientific conclusions until mid 2013.  But, coming from the perspective of one who has had a hand in collecting nearly every piece of relevant data on the project, I have noticed a few nominal patterns myself.  In general, lower elevation stands of yellow birch seem less susceptible to the detrimental effects of acid deposition – they exhibit a more normalized soil pH as well as lower damage values.  Conversely, large-diameter (>15-30 inches diameter at breast height) yellow birch occurring at high elevations showed significantly more damage and a far lower (more acidic) soil pH.  Interestingly, it appeared to me that YB plots in close proximity to perennial streams were healthier than those in drier settings. I also noticed that seedling and sapling regeneration was higher in plots that exhibited characteristics of the Rich Cove community type: fertile, mesic soils on steeper, more north-facing slopes supporting diverse plant species.  Furthermore, those plots that contained ample downed woody debris from YB trees supported greater regeneration, with groups of the young YB growing on ‘nurse logs’ (see below).

Even after three years of observing the same trees in their same environments, carefully tracking their health, monitoring their response to wounding, the soils, cores, hundreds of datasheets, plastic bags, miles of hiking on beautiful land…despite all of the research, it is still difficult to hypothesize what will become of yellow birch trees in the Southern Appalachian mountains.  But what is not debatable is the reality of climate change and the resulting acid deposition that is affecting yellow birch at high elevations – the trees are dying, succumbing to some otherworldly, man-made blight.  Yet, hope lies in research projects like these, where humans strive to understand the ramifications of their life processes and how they apply to a natural world that is far greater and lasting than the legacy they’ll leave behind.

-Owen Carson, Field Technician & Associate Ecologist

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Known as ecoregions, those are areas of similar climate (rain and temperature), landform (river valleys, rocky outcrops, steep mountainsides), and soils.  These characteristics are a major factor in determining the plant communities that occur across western North Carolina.  Much like the U.S. Postal Service did in creating Zip Codes, scientists from across the country have defined ecoregions of the United States at four different scales.  At Level I, most of the eastern U.S is within the Eastern Temperate Forest ecoregion.  At Level II, western North Carolina is part of the ecoregion that includes the Appalachian, Ozark, and Ouachita Mountains (8.4 on the map).

At the state level (Level III), the mountains of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee are considered to be within the Blue Ridge ecoregion.  Within theBlue Ridge, each of us resides in one of 9 Level IV ecoregions as shown on the map below.  Most of us would immediately recognize the four major areas covering most of the region, but there are five minor ecoregions that stand out as having unique characteristics.  These include the high mountains of Mount Mitchell, Grandfather Mountain, and Roan Mountain (66i on the map), the Eastern Blue Ridge Foothills (66l; Brushy Mountains, South Mountains), and the Amphibolite Mountains (66k; Rich Mountains).  What many would be surprised to know is that the Sauratown Mountains in Stokes County (66m on the map) also are a part of the Blue Ridge ecoregion, but are not connected to it.

The Key to Ecoregions and examples of each type:

Level III – 66,Blue Ridge; 45,Piedmont

• Major Types within the Blue Ridge:

1. 66c – New River Plateau (New River Basin)
2. 66d – Southern Crystalline Ridges and Mountains (most of the region)
3. 66g – Southern Metasedimentary Mountains (Great Smokey Mountains National Park and surrounding areas)
4. 66j – Broad Basins (French Broad, Little Tennessee, Hiwassee Rivers)

• Minor Types within the Blue Ridge:

1. 66e – Southern Sedimentary Ridges (Bald Mountains)
2. 66i –High Mountains (Mt.Mitchell, Grandfather Mountain, Roan Mountain)
3. 66k –Amphibolite Mountains(Rich Mountains)
4. 66l –Eastern Blue Ridge Foothills (South Mountains, Brushy Mountains)
5. 66m –Sauratown Mountains

You can find more details about your ecoregion address and download the full maps by going to the following web sites:

Level I and II – Ecological Regions of North America, a joint effort of Canada, United States, and Mexico.  2006.  ftp://ftp.epa.gov/wed/ecoregions/cec_na/NA_LEVEL_II.pdf.

Level III and IV – Ecoregions of North and South Carolina.  2002. ftp://ftp.epa.gov/wed/
ecoregions/nc/ncsc_front.pdf.

-Jim Borawa, Senior Environmental Scientist

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• I’m thankful for my beautiful family, good neighbors, hot water from the tap, food on the table, and inspiring views of the landscape that greet me daily.

- Dena Chandler

• Wow.  So much. Of course, I am thankful for my family: My immediate family, two beautiful daughters, and a loving husband.  I am thankful that my family is growing, and includes a new son-in-law and an adorable grandson. And I am thankful for my extended family both biological and in-law: brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, nieces, nephews, and cousins.  I am thankful for wonderful friends and a wonderful community.  I am thankful for God’s beautiful creation and the gorgeous mountains where I live.  I am thankful for employment and the opportunity to make a difference in this world.  I am thankful to work at a place that pays a living wage, provides healthcare for its staff, and shares the same values that I hold dear.  I am thankful for the coworkers that work beside me every day to help people protect land and water and to develop our environment in a sustainable way.

- Joyce Brown

• I am thankful for every second on this wonderful Earth where I am surrounded by life, love, and learning.

-Owen Carson

• I am thankful for my caring and supportive family.  I am also thankful to be part of an interconnected community in Asheville.  Finally, I am thankful for my physical health and the ability to climb mountains!

-Lindsay Majer

• I’m thankful for friends and family, and that my happy and healthy family is fortunate enough to live, play, and work in such a beautiful place.

 -Fred Grogan

• I am thankful for my family, friends and health and especially look forward to spending our first thanksgiving with the newest addition to our family Charles Bass Melton.

-Steve Melton

• I am thankful for the time to be able to spend with my family and friends.  I am also very appreciative of the outdoor recreational opportunities we have available in the Southern Appalachians.

-Kevin Mitchell

• Having avoided a life-threatening heart condition 3-years ago, I am thankful for every day that I get to enjoy with family, co-workers, and friends; and to take pleasure in the natural beauty that surrounds Asheville.

-Jim Borawa

•  I am thankful for many things.  First and foremost I am thankful for the love and health of my family and my friends.  I am also very thankful that the election is over and with it all those political commercials.  I am thankful for cute things-like puppy dogs, babies, and my children when there are sound asleep.  I am also appreciative of my wife’s ability to put up with my sense of humor.  I am thankful for laughter, good jokes, or a funny story.  On a more serious note, I am thankful for the ability to eat healthy food, drink clean water,  and breath clean air.  I am also very thankful for working at a place where I have the opportunity to make areal difference in the world and for our Clients who hire us to also help them make a difference.

-David Tuch

Finally, we are ALL thankful to be working together to make this world a better, more sustainable place to exist.  Happy holidays!

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-Equinox Environmental

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From left to right: Paul Carson (NPS), Elizabeth Nager (Polk County Community Foundation), Polk County Commissioner Ray Gasperson, and Ambrose Mills (Project Manager for AF Site) performing the ‘ribbon’-cutting at the opening ceremony.
Photo by Joe Epley

On October 5, 2012, the opening ceremony was held for the Bradley Nature Preserve at Alexander’s Ford.  The Preserve was established on the historic site at Alexander’s Ford, where revolutionary soldiers on the Overmountain Victory Trail staked camp then forded the Green River on their way to King’s Mountain.  “For many of the soldiers, Alexander’s Ford was to be the final place they lay their heads down to rest on this earth,” as noted by Paul Carson, the superintendent of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail for the National Park Service.  Two days later the patriots would engage General Ferguson and his loyalist troops who were en-route to connect with the main British Army, and Kings Mountain is now recognized as a crucial turning point of the revolution.  Here’s a fantastic video that conveys the historical and natural significance of the site:  Alexander’s Ford – A History.

Alexander’s Ford Militiamen fire off black powder rounds.
Photo by Joe Epley

Equinox is excited to have worked closely with Polk County, The Bradley Fund, North Carolina Parks and Trails Foundation, and the National Park Service to complete the master plan for over 150 acres of the Bradley Nature Preserve at Alexander’s Ford, which has now been placed into a conservation easement.  Our Master Plan helped to guide construction of a low impact vehicular road access and parking, trail networks, field identification of the actual historical trail, interpretative signage, kiosk, picnic shelter, handicap accessibility along the historic trail bed, historic overlook viewing areas, and general land use for site.

The plan also promotes access to and generates awareness of one of our Country’s most significant historical sites.  We had a tremendous obligation to maintain the integrity of this historic site to honor those who, according to some, were the key to our Country’s independence and the site that was literally a pivotal point for the remainder of the patriots’ campaign.  Construction activities were carefully sited to preserve the existing character of the site, and Equinox is proud to have helped balance modern human access needs while preserving the historic layout and feel of the encampment.

New gates and interpretive signage at the Overmountain Victory Trailhead.
Photo by Joe Epley

Here are a couple of press releases you can check out to learn more about the site:

http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20121006/ARTICLES/121009834?p=1&tc=pg

http://www.tryondailybulletin.com/2012/10/08/alexanders-ford-now-open/

Fred Grogan, RLA

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During summer, the leaves of deciduous trees work to create sugar and water from carbon dioxide and light.  They do this using chlorophyll, an internal compound which also causes leaves to appear green. As water and nutrients flow from the basal roots, through the branches, and into the leaves, sugars produced in the leaves by photosynthesis flow to other parts of the tree and are used and stored as energy. This process occurs throughout leaf-on in the spring and summer months.

However, as we’ve experienced recently, the shorter days and cooler nights of autumn cause a shift in the tree’s physiology and chemistry. One of the first changes to occur is the development of a membrane within the ‘abcission zone’ between the branch and the leaf stem, interrupting nutrient flow within the leaf.  As a result, the the amount of chlorophyll drops off, causing the green color to start to fade.  Here’s where things get colorful: if the leaf contains carotene (birch, hickory, and sugar maple, for example) it will turn bright yellow as the chlorophyll disappears. In other tree species, as the proportion of sugar to chlorophyll increases, the sugar forms anthocyanins, pigments that cause the yellowing leaves to turn red. In the Southern Appalachians you can count on sumac, red oak, and red maple to show off their fiery hues come autumn.

But while the above does explain why it happens, it doesn’t explain differences in vibrancy, which is something we can all notice from year to year.  Some years you may see a duller autumn, and that’s because the range and intensity is significantly affected by weather. Chlorophyll is lost quicker in both brighter sunshine and colder temperatures; if above freezing, anthocyanins are produced more abundantly than in milder conditions.  Relative humidity also plays a big role, as drier weather brings the proportion of water down within the sap, sugar becomes more concentrated within solution and subsequently produces more anthocyanins. So, to sum it all up, in autumn you can expect to see the most vibrant leaf changes when the days are bright and sunny and the nights are cool and dry.

Wait, that means with all of the recent bright days and cool nights, the season should be starting, right?  Well have a look and decide for yourself!

-Owen Carson, Field Technician

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Lindsay Majer & David Tuch receiving the Strive-Not-To-Drive Workplace Challenge award from Mayor Bellamy on behalf of Equinox.

We continue to hear about the health and wellness benefits of walking and biking.  The most recent National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report in the August Vital Signs focused on the benefits of walking and put a national spotlight on the need and importance for safe and accessible walking environments.  With the pending completion of the Buncombe County Greenways & Trails Master Plan, it is even more important to advocate for the infrastructure that can help communities like ours become healthier and more sustainable by providing residents easy access to walking and biking facilities.

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For 2012, here are the “Top 10” things you can do to revitalize your landscape on a budget.

1. Divide and conquer.  Double the amount of plants in your planting bed by splitting up your clumping perennials (e.g. daylilies) and ornamental grasses.  Just take a shovel and make a clean split right down the middle (or even into thirds for really big plants).
   

   By digging and splitting bulbous plants you can easily start new populations and spread plants throughout your gardens.

2. Give it an edge.  Take a shovel or edger and give all of your beds a clean edge – you’ll be amazed what a simple, clean line can do to a planting bed.
3. Trading spaces.  Plants tend to grow how they want to, and not necessarily how we intended.  Move around those shrubs that are too big for their space or give your perennials that are being shaded out a fighting chance.
4. Focal element.  Add or replace an existing focal element in your planting bed or landscape.  This could be a new plant of your choosing or something material, like a scrubbed up bird feeder, sculpture or whatever art project is hiding in your garage that needs a seasonal home.
   

   A colorful birdbath accents native bee balm – a perfect rest stop for hummingbirds and other pollinators!

5. Clone your favorite.   You want to add a hedge row but don’t want to spend a lot – take cuttings of the shrub you want to propagate (some work better than others) and get started on growing your own shrubs.  This method takes time and patience, but you can’t beat the value.
6. Plant swap.  Get together with friends, family and neighbors and swap a couple of your plants for new ones.  You’ll not only have new plants, but special reminders of your loved ones too.
7. Add some detail. For everyone with a plain concrete pad in the backyard – it doesn’t have to be that way!  For a weekend’s worth of hard work, you can turn your boring patio into a cool, interesting space just by using leftover building materials, like bricks or stone, to add a detailed edging.  This not only increases the space you have, but makes it unique as well.
   

   Build an attractive border around an unsightly concrete pad, add potted plants, and you’ve got a re-vamped backyard seating area.

8. Get your shears.  Just a simple trim can make your yard look like new.  Lightly shape up shrubs and limb up trees to give your spaces some definition.
9. Start with seeds.  Seeds are inexpensive and a great way to add annual color to your planting beds.  Don’t be shy – plant on the heavy side and thin them out as they come in.
10. Break out the brushes.   This may be the most labor intensive of the list, but it probably needs to be done at some point.  A good staining or painting, and an attractive fence can make all the difference.

Dena Chandler, LEED AP

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Large boulders break up the flow of the river, creating endless rapids and eddies.

This truly is a special place and it made me reflect on the memories I have of the Chattooga.  In fact, in a recent trip with my wife I found myself entranced by the scenery and described it to her as a “magical kingdom”.  I am a fairly grounded person and don’t normally make such strange Tolkienesque statements; however, after several minutes of laughter, I was still enamored by the remote beauty of the river.  During the spring and summer, the banks are lined with flowering shrubs like mountain laurel, rhododendron, and native azaleas.  White sand beaches and dense fern thickets also line the riparian corridor providing stability and habitat for numerous organisms.

In the gorge, these water-loving cinnamon ferns can reach heights up to 5 feet, creating a unique understory jungle.

There are over 50 miles of hiking trails throughout this area, but to really appreciate the interior of the gorges you would have to do so by raft, canoe, or kayak.  You can sometimes be sidetracked from the scenery by the challenging whitewater, but the reward of calm, deep pools lie below most rapids.

Kayaking in the gorge can be serious: serious fun, serious adventure, and serious exhilaration!

I have been making multi-day trips to this river since the late 90’s and have grown to really appreciate this resource.  I am drawn to the crystal clear water, rugged geology, and vegetative biodiversity.  I feel very lucky to have this resource so close to home and I am grateful that it has been designated as a Wild and Scenic River.  This river stands for  the value of preserving land and properly managing our resources, and I am proud to say that this is what I do for a living!

Kevin Mitchell, Field Technician and Whitewater Enthusiast

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