Coastal parts of Virginia are already feeling the effects of climate change - flooding more often and losing land to erosion, but the state’s wooded areas are also in jeopardy, and this weekend worried tree lovers will meet in Charlottesville to talk about what’s coming and what can be done.
Virginia has nearly 16 million acres of forestland - 62% of the state. Some of it is threatened by development. Since 2001, we’ve lost nearly half a million aces to construction and farming, but there’s another danger waiting in the wings. Steven Nash, author of Virginia Climate Fever, says the gradual warming of the Earth could spell doom for this state’s trees.
“Huge expanses of forest will die off so quickly that nothing will replace them any time soon.”
The warmer weather, coupled with global trade, has also brought new, tree killing insects to Virginia and spread invasive plants across the forest floor. Jim Schaberl is with Shenandoah National Park.
“There’s a plant called mile a minute. It spreads a great deal and chokes out native plants. There are things like wavy-leafed basket grass that just carpets the forest and outcompetes everything in the herb layer and even prevents tree seedlings from coming through.”
Robin Hanes, with the Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards, says those subjects and more will come up this weekend when about 200 people meet to discuss the future of our trees. She says they’re central to controlling carbon dioxide emissions that lead to global warming.
“We really need these trees to be absorbing CO2 as we’re putting more and more of it into the air.”
The symposium is open to the public. Admission to the Sunday afternoon event at St. Anne’s-Belfield School is $20 at the door. More information is available here.
