Subalpine and High-elevation Spruce-Fir Forest in the
Northeast: An Assessment of Ecological Value and
Conservation Priorities
Delineation of areas above 2700 feet
Evaluation of harvest history
567 separate areas greater than one
acre in size totaling 475,600 acres.
Right: 3,677-acre area around Kibby Mountain in the northern Boundary Mountains of
Maine. Existing Kibby wind power project is visible in the southern part of the area.
Extensive recent (R) and older (O) harvesting is evident (outlined in yellow); additional
older harvesting may have taken place in other parts of the area but is not evident.
Area contains a documented occurrence of the rare (S3) Fir - Heartleaved Birch
Subalpine Forest natural community, though the value of this occurrence is diminished
by past harvesting.
David Publicover and Kenneth Kimball, Appalachian Mountain Club, Gorham, NH
22 areas larger than 5,000 acres
shown in dark red.
Introduction and Project Goals
(3 additional areas in MA
totaling 1,865 acres not shown.)
High-elevation areas comprise a small
part of the Northern Forest but
provide significant ecological value.
They represent the most natural part
of the landscape and provide critical
habitat for a number of wildlife
species of concern, including
Bicknell’s thrush, pine marten and
Canada lynx. Numerous state and
regional wildlife conservation plans
recommend the identification and
conservation of the most valuable
areas of high-elevation coniferous
forest. These areas also have
important adaptive value in the face
of future climate change because of
their potential to serve as stable
refugia for coniferous forest species
as this habitat declines at lower
elevation (as occurred during the
post-glacial Hypsithermal period of
9,000 to 5,000 YBP).
Below: 2,097-acre area around Tumbledown Mountain, about four miles northeast of
Kibby Mountain. Area contains little evidence of past harvesting (though some older
harvesting has most likely occurred). Fir – Heartleaved Birch Subalpine Forest has not
been documented but is likely to be present. Delineating potential undocumented
occurrences of this community is an important component of this on-going research.
This area may be a relatively high priority for future high-elevation conservation.
Subalpine forest, Dixville Peak, NH
Of particular interest is subalpine forest, a subset of high-elevation coniferous
forest. Dominated by balsam fir and heartleaved paper birch, it provides the
primary habitat for Bicknell’s thrush, the Northeast’s rarest songbird. While
alpine areas are well-documented and generally well-protected, and the extent
of broader high-elevation coniferous forest can be readily estimated from land
cover data, the extent and conservation status of true subalpine forest is less
well known.
The goal of this project is to proactively assess the ecological value of the
numerous distinct areas of high-elevation spruce-fir forest across the Northern
Forest of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts in order to
better resolve the current conflicts between wind power development and the
protection and stewardship of these areas. The supporting objectives are to:
•
•
•
•
•
assess the current condition of all distinct areas above 2700 feet in
elevation (with a focus on intact cores of spruce-fir habitat);
assess the relative value of these areas both as current habitat and as
adaptive refugia in the face of future climate change;
assess the relative risk of these areas to wind power development;
assess the relative importance of these areas to an overall regional
conservation strategy and their value as potential mitigation sites for
development in other high-elevation areas;
propose proactive strategies to policy makers on how to address the
conflicts between development and conservation of these areas.
Methodology
The project will utilize the following methodology:
1) Delineate discrete blocks of land above 2700 feet in Maine, New
Hampshire, Vermont and New Hampshire using USGS 30-meter DEM data
(complete). (New York will be added pending additional funding).
2) Assess the current conservation status of each area.
3) Assess the value and condition of each area based on its size, elevation
range, extent of past logging and remaining intact core block of spruce-fir
habitat (based on recent and historical satellite imagery and aerial
photography), known Natural Heritage Inventory element occurrences,
existing development, landscape context, recognition as a priority area in
state Wildlife Action Plans and other regional conservation assessments
and other relevant factors.
4) Delineate potential undocumented occurrences of rare subalpine forest
natural community based on aerial photography and field verification.
5) Assess the potential for wind power development based on published
wind resource data and topographic suitability.
6) Rank areas on a value/risk scale to identify areas of high ecological value at
high risk of development.
7) Identify potential conservation or mitigation strategies for these areas.
state
Conservation status
Base image: 2009 National Agriculture Imagery Program.
Maine’s Western High Mountains
Preliminary results
Maine’s Western High Mountains region, stretching from
Saddleback to Bigelow, is the region’s highest high-elevation
conservation priority. Its conservation values include: the largest
contiguous area of land above 2700’ in the Northeast outside of
the White Mountain National Forest, 9 of the 13 highest summits
in Maine, multiple documented occurrences of rare alpine and
subalpine vegetation communities, extensive Bicknell’s thrush
habitat, multiple large roadless areas, and identification as a
priority Habitat Focus Area in Maine’s Comprehensive Wildlife
Conservation Strategy.
• Areas above 2700’ make up just 1.4% of the threestate region.
• While the overall level of conservation of these areas
is high (78% of the total area above 2700’), there
remain large areas that are unconserved, especially in
Maine and northern New Hampshire. Less than half
of the high-elevation area in Maine is conserved.
• The largest areas are the most highly protected – the
ten areas over 10,000 acres in size (which in total
comprise 45% of the total area above 2700’) have
almost 92% of their area conserved, and eight are at
least 95% conserved. The two exceptions are both in
Maine – the Sugarloaf-Abraham-Crocker and
Kennebago Divide areas.
• Areas between 1,000 and 10,000 acres in size make
up over 40% of the total extent of high-elevation land
but have a lower level of protection, as only twothirds of their area is conserved.
• 22 areas across the three states have at least 1,000
acres of unconserved land, and four areas (all in
Maine) have at least 5,000 acres.
• Some of these areas have known significant resource
values (rare natural communities, large roadless
areas , Wildlife Action Plan focus areas, etc.)
While the Bigelow Range is fully protected, only 22% of the
20,800-acre Sugarloaf/Abraham/ Crocker area, and only 49% of
the 5,800-acre Saddleback area, lie on conservation land.
Conservation activity in the region is on-going, but parts of the
area remain at risk. Extensive areas have been heavily
harvested, a wind power project has been proposed for
Redington and Black Nubble mountains (but denied a permit),
and the ridges west of Saddleback Ski Area and east of Sugarloaf
Ski area are potential wind power development sites.
Next steps
The next steps in this research include:
• Completing assessment of harvesting history,
including examination of older aerial photography to
delineate earlier (<40 years ago) harvesting.
• Identify potential undocumented occurrences of
intact subalpine (fir-heartleaved birch) forest. We
will be working with Maine Natural Areas Program in
that state; MNAP will provide valuable field
verification of identified potential areas.