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The Arc of
Appalachia Preserve System
Cradle
of Biodiversity.
Witness these facts: Just three hundred years ago the Eastern forest was mostly
intact and still home to what is considered hallmark icons of wilderness:
mountain lion, elk, otters, wolf, and rattlesnakes. These forests remain some of the
wettest ecosystems on the mainland, and their high species diversification
mirror this climatic fecundity. The only forests boasting higher plant diversity are the
planet's tropical rainforests. Our Eastern Forest's rivers rank The World's Last Chance. Planet Earth has fourteen basic vegetative expressions, one of which is the temperate broadleaf forest. To understand the world significance of this major biome, take a look at the world map where the original biome was once distributed. THE TEMPERATE BROADLEAF BIOME IS DOCUMENTED AS THE MOST DISTURBED OF THE 14 BIOMES IN THE WORLD. Of the three major centers for the temperate forest in the world -- Eastern North America, Europe, and eastern China -- only in North America has the original vegetative covering not been essentially eradicated. In the place of the once unbroken forests that once covered Europe and Eastern Asia now stand cities and villages, agricultural lands, and managed low-diversity "lumber crop" forests. The only natural deciduous forests that remain in China and Europe for the most part are restricted to "islands" in designated national and local parks. Unlike the Old World, the original temperate forests of North America
were still intact just a few hundred years ago. North America is
therefore the
last chance in the world to save a significant land base for the native
temperate broadleaf forest. Yet, our window of opportunity is rapidly
closing. As our modern population
Aren't
our state, national, and private forests enough?
Saving the forest's
biodiversity is more than just saving the trees. Much of the diversity in the
temperate forest biome lives in the wildlife and on the delicate forest floor --
flowers and ferns who usually have only a few weeks in the year to efficiently
photosynthesize before tree leaves emerge in the spring and block out the
sunlight. Most of our
native understory plants can not survive soil impaction, soil loss, too much
Salamanders, representing the highest animal biomass in an eastern forest community, are
particularly sensitive to disruption caused by timber cutting. In our relatively wet
Eastern climate, logging roads often become deeply
eroded, losing valuable topsoil and
becoming inviting highways for invading alien species. Disrupted forest soils
on these logging roads pour thousands of tons of dirt into the streams and creeks
every year, soil that was thousands of years in the making. The resulting siltation is at cross-purposes to the goal of
providing the pure waters required by most of our fresh-water mussels and fish
species. Signature Eastern Forest birds, such as the rapidly declining Cerulean
warbler and Eastern Wood
The Arc of Appalachia Preserve System is working in southern Ohio in the five southern most counties. A look at the picture to the left shows where our eleven preserve regions are located. A look a the aerial map at the top of the page shows the importance of the Arc's overall location -- the region with the most intact forest canopy and the highest native species count in all of Ohio. Note the brown landscape to the west of the Arc lands, where the forest has been nearly completely cleared and replaced by agricultural lands on rich glaciated soils. In Ohio 99.9% of the original forest has been cut, and in most places, it continues to be cut as frequently as every 40 years, 11% of an oak's total expected lifespan; essentially removing from the forest landscape old nesting trees for wildlife, and elders for seed production. The Arc works to accomplish forest preservation by buying forested land in key botanical "hotspots" and then slowly expanding those forests in size as funds for land procurement allow, allowing the woodlands to naturally age and diversify. In addition to forest preservation, the Arc also preserves important associated Eastern eco-systems such as wetlands and native prairies. The Arc of
Appalachia Preserve System was founded in 1995. Our mission includes not only forest
preservation, but the
teaching of forest literacy and
stewardship ethics. Since our inception we have raised over ten million dollars.
75% of our money has come from
private donations and the
remaining 25% from grants. We currently steward eleven preserve regions, the largest which is the
Highlands Nature Sanctuary at 2000
acres.
b
The Arc of Appalachia ~
Ohio's Fertile Crescent b Exploring the "Ark's" Natural History b Linking Up: Moving Forward Together
Connecting is the
first step in saving the forest.
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