Forests of red spruce (Picea rubens) are generally restricted to elevations above 900 m in the central Appalachians.  Almost all spruce forests in the region were harvested during the early 20^th century.  In 1982-1984, three old-growth spruce stands were found in West Virginia.  The species composition, structural characteristics, and radial growth patterns of these rare communities were described.  In 2007, we established field plots in the three stands to document the changes that occurred over approximately 25 years.

Results/Conclusions

Red spruce remained an important overstory component at each site.  We observed three different patterns of disturbance and regeneration:  1. small gap openings with abundant spruce regeneration; 2. stand-level disturbances with abundant spruce regeneration; and 3. small gap openings with an understory dominated by great rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum).  Spruce snags were a conspicuous structural element in both sampling periods.  Average annual radial increment of overstory spruce has remained at 1-2 mm/yr for the past several decades, although growth rates have increased slightly over the past 15 years.