Fraser Fir Dying
Under assault from the balsam woolly adelgid.
Plan Around Fraser Fir Dying
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Fraser Fir Dying Details
You're likely to see stands of dead fraser fir trees at higher elevations in the park, such as at Clingmans Dome. The trees, which used to dominate the high peaks of the Smokies, are under assault from an insect pest called the balsam woolly adelgid. The bugs were unintentionally imported with trees brought from Europe in the 1960s, and the native firs have little natural defense against them. Toxins injected into the trees by the insects block nutrients from circulating, and the firs literally starve to death as a result. An estimated 70 percent of the mature fraser firs in the park have been killed by the bugs, and the rest are infested. Park rangers treat some trees to keep the infestation at bay, but the process is too labor-intensive to perform on all of the trees in the forest.
Difficulty
Low
Distance
N/A
Estimated time
Region
Newfound Gap Road
Nearby Parks Around Fraser Fir Dying
Compare nearby parks around Fraser Fir Dying when deciding whether to expand the route after this stop.
Nearby Points of Interest Around Fraser Fir Dying
Use nearby POIs to quickly expand your options beyond Fraser Fir Dying while the map context is still fresh.
0.6 mi away
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Appalachian Trail
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Charlie's Bunion
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