Forest Wetland Loss on the Coastal Plain
Communicating the Complex Science of Ghost Forests in Down East, NC

Ghost forests will only become more obvious to those living on the coast as temperatures and sea level rises, droughts become more frequent, and groundwater becomes saltier. Providing coastal communities with scientific background to the issues they are facing can create more informed awareness of environment changes.

Author: John Collins, Tessa Omer, Isabella Thayer, and Sara Wall

Edited by Steve Anderson & Katie Whittington

Introduction

On September 12th and 13th 2023, four NCSU environmental science seniors attended an event at the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center in Harkers Island called, “Five Years Later: Remembering Florence”. During these two days, local volunteers gave tours to guests of Down East, NC while others from the community shared their stories about how ghost forests have affected their lives. Also attending were other environmental scientists from NCSU working on different projects to address issues caused by ghost forests, such as flooding and road closure.

Community leaders also organized multiple panels that took place over these two days at the museum. These panels consisted of various experts from a diverse array of fields that had unique perspectives on the issues that Down East communities face. In addition to hearing from so many locals, visitors got to see some of the work done from the previous NC State students who had worked on a similar project the year prior. The previous group created a brochure, which was made available guests in several different places in the museum. Visitors also visited the Chronolog site that prompts citizens to upload pictures that are used to see how ecosystems are changing over time. Learn more here. Since it was early in the project, the student’s experiences at this event helped inform the goals of the project.