Appalachian Trail Corridor

Tree planting along the Appalachian Trail Corridor supports a wide range of forest restoration needs. In some areas, planting takes place on landscapes that were once surface-mined, where reestablishing native tree cover is essential to restoring soil health and stabilizing watersheds. Other sites focus on recovering from insect infestations, tree diseases, or the increasing threat of wildfires.

Because conditions vary across such a long stretch of land, reforestation sites rotate over time, ensuring support goes to the areas most in need. Each region also requires different tree species to thrive — from maples and birches in the northern forests, to oaks, hickories, and pines farther south. These efforts create critical habitat for the cerulean warbler, a songbird that depends on large tracts of healthy hardwood forests, while riparian plantings provide shade and erosion control that protect both eastern brook trout in mountain streams and wood turtles along forested riverbanks. In higher elevations, northern flying squirrels benefit from the restoration of mature, diverse canopies that sustain their populations.

Every tree planted helps rebuild healthy ecosystems, protect clean water, and ensure the resilience of these landscapes for future generations.