Home

Return to North Carolina's Assessment of Need (draft)

Area 3:  Appalachian Highlands and Foothills
 

Description of Forest Legacy Area and Important Environmental Values

 The Appalachian Highlands and Foothills FLA extends from the Virginia border to the South Carolina border along the Blue Ridge Escarpment and outlying foothill ranges.  Mountain hardwood forests dominate most of the area, but the high elevation spruce-fir and acid-cove mix of yellow poplar, hemlock and rhodendron are two very important forest types also found here.  In addition, pine forests occupy lands abandoned by farmers. This area is a significant resource base for the forest products industry. 

 Relatively large tracts in both public and private hands exist in this FLA. Pisgah National Forest occupies much of the higher elevation land throughout this FLA, but many thousands of acres of corporately owned forest land and smaller privately owned forests are adjacent to the national forests.   Crescent Resources/Duke Energy alone owns 25,000 acres in the Upper Catawba Basin along the river, lakes and tributaries.

 The Blue Ridge Parkway, a major factor in the regionís economy, spans the western portion of this FLA that includes some of the highest mountains in the state.  Tourism drives concerns for maintenance of scenic beauty and recreational values. Forest-based recreation is also extraordinarily important to the economy of this region.  South Mountains (35,000 acres publicly owned) and Green River Gorge (10,000+ acres publicly owned park and gamelands are in the southern portions of the FLA. Seven nationally significant Natural Heritage sites are located in the southern portion of this FLA, including the South Mountains and the Hickory Nut Gorge areas.

 The Appalachian Highlands and Foothills FLA is the largest of North Carolinaís FLAs.  It  includes Burke, Caldwell, McDowell, Polk, Rutherford and Wilkes Counties and parts of Ashe, Alleghany, Avery, Catawba, Cleveland, Gaston, Henderson, Lincoln, Mitchell, Surry, Watauga, and Yancey Counties.  It includes headwaters of the Broad,Catawba, New and Yadkin river basins as well as headwaters of the Ivy River in the French Broad watershed.
 

Current and Future Conversion Pressures

 This area has long been a tourist and recreation destination and is convenient for weekend escapes from more urbanized settings to the east and south.  As a result, conversion to residential development has led to encroachment on the boundaries of national forest, state forest and state park lands.  Upward price pressure on private forest tracts is leading to tract liquidation especially by large corporate landowners.  Property tax increases are exacerbating the temptation to sell lands for development.  Ridgetop development is a particularly problematic phenomenon wherever land is privately owned, but while large-scale development has been specifically addressed by legislation, individuals are not constrained, and panoramic views are highly desirable.

 In the northern part of this FLA, development in recent years has intensified with growth of the ski industry.  Both second home and resort community development are therefore accelerating.  In the south, the Charlotte/Hickory/Spartanburg-Greenville metro areas are among the fastest growing in the Southeast, driving suburban and second home development in this region.  Land prices are escalating rapidly.  Large corporate landowners are actively selling their lands--primarily to development interests--making the next few years critical. 
 Goals and Objectives of FLA for Public Benefit

Maintain large contiguous blocks of working forest lands.

Encourage protection of scenic vistas from Blue Ridge Parkway.

Enhance protection of water quality in the Broad, New, Upper Catawba and Upper Yadkin Rivers.

Buffer national forest, state forest and state park lands from encroachment.

Provide habitat corridors for wildlife populations.
 

Potential Partnering Entities

 Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy
 Emerald Land Trust
 Blue Ridge Rural Land Trust
 Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina
 High Country Conservancy
 Land Trust for Central North Carolina
 Pacolet Area Conservancy
 Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy
 North Carolina Division of Forest Resources
 North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation
 North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
 USDA Forest Service

Boundary Description 

From Burnsville the boundary follows US19E north to NC194.
East along NC194 to US221.
Along US221 north to the Virginia line.
East along the Virginia line to I-77.
South along I-77 to the Iredell County line.
West along the Iredell Country line to the Wilkes County line
West along the Wilkes County line to NC16.
South along NC16 to US64 at Taylorsville.
West along US64 to the Caldwell County line.
South along the Caldwell and Burke County lines to the Cleveland County line.
West along the Cleveland County line to the Rutherford County line.
South along the Rutherford County line to the South Carolina border.
West along the South Carolina border to US25.
North along US25 to I-26.
North along I-26 to US64.
East along US64 to NC9
North along NC9 to I-40
West along I-40 to US23/19
North along US 23/19 to separation
North along US19 to close at Burnsville

Figure B-3. Appalachian Highlands and Foothills.