“This part of the Appalachians is strung with gaps, which are small passes in the mountain front. Those with streams flowing through them are called water gaps. Sinking Creek is a prehistoric tributary running west into one of the oldest river systems in the world ironically called the ‘New’. The New River is the oldest river on the North American continent and second only to the Nile in Africa. It may have been on its present course for at least sixty-five million years and flows directly across the Appalachian Plateau, not around or from it, as most other streams of this region do. This river had to exist before the mountains formed as it has carved through more than ten-thousand feet (about two miles, 3.2km) of their strata.”
State Champion Norway Maple Tree
In October 2022, Dr. Jessamine Finch visited the Farm at Sinking Creek to scout for a rare wildflower, hairy alumroot (Heuchera americana var. hispida). Seeds of this species, and other Virginia native plants, will be used to test a conservation technique aimed at stemming biodiversity loss under climate change called “chaperoned managed relocation.”
Almost 40% of the world’s plants are threatened with extinction due to a multitude of interacting threats, including agriculture, development, invasive species, and climate change. While our native flora has experienced shifting climates before, the rapidity of current anthropogenic climate change requires plants to adapt or migrate at rates far outpacing past responses. Rare plants with short-distance seed dispersal, like hairy alumroot, are among the most vulnerable. Moving plants beyond their geographic range to track shifting climate envelopes, sometimes known as assisted migration or managed relocation, is one strategy that can help avert biodiversity loss. However, care must be taken not to introduce plants that will become “invasive” and negatively impact the ecosystem. By planting within the context of a botanic garden (the “chaperone”) we can realize the benefits of managed relocation while minimizing risks and assessing suitability for future transfer into natural areas. Dr. Finch and collaborators aim to test this modified approach by planting select Virginia plants into botanic gardens in Massachusetts and Maine, the future climates of which are predicted to become more similar to present day Virginia over the next 50-100 years.
Biggest Norway Maple tree (registered state champion) in Virginia is located in Craig County on the Cumberland Gap Road. This recent statewide recognition to Craig County community celebrates the county’s commitment to quality of life (working hand-in-hand with Virginia Department of Transportation to preserve), sense of time and place, and honoring nature and values.
Located on corner of routes 42 and 625, in front yard of historic home Bellevue, listed on National Register of Historic Places.
Norway Maple with a circumference measuring over 15ft and a height of 59ft.