Experts blame dredging, sea levels for spread of ‘ghost forests’ in the Cape Fear

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY-TV) – There’s an eerie feeling at Smith Creek; the once fresh water creek has slowly become a cemetery for century old bald cypress trees.

Drivers on Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway and Route 17 have probably seen these ghost forests that were once home to thriving cypress trees.

“They only grow in fresh water, they are very, very common in this area cypress trees can live a very long time,” said Larry Calhoun, retired biology and marine biology professor at UNCW.
Calhoun said though these trees are not fragile, they are intolerant to saltwater entering freshwater wetlands.

“When you see these trees behind me that are now dead or at least dormant, it means that they have been poisoned by saltwater intrusion,” Calhoun said.

Calhoun said there are two major factors behind salt water intrusion, one being rising sea levels.

“Wilmington is experiencing a great deal of sea level rise much higher than the rate in much of the rest of the country,” Calhoun said.

Calhoun said dredging of the Shipping Channel and Snow’s Cut are major infiltrators of salt water inland.

“The dredging deepens the channel and allowed much more saltwater to intrude farther up stream,” Calhoun said.

A June study done by UNCW faculty member, Monica Rother found that dredging in 1946, 1970 and 2000 were consistent with growth suppression events in bald cypress after sampling the rings of these trees.

“They look like bone, and that’s kind of an unnerving situation and sight to see cause we’re used to seeing things that are thriving,” said Chad Thomas, executive director for the North Carolina Marine and Estuary Foundation.

Thomas said while these ghost forests are spooky, they are a warning sign.

“The fresh water systems in some of these creeks have become salt water systems as the salinity intrudes,” Thomas said.

Next week the state coastal agency will be taking public comment on an upcoming dredging project in the Wilmington Harbour. The public hearing will be taking place at the Skyline Center on Nov. 17 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.