The Fraser fir is threatened by a nasty root rot. State scientists are trying to save the iconic species.
Category: Climate
No Safe Haven
As more people move to “climate havens” like Western North Carolina, they are learning nowhere is immune from a changing climate.
Why Some Stay
Climate change is making life along the Lumber River more uncertain. But for many people, moving isn’t a meaningful option.
Intemperate Climes
Spreading avens are only known to exist in 14 places, including the mountains of western North Carolina. As temperatures rise, the delicate flowers are finding they have nowhere left to go.
The Inner Banks’ Rising Tide
Sea-level rise on the Outer Banks captures the most attention, but along the state’s sounds, a persistent and overlooked effect of rising waters is inflicting costs far outside the budgets of the area’s small towns.
The Contested Swamps of Robeson County
A behemoth natural-gas facility, sitting atop a disrupted archeological site, represents the latest environmental challenge for one of the state’s most diverse yet burdened counties. But the debate over history, benefit, and protection is far more complicated than it first appears.