Cradled by steep ridges and deep coves, the Southern Appalachian Mountains have sheltered prehistoric lineages of plant life for millennia. Within this ancient landscape, the town of Highlands holds a rare distinction: it is home to two of only five forests in North Carolina which are formally recognized by the Old-Growth Forest Network, an organization that documents and protects mature native forests across the nation. This recognition underscores Highlands’ role as a sanctuary of living history and ecological resilience.
Coker Old Growth Forest
A short walk from downtown, the W. C. Coker Old Growth Forest protects roughly 3.7 acres of towering Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis, photo below). Some trunks exceed four feet in diameter, and date to 1761, while older, hollow veterans likely surpass 350 years. Treated for hemlock woolly adelgid since 2004, this remnant “primeval forest” endures as a living archive on the Highlands Biological Station campus. On its shaded rock faces, you’ll notice rock tripe lichens, leathery black-brown rosettes (pictured above) whose abundance indicates clean mountain air, a hallmark of these temperate-rainforest heights. The Highlands Biological Station, a center of Western Carolina University, leads research, education, stewardship and conservation across this globally significant hotspot.
The Mountain Retreat & Learning Center
Across the plateau, The Mountain Retreat & Learning Center crowns Little Scaly Mountain above Blue Valley. Here, a dwarf white oak (Quercus alba) woodland clings to shallow soil and granite; dendrochronology places many of these wind-shear oaks at 400 to 500 years old. The Mountain, now an environmentally focused Unitarian Universalist retreat center, cares for roughly ten acres of this old growth forest with the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust. The organization welcomes visitors and offers lodging to personal retreaters.
Help us Protect Them
Highlands lies within easy reach of major hubs like Atlanta and Charlotte, as well as a rewarding fly-and-drive distance for visitors from Florida and Texas. But these irreplaceable forests are finite. Help us keep them wild by practicing the Seven Leave No Trace Principles: plan ahead, travel and camp on durable surfaces, dispose of waste properly, leave what you find, minimize campfire impacts, respect wildlife, and be considerate of others.