Fading Like The Dead: Ghost Forests

By Ariel Lee and Shiny Xu Dec. 11, 2024

A haunting graveyard of leafless trees and bare trunks protrude from the earth of a shore shoreline, their roots exposed. These are ghost forests, large groups of dead trees on coastlines overrun by rising oceans. While likely not filled with ghosts, their name derives from the way the standing trees look uncanny as they rot away, damaging ecosystems.

Ghost forests, consisting of decomposing trees, are most prevalent in South Carolina’s barrier islands, as they sit just above sea level, making them especially vulnerable to flooding. The saltwater accumulates excess sodium and chlorine in cells, interfering with photosynthesis, killing these trees and turning wide expanses of forest ecosystems into marshland. Eventually, the intruding saltwater turns these salt marshlands into open water. These forests have been forming rapidly, stretching from Canada down the East Coast, around Florida and further on to Texas.

“Despite being a more obscure environmental issue, ghost forests still affect many lives, human or not. They could risk extinction or the endangerment of a native species, which in turn could imbalance ecosystems, damaging the native area,” Junior Adalyn Lin said.

Over the course of decades, exposure to salty water can cause damage to hundreds of acres of trees on the shorelines. This impacts the surrounding environment, as the trees release all the carbon they have been storing as they decompose. This affects the wildlife: many migratory birds that rely on coastal forests have had their habitats shrink. Coastal forests are also important carbon sinks, and when trees decompose, the carbon stored within them is released and returns to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, contributing to global warming in a damaging cycle.

“Awareness of environmental problems like ghost forests can lead to solutions, prompting policymakers to start doing something about it,” Sophomore Ishani Manral said.

Farmers have been trying to save their land from undergoing the natural phenomena with protective barriers from storm surges, yet the spread of these forests is often too rapid to prevent. Some researchers have suggested lining shores with trees to slow ghost forest spread, as their root systems keep erosion in check. Another proposed solution is adding sediment to raise the bottoms of coastal marshes, allowing wetlands to spread to higher elevations, avoiding the rising seas.

As ghost forests rapidly emerge all around the world, finding solutions has become more difficult because the lack of awareness undermines the urgency to address their causes and mitigate their effects. Protecting wetlands and forests, mitigating climate change and adapting to its effects are essential steps not only for preserving these vital ecosystems, but also for drawing attention to the alarming spread of ghost forests and their impact on our planet's future.

---

About the Contributors

Ariel Lee

Staff Writer

Ariel Lee is a freshman at Leland High School and is a page writer for her first year in journalism. In her free time, she likes to sleep, do nothing, binge shows (kdramas), and listen to music.

Shiny Xu

Staff Writer

Shiny Xu is a junior at Leland and is a staff writer for her first year in journalism. In her free time, she enjoys watching bad tv shows, listening to music and assisting with theatre.