North side of 98 cleared between 395 and 283. What's up?

It's been a bit since I was up that way. The big trees are all that's left, all the smaller stuff and undergrowth has been bush hogged out. Anybody know what's going on?

I am assuming routine logging, in which some trees are left rather than clear cut.

Is that land part of the state forest?

I believe so. I believe the Forest Service has some kind of logging deal with private companies, or it may be part of their own management plant, part of which is to re-introduce Longleaf Pine in the area that was logged many years ago. I'll see if I can get more info..

I was wondering the same thing.

The Forest Service did the same thing last year on the South Side of 98 near the Christian International Church. They also did the same thing 2 or 3 years ago on 395 S. north of Watercolor. They cleared the small trees and undergrowth and then set a controlled burn. I believe this is an attempt to reintroduce the longleaf pine which needs fire to open the pine cones as well as a thinner canopy to let in sunlight and reduced litter on the forest floor so the seeds can reach the soil.

We have to remember that Point Washington State Forest has only been a state forest since 1992. Before that all of the property was privately owned and was used for logging. The native longleaf pines have long since been logged and the forest replanted with slash pines. The vast majority of what is now Point Washington State Forest is not native untouched forest.

Thanks CCK!

Um..You are probably recalling the Lodgepole Pine or some of the Larches that need-need-gotta-have fire to open the cones...Longleaf just kind of drifts down and grows where it touches dirt...or soil...or loamy sand..or sandy loam..or...Yeah..it wont grow on top of pine straw or green stuff...gotta have dirt...or soil...or loamy sand...or..

Longleaf pines, though, not only became resistant to these fires but became dependent upon them. Longleaf pine seeds germinate and put down roots quickly in the bare mineral-rich soil left behind by fires. Seedlings stayed in a low-growing “grass stage” that survived as fires swept over them, then underwent a growth spurt that put their fire-sensitive needles above the flames. Mature trees developed fire-resistant bark.

http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/cede_longleaf/489

Forestry has been conducting a "Biomass Fuel Operations". Basically, it is a mechanical fuel load reduction that is used when an area has become too thick to safely burn. The "nonmerchantable" trees are chosen for thinning and the thick underbrush is removed to provide a more open story compatible with a longleaf forest. Forestry is looking at some other areas that may also be mechanically thinned as opposed to burning in future operations.

The removed product is then chipped and sold to plants such as paper mills for green energy. While the thinning does generate some revenue for forestry, the main value, according to forestry, is the ability to more easily manage and maintain a healthy forest for habitat and public use.

There are also some controlled burns taking place in the State Park lands as well as the forest when weather conditions permit.

Anita Page
SWCC Executive Director

I hate to see the habitat for deer and other wild animals destroyed. There WERE always deer seen crossing the road in that vicinity.

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