Orange County NC Website
Forest Stand Evaluations and Recommendations <br />Stand 1 <br />Stand 1 is located on the northeast portion of the property between a 10 acre cultivated field, the <br />riparian area along McGowan Creek, and the tributary flowing from the west. Located on top of <br />a broad ridgetop, slopes are relatively gentle and rarely exceed 10 percent, except along the <br />border with Stand 7 where they increase somewhat. Soils are Georgeville and Cecil series and <br />were probably cultivated and grazed heavily in the past. The convex site and well drained, but <br />somewhat degraded, soils are ideal for production of loblolly pine with associates of upland <br />hardwoods. After a rotation of pine, site quality will probably improve to the point where a shift <br />toward upland hardwoods can be considered. The fifty year site index for loblolly pine is 100 <br />feet. <br />This area was a hardwood stand that was clearcut in 1999, burned, and planted to loblolly pine <br />immediately following the harvest. Overall, the pines have performed well, reaching heights of <br />about 40 feet and diameters averaging 7 inches. Some mixed hardwoods are present in the <br />canopy including white oak, willow oak, black oak, southern red oak, sweet gum, winged elm <br />and red maple. Red mulberry, American holly, American beech, and Florida dogwood are <br />present in the midstory. <br />Along the edges with the field, many invasive plants are present, including, tree -of- heaven, <br />common privet, Japanese stiltgrass, multiflora rose, and Japanese honeysuckle. Within the stand, <br />tree -of- heaven and princesstree have reached the canopy and are producing seed and competing <br />with more desirable species. <br />Some damage to the pine stems on the southern boundary has occurred from the beaver <br />populations in Stand 7. See Figure 1 <br />16 <br />163 <br />