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EL <br /> ^T ,-a ,F <br /> -r c <br /> ■ <br /> 5. Upland sites within the composite New Hope Creek Natural Asea <br /> include several permanent forest study plots which contain ' <br /> examples of mature hardwoods and mature, though successional , <br /> shortleaf-loblolly pine stands (Peet and Christensen 1981) «, <br /> B. Henry J. Oosting Natural Area <br /> 1. Good example of a beech-dominated community on a north-facing, , <br /> moderately steep, open slope along Old Field Creek. This <br /> community is considered a beech segregate of a cove hardwood <br /> forest by Bornkamm (1957) ., The beech-dominated community is <br /> bordered downslope by a bottomland forest (loblolly pine, mixed <br /> oaks, tulip, poplar hickory, sweetgum, red maple, white ash <br /> cover) , and upslope the beeches are joined by hickories, oaks, <br /> and red maple in cover dominance (Bornkamm- 1975; Waggoner <br /> 1975) . The forest community has been undisturbed for at least <br /> 50 years.. On the crest of the ridge and beyond, aging pine <br /> plantations become dominant. Pine stands are predominantly <br /> loblolly (Lieth 1973) but short-leaf pine also is abundant <br /> (Bornkamm 1975) . <br /> 2. Lewis' heartleaf (lexasylis lewisii) , a threatened Piedmont <br /> endemic.,is known from this site (Bornkamm 1975) . <br /> C. Loblolly Pine Alluvial Site <br /> . 1. Representative of mature loblolly pine stand (100+ years old) <br /> on a rich alluvial flat (Edeburn 1981) . <br /> D. Loblolly-Shortleaf Pine Stands <br /> 1. Representative of mature, well-developed, 110 year old mixed <br /> stands of loblolly and shortleaf pine Edeburn 1981) . <br /> E. Couch Mountain Tract <br /> 1. Relatively undisturbed upland tract of oak-hickory forest is <br /> largest expanse of this community type in Duke Forest and is <br /> characteristic of much of the Piedmont uplands prior to settle- <br /> ment. White oak dominates the tract. Also of importance are <br /> black oak, red oak and mockernut and pignut hickory. Scattered <br /> oaks exceed 300 years in age (Ohmann 1980; Edeburn 1981; Peet <br /> and Christensen 1981) . <br /> F. Post oak-blackjack oak site <br /> 1. Well-developed post oak-blackjack oak forest is only extensive <br /> stand of this association in Duke Forest and was the type locality <br /> for Oosting's study of this community (Ohmann 1980; Peet 1981; <br /> Oosting 1942) . <br /> G. Meadow Flats <br /> 1. "Swamp forest" association in an upland area has developed over <br /> poorly drained Iredell loam and Enon fine sandy loam with high <br /> clay content subsoil. The composition of mesic species (sweet- <br /> gum-tulip poplar-hydric oaks) is floristically similar to <br /> bottomland hardwood stands (Whigham 1971; Ohmann 1980) . <br />