Agenda - 06-23-2004-8b - Laserfiche WebLink

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36 and other than impressive stands of'runnmg pme (Lycopodium flabilliforme), the herbaceous layer is very spazse with one or two Christmas ferns (Polystichum acrosnchoides) and spotted wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata) scattered here and there, A zone of n,nn;ng pine, 20 x 40 yards, occurs at the nortlrwestern comer of this pine forest extending across the pathway (old road bed) which runs west to east separating the Pine Forest from the adjacent Dry Oal:-Hickory Forest just to the north. This evergreen groundcover is also present as scattered small patches occurring throughout the westernmost portion of this pine stand. Observed bird activity in this dense pine stand was negligible with the exception ofbrown-headed nuthatches, common in such habitat.. The approximately 4-acre Pine Forest occupying the eastern half of the site is much less uniform than the pine zone previously described. Here the Pine Forest is much more open with numerous hazdwoods present in the canopy layer. This area contaanse bite oaks (Ouercus alba) uW thin pine and an interior .36-acre azea dominated by canopy this more or less open pine stand aze three separate dense stands of running Pine (Lycopodium flabilliforme), 20 by 20 yards, 49 x.19 yards, and 50 x 46 yards in size, respective]y. Both of these forest zones grade into the Dry Oak-Hickory Forest adjacent to the north and the pines occur irregulaziy as single stems here and there throughout the hardwood forest The western half of the Pine Forest changes abruptly to Dry Oak"~oual ransitiotn from pinelto DrybOak-fie eastern half of the Pine Forest presents a uniformly grad I3ickory Forest.. The Pine Forest is a common successional forest type throughout the Piedmont, characterizing the 50-125-yeaz span from abandoned agricultura] activity to a mature deciduous forest. The Pine Forest on this particular site is notable because of the several extensive patches of running pine ~.,~.,,,~,t;,,,,, flahelliforme), which, though not rare, is impressive in such healthy patches. Such occurrences are becoming less and less common, The running pine is of significance because it is essentially impossible to transplant and techniques for propagation aze not known, rendering it impossible for cultivation; it is encountered only as natural wild populations. Continued eradication by forest clearing where it occurs will eventually reduce it to the ranks of rarity.. Dry Oak-Hickory Forest A Dry Oak-Hickory Forest community type covers approximately 15..00 acres of the site. This represents a renmar~t of the extensive upland Dry Oak-Hickory forest that formerly covered the site prior to clearing for timber and agricultural use, The largest remnant of this Dry Oak- Hickory Forest is situated across the northern third of the site interrupted by the Upland Depression Swamp Forest and vernal pools in the northeast comer and the Basic Mesic Forest bordering Four Mile Branch tributary in the northwest comet, A 5.83-acre portion of this oak- hickory forest occurs in the southeast comer of the site connected with the forest on the northern half of the site by a narrow woodland strip along the eastern edge of the site. During the survey of the forest fragment in the southeastern comer of the site, it was noted, as is the case for the larger tract, that the survey map of the site describes only a small sampling of the number of specimen trees present, i.e.. trees with a diameter at breast height of 12 inches or greater. The forest canopy contains numerous trees over 12 inches in diameter and a significant number of specimen trees in the 24-inch to 30-inch diameter range.. Notable within the southeastern corner Forest fragment are two 28-inch, one 29-inch and one 36-inch tulip poplars (T ;rindendron tulipifera , as well as four white oaks (Ouetcus alba), two of which are misidentified on the survey as wetland species willow oaks (Ouercus phellos), having diameters in the 24-inch to 27-inch range.. Other specimen trees include southern red oak (Ouercus falcata),