1987). Although cedar had been harvested since 

 colonial days in the Alligator River region, it was not 

 until the development of steam-powered logging in 

 the mid-1 800's that large-scale harvesting began. 

 Roper Lumber Company, Richmond Cedar Works, 

 Dare Lumber Company, and many smaller compa- 

 nies operated here between 1865 and 1953. Follow- 

 ing the Civil War, an extensive system of narrow 

 gauge logging railroads opened up previously inac- 

 cessible swamps to intensive harvest. Upon com- 

 pleting a harvest in one area, the rails were moved to 

 another location. As is the practice today, the dense 

 cedar stands were clearcut. Ashe (1 894a) noted that 

 due to access difficulty, white cedar down to the 

 smallest diameter possible (20 cm dbh) was cut. 

 Today, stands with an average diameter of 25 cm dbh 

 are considered the minimum size-class profitable to 

 harvest. 



From timber cruise estimates, McMullan 

 (1982) calculated that during World War I (1916- 

 1919), all available cedar was cut by numerous 

 operators on 64,750 ha. Only young hardwoods and 

 some pine pulpwood remained. White cedar timber 

 production was not important again until about 1980 

 (McMullan 1982). 



Throughout the period of intensive cedar 

 harvest no attempts were made to encourage natural 

 regeneration, and harvest methods indicate little 

 concern for future timber production. With the ex- 

 ception of a relatively small experiment from 1 960 to 

 1 970 by Westvaco lumbermen, no efforts were made 

 to reestablish cedar forests following cutting (Mc- 

 Mullan 1982). 



The intensive harvest of white cedar and the 

 associated swamp species prior to 1920 had a 

 marked effect on the vegetation patterns that exist 

 today. The timbering practices determined 

 regeneration densities and species composition. 

 However, the hydrology of the organic substrate was 

 apparently not substantially altered, for the use of 

 oxen and, later, narrow gauge rails to move timber 

 did not necessitate elaborate permanent road con- 

 struction and ditching. 



Since the mid-1 970's, Atlantic white cedar 

 has been the species with greatest marketable value 

 in the Alligator River region. An extensive system of 

 roads, ditches, and canals was constructed to pro- 

 vide direct access to the pure, dense stands, par- 

 ticularly in Dare County. The effects of altered local 

 hydrology on white cedar regeneration in Dare Coun- 

 ty have not yet been documented. It is known, how- 

 ever, that a shift towards drier soil conditions tends 

 to prevent the self-maintenance and recovery of the 

 original wetland vegetation types. 



Today all accessible larger size- class stands in 

 Dare County have been cut once again or are sub- 

 ject to harvest under commercial timber contracts. 

 Pure stands that remain are generally composed 

 of < 23 cm diameter trees that have been growing 

 for up to 70 years. Scattered clumps and indivi- 

 duals of old growth trees still persist in the mixed- 

 swamp forests. 



7.1 .3 Alli gator River National Wildlife Refuge 

 (ABNWB) 



In the mid-1 970's, the North Carolina Nature 

 Conservancy initiated discussions about a donation 

 of land (later known as Prulean Farms) on the Dare 

 County mainland to conserve a portion of the 

 region's unique peatlands that had been identified by 

 the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program. 

 Prudential Life Insurance Company purchased the 

 property and, in March 1984, donated 47,755 ha in 

 Dare and Tyrrell Counties to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

 Service (see Figure 38). Most of the donated land is 

 on the Dare County mainland, with approximately 

 2,430 ha in Tyrrell County west of the Alligator River. 

 Timber rights to Atlantic white cedar stands on these 

 lands are reserved until 1996 by Atlantic Forest 

 Products, a subsidiary of the Canadian lumber firm, 

 McMillan Bloedell, Inc. All timber rights have been 

 subcontracted to the Alligator Timber Company. The 

 area was designated as the Alligator River National 

 Wildlife Refuge. In 1 986, a draft 20-year master plan 

 (USFWS 1986c) for the management of the Refuge 

 was prepared, and is under review at the time of this 

 writing. Within the boundaries of the Refuge is the 

 18,867 ha U.S. Air Force Dare County Military Reser- 

 vation (Figure 38), which consists of a 2,470 ha 

 bombing range surrounded by 16,390 ha of buffer 

 lands. The Westvaco lumber company retained 

 mineral rights, and Atlantic Forests Products retained 

 rights (later subcontracted to Alligator Timber) to har- 

 vest tracts of white cedar until 1 989 (USFWS 1 985b). 



The North Carolina Natural Heritage Pro- 

 gram initiated discussions with the U.S. Air Force in 

 1983, recommending measures for the preservation 

 of extensive natural areas. 



In 1986 negotiations culminated with the 

 registry by the North Carolina Department of Natural 

 Resources and Community Development 

 (NCDNRCD) of 7,690 ha as protected N.C. Natural 

 Heritage Areas. Over 4,045 ha are high-quality cedar 

 swamp forest contiguous with swamps of the 

 Refuge, containing both pure and mixed white cedar 

 associations. These Natural Areas will be managed 

 by the U.S. Air Force for their natural values, with tim- 

 ber rights leased as noted above (USFWS 1985; 

 Registry Agreement on file with NCDNRCD 1986). 



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