156 FORESTS OF NORTH CAROLINA. 



a larger size, a height of 70 to 90 feet and a diameter of 16 to 20 

 inches. 



LEVEL PINE WOODLAND. 



The surface of these lands, (also see page 161), is very nearly 

 level, slightly rolling, or sloping toward the streams ; the soils 

 loose, or moderately compact loams, or sandy loams with some- 

 what firmer yellow or gray, loamy or stiff loamy subsoils; mostly 

 fine-grained, moist or fresh but well-drained. As they become 

 more moist and more loamy the loblolly pine occupies them, espec- 

 ially over the large areas to the north of the Tar river. 



The larger areas on which the long-leaf pine is yet standing 

 are in Edgecombe, Johnson and- Wilson counties ; the basin of the 

 Northeast Cape Fear river from the southern part of Wayne 

 county southward ; large areas in the southern parts of Bladen 

 and Robeson counties and smaller areas in Brunswick and Colum- 

 bus Counties. 



As has been stated, the long-leaf pine formerly occupied the 

 greater portion of these lands to the exclusion of almost every 

 other tree, but as the mature trees of this species were removed or 

 died they have been rapidly replaced by the loblolly pine and, in 

 most places to the north of the Neuse river, and in many places 

 to the south, this substitution has been entirely effected. 



The other trees which grow on these loams with the pines are 

 the post oak, the Spanish oak and the black oak, and small hick- 

 ories arid dogwood. 



CONDITION OF THE FORESTS OF THE LEVEL PINE WOODLAND- 



Where pasturage has not suppressed the broad-leaf element, 

 the forests of long-leaf pine on the moist loams also resemble a 

 two-storied high forest. The upper story is a compact growth of 

 pine, 100 to 125 feet in height; the the lower is of broad-leaf 

 tree? : post oak, Spanish oak, and black oak, small hickories and 

 dogwood, reading an average height of not more than 40 feet. 

 In few localities is this condition now realized. The cpver of 

 pine has been broken by frequent windfalls and culling ; in many 

 places browsing cattle have suppressed the broad-leaf trees, or 



