discussed are pyrohydroseres, succeeding to a mixed pine — hardwood 

 community following drainage and/or fire exclusion. Much of this 

 area has been converted to pine plantation in the recent past. 



1. Pocosin: 



The pocosin community is similar in many respects to the 

 bay forest; for this reason, both are often considered simply 

 phases of the same vegetation type. Pocosin is typically domi- 

 nated by a pond pine canopy over a nearly inpenetrable thicket 

 of ericaceous shrubs and "bay" species twined together by laurel- 

 leaved greenbrier. Soils here are generally slightly better 

 drained than bay forest soils, with Medisaprists, Typic Humaquepts, 

 and (especially) Typic Haplaquods predominating. 



The most extensive intact examples of pocosin within the 

 county occur in the southern portion of the Green Swamp lying 

 immediately east of highway NC 211 and within the series of 

 Carolina bays located north of highway NC 211 and west of highway 

 NC 87. 



2, Flatwoods: 



Under natural conditions--frequent, "uninterrupted" fire, 

 natural drainage, etc, — pine flatwoods were probably once one 

 of the most extensive vegetation types within the region. The 

 dominant canopy species is almost universally longleaf pine 

 (Pinus palustris ), while lower layer stratification is essentially 

 a function of fire frequency. Frequent fires produce herbaceous 

 communities with an open pine canopy, while infrequent fires 

 result in a closed stand of pines over an open to closed layer 

 of ericaceous shrubs. The "herbaceous" layer almost always 

 includes wire grass ( Aristida stricta ) and creeping blueberry j 

 (Vaccinium crassifolium ) , a subshrub. This community occurs 

 wherever less than well-drained mineral soils with a short hydro- 

 period exist, if fire is not completely excluded. Typic, Aerie, 

 and Ultic Haplaquod soils predominate here, while Aerie to Typic 

 Paleaquults are less common. 



This is a vegetation type within Brunswick County — and much 

 of the state in general — which could easily be called "endangered," 



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