by far, which has for years been a camp and recreational facility of the Girl 

 Scouts of America, and though an outstandins exanple of a natural laJce, is 

 relatively disturbed, and apparently offers little in the way of biological 

 significance — and a number of extensively disturbed smaller ponds, which are 

 located on paper company lands which have been recently harvested and sub- 

 sequently replanted. One possible exception that bears mentioning is the rela- 

 tively undisturbed pond located approxinately one-quarter mile north of the 

 Boiling Springs Lakes city limits on highway NC 87, about 70 n east of the 

 highway, adjacent to the radio tower loc?»ted there. Vegetation zonation is 

 relatively distinct and species diversity appeal's high in conparison to the 

 majority of other ponds in the area, although time did not permit sampling of 

 the site. 



Vegetation and plant communities: 



The vegetational communities of the Boiling Springs Lakes area may be seen 

 in the field to correspond to changes in the topography, and to edaphic changes 

 that often accompany a shift in topographic position. Several different vege- 

 tational community types were noted, falling into three "working" categories — 

 a lowland pond pine ( Pinus serotina ) community, an upland longleaf pine con- 

 munity, and several compositional vairiations of a longleaf pine flatwoods 

 community cover type. In addition, the doline ponds and rim ajreas consti-Luted 

 a species and "community" cosplex in themselves. Each of these coaouiiities vrill 

 be discussed in turn in the following section. 



1) Pond pine pocosin. Pinus serotina/ Nixed evergreen shrubs/ /Smilax laurifolia . 

 The canopy in this area is dominated by an open stand of pond pine. I'/hile 



no developed subcanopy layer exists, species such as red maple ( Acer rubrum ) , 

 black gum ( Nyssa sylvatica var. biflora ) , and red bay ( Persea borbonia l " 

 stand emergent above the dense underlying shrub thicket. The shrub layer 

 is in most areas dominated by titi ( Cyrilla racemiflora ) and/or sweet gall- 

 berry ( Ilex coriacea ) , covered by a sprawling growth of laurel-leaved 

 sawbriar ( Smilax laurifolia ) . The height, and to some extent density, of 

 the shrub layer is dependent upon the length of time since the last fire 

 occurred in that particular tract (pyroperiod) . In areas protected from 

 fire for some time, the shrub layer is exceptionally dense and 3 n or more 

 in height. In areas burned more recently, the shrub layer is usually much 

 shorter and more open, with creeping blueberry ( Vaccinium crassifolium ) 

 often dominating as a subshrub layer in the openings. Few or no herbaceous 

 species are to be found in the pocosin, except in the more open areas, 

 where the pocosin community may r^rade into one of the longleaf pine flat- 

 wood communities discussed in a later section. 



These evergreen shrub bog communities generally occur over a peat soil 

 in relatively flat, lowlying areas, where stream dissection is lacking, ajid 

 drainage is consequently poor. Often the water table is perched by an 

 impermeable subsurface hardpan layer. All of the pocosin communities v;ith- 

 in the Boiling Springs Lakes area have been ditched and drained. There is 

 no evidence of any very recent fires within this community type, 



2) Longleaf pine uplands. Pinus palustris/Quercus laevis/Aristida stricta . 

 This is tha familiar "sandhills" type coastal plain vegetational community 

 of Wells and others. The open canopy of this vegetation type is dominated 

 exclusively by longleaf pine. The subcanopy layer is most typically — and 

 exclusively in the driest areas--dorainated by turkey oalc ( Quercus laevis ) , 



Wells, E.W, 1968 (reprint). The Natural Gardens of North Carolina , 

 UNC Press. Chapel Hill. 



83 



