community types segregated concentrically according to moisture regime. The 

 wetter communities alongside the pocosin display the greatest diversity. As 

 many as fifty species of vascular plants have been noted here within a square 

 meter. 



The maintenance of the savannah communities is dependent upon disturbance, 

 primarily the frequent occurrence of fire. Fire consumes shrubs and dead 

 plant material which accumulates, thus freeing the many low, herbaceous species 

 to sunlight. Additional disturbance has occurred during historic times. The 

 cutting of the longleaf pine and their use in naval industries may have spurred 

 herbaceous communities by reducing canopy shading. Early this century a garden 

 grew on Bean Patch Island. Soil disturbance by crayfish and the digging of 

 raccoons" in wet areas exposes ground to the establishment of many plant species. 

 The dynamics of these savannah communities are little understood, but various 

 forms of disturbance have and are continuing to play roles in their development. 



The Nature Conservancy has approximately 228 acres of dry site, second- 

 growth natural tree stands on the two southern projections. These are broken 

 down to 133 acres of longleaf pine, seventy-eight acres of loblolly, and 

 seventeen acres of pine/upland hardwoods (scrub oaks, sweetgum, etc.). Most 

 of these stands have had fire exclusion for a number of years, such that a 

 thick shrub layer of varying height dominates below the tree canopy. The soils 

 of the natural stands are generally drier than the wetter savannah lands, 

 thereby lacking the floral diversity and array of rare species of the latter. 

 However, these areas are suitable upland habitat for several animals including 

 deer and bear. Two large limestone sinks and several smaller ones are located 

 in the Myers-Clemmons tract. Although they have not been inventoried in detail, 

 they do not seem to be significant in relation to other sinks in southeast 

 North Carolina (Tim Nifong, UNC/CH Botany Department, personal communication). 



Approximately 950 acres of loblolly and slash pine plantation exist on 

 NCNC property, primarily in the Myers-Clemmons and Beaverdam tracts. About 

 one-half of this acreage was planted in 1960/1961 on dry, sandy uplands with 

 a poor site index. Twelve acres of loblolly pine planted in 1961 are in need 

 of thinning at this time. The remaining plantation tracts are four-to-seven- 

 year stands of various site indices. 



Fauna 



The various communities within the Green Swamp prove habitat to a number 

 of animal species. Table 3 lists the rarer animals found in the NCNC natural 

 area or noted in the Green Swamp. Additional faunal information and studies 



139 



