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BUCK ISLAND BAY FOREST 

 NATURAL AREA INVENTORY 

 Basic Information Smnmary Sheet; 



1. Natural Area Name 

 Buck Island Bay Forest 



2 . County 

 Tyrrell 



3. Location 



Site is 1 1/4 miles south along an unimproved logging road 

 from its junction with county road 1314. This junction with 1314 is at 

 a point on 1314 0.9 miles west of its terminus at Grapevine Landing. (See 

 Figure 1 and 8) . 



4. Topographic quadrangle 

 Fairfield NE, N. C. 



5. Size 

 1,368 acres 



6. Elevation 

 1-3 feet 



7. Access 



By unimproved logging road from county road 1314. (See Figure 9). 



8. Names of investigators 



Charles B. McDonald, East Carolina University 

 Andrew N. Ash, East Carolina University 



9. Date(s) of investigation 



5/22-23/80 

 9/21-22/80 



9A. Prose description of site 



Buck Island is a robust example of bay forest. The canopy is 

 dominated by pond pine (Pinus serotina ) with many large loblolly 

 bays (Gordonia lasianthus ) . The subcanopy consists primarily of 

 loblolly bay and red bay (Persea borbonia ) . The shrub layer is 

 primarily sweet gallberry (Ilex coriacea) and fetter-bush (Lyonia 

 lucida ) . A sampling summary based on 25 quarter points follows 

 this description to further clarify vegetative composition. 



The soils on the site are histosols, primarily composed of 

 peat, which have been deposited within the last 9,000 years or so. 

 These soils have a deep organic horizon, 5 feet on the site, 

 deposited on the Pamlico Terrace, a sand formation of quaternary 

 age. 



