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FRYING PAN LAKE ATLANTIC WHITE CEDAR FOREST 

 NATURAL AREA INVENTORY 



Basic Infomnation Summary Sheet : 



1. Natural Area Name 



Frying Pan Lake Atlantic White Cedar Forest 



2. County 

 Tyrrell 



3. Location: From the jet of NC 94 and State Road 1307 (Frying Pan 

 Road) proceed S 2.75 mi. turn E on a farm road proceeding 1.5 mi 

 E., 1.5 mi SE, then another .85 mi E (follow the electric line). 

 From there proceed another .5 mi. E on an unimproved logging road. 

 See figures 1 and 13. 



4. Topographic quadrangle 



Scotia, 7.5 min; Frying Pan, 7.5 min. 



5. Size 



154 acres 



6. Elevation 



1 foot - 2 feet 



7. Access 



By private farm and logging roads from NC Hwy 94. See figure 14. 



8. Names of investigators 



Charles B. McDonald, East Carolina University 

 Andrew N. Ash, East Carolina University 



9. Date(s) of investigation 

 5/23/80 



6/30/80 

 7/1/80 



9A. Prose description of site 



This natural area is located in the flat flood plain that surrounds 

 Frying Pan Lake. The area is only inches above sea level and is thus 

 very poorly drained. The water table which is never more than a few 

 inches below the surface is highest during the winter and early spring 

 and lowest during the late summer and early fall. The soils are totally 

 organic. When a metal rod was used as a probe it was determined that 

 the depth of the organic matter exceeds five feet. The organic matter 

 produces an extremely acid soil and this combined with the anaerobic 

 conditions from the high water table greatly reduces the microbial 

 decompostion of leaves and other fallen litter. As a result the surface 

 zone - consisting of noncompacted leaves, sticks, and roots - that 

 sometimes unexpectedly gives way from the weight of a footstep. Such 

 hidden depressions, however, are seldom more than a foot or two deep. 



