STUDY OBJECTIVES, METHODS AND RESULTS 



Contract requirements called for identification and field 

 inventory of natural areas in mainland Hyde County: the Outer 

 Banks and offshore islands in the sounds were excluded from 

 the study area. The field inventory was community-oriented; 

 we concentrated on locating natural communities of exceptional 

 quality, based on such factors as size and age of canopy species, 

 biologic, edaphic and hydrologic diversity, extensiveness of 

 habitat (s) and contiguity with other natural areas, absence 

 of intensive disturbance and recovery from past disturbance 

 and the presence of a full range of communities and ecolo- 

 gical conditions functioning as a system. 



To inventory the diverse communities of mainland Hyde County 

 first necessitated a general county-wide reconnaissance. After 

 review of several sets of aerial photographs, particularly 

 November 1981 color infrared photography (US Environmental Pro- 

 tection Agency, 1982) , an initial inspection of the county by 

 vehicle and on foot was completed in April, 1982. Shortly later, 

 an aerial reconnaissance of the entire county was conducted. 

 Species and site reports on file with the North Carolina Natural 

 Heritage Program were examined concurrently with these activities, 

 and knowledgeable individuals were interviewed (see acknowledge- 

 ments) . A basic tentative list of potential study areas began 

 to emerge early in the reconnaissance, and was finalized by 

 early June. 



During the reconnaissance period most of the private and 

 public roads in the county were driven. Roads in most of the 

 potential study areas identified during photography reviews were 

 walked during April, and some areas were visited by boat later 

 in the season. Throughout all periods of fieldwork, notes were 

 taken on vegetation, both in study areas and, for comparative 

 purposes, in areas not exhibiting superior natural qualities. 

 Orthophotoquad diazo (blackline) prints were used in the field 

 as guides in assessing the extent of large communities, the 

 amount of recent disturbance and to some degree the cover com- 

 position of inaccessible stands. 



Sites selected as representative of community types to be 

 described in this report were examined on foot. Plant species 

 lists, tree diameters at breast height, tree height and age 

 estimates and a judgement of dominant species were all recorded. 

 Examples we considered representative or superlative and on 

 which we base our descriptions of the vegetation are mapped 

 on the site report maps incorporated in the text. 



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