old-age stand with average dbh's of about 33 inches with some 

 trees reaching 53 inches dbh. The cypress have characteristic 

 flat-topped crowns but do not have very enlarged buttresses, 

 a trait which has been observed elsewhere in the Alligator 

 River palustrine wetlands of Hyde and Dare Counties. Evidence 

 of fire is apparent throughout the tract; almost all of the 

 canopy trees have burn scars on their lower trunks. These 

 scars do not appear to be very recent however, and it is 

 likely that the isolation of the tract by the adjacent land 

 clearing has prevented recent fires and will continue to act 

 as a fire buffer in the future. 



The average trunk diameter and the canopy height of the 

 cypress are strikingly uniform, suggesting that the trees are 

 all about the same age. Equally striking is the absence of 

 cypress transgressives or seedlings in the stand, indicating 

 that the species is not reproducing itself. Other similar 

 mature cypress stands in the Alligator River region exhibit 

 this apparent lack of successful reproduction. The species 

 needs abundant sunlight and a moist but not inundated seedbed 

 for successful germination. Young seedlings cannot tolerate 

 extended flooding or fire (Fowells, 1965). Con- 

 ditions which would prepare an ideal seedbed for cypress 

 regeneration probably would include an extended drought 

 accompanied by an intense crown fire which would kill the 

 existing overshadowing vegetation. Catastrophic events such 

 as these probably occurred rarely during pre-settlement times. 

 Once the cypress reached sufficient height they were probably 

 able to withstand all but the most intense wildfires, as evi- 

 denced by the abundant burn marks on the still living trees 

 within the tract. 



The stand appears to be slowly changing due to the at- 

 trition of the standing cypress. Many old but still standing 

 dead trees are scattered throughout and many fallen logs litter 

 the ground. Interestingly, the sizeable gaps left by the fallen 

 giants are not being occupied by other smaller cypress. As 

 mentioned before there are no younger cypress present to re- 

 place them. Red maple, red bay, and an occasional sweetgum 

 ( Liquidambar styraciflua ) are quick to assume dominance within 

 these open spots in the canopy. 



The drainage of the region for agricultural development 

 began in the 1960's and is continuing at the present time. 

 There is now cleared land containing row crops on three sides 

 of the natural area and additional swamp forest and pocosin 

 wetlands are being drained and cleared. Although difficult 

 to quantitatively document, this large-scale regional drainage 

 has undoubtedly had a profound effect on the natural area. 

 There are several visible signs of disturbance. Cypress 

 "knees" up to about one foot tall are scattered throughout 

 the natural area. These modified roots indicate that, at 



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