22 . Threats i 



Although, as already mentioned, the site is protected 

 and maintained in its natural condition, it is imminently 

 threatened by the fairly recent land-use alterations which 

 have occurred around it. Three sides of the natural area 

 are now bounded by extensive agricultural fields, the 

 result of large-scale ditching and canal construction 

 which lowered the water table sufficiently to allow crop 

 production. The natural area itself and a thin buffer 

 strip were left intact during this land-clearing process. 

 However, the resultant lowering of the water table and 

 removal of surrounding vegetation have significantly 

 altered the hydrological and ecological processes of 

 the swamp forest system, and have effectively doomed 

 the site. The lowered water table has allowed the in- 

 vasion of "weedy" tree species such as sweetgum, and the 

 proliferation of red maple. Unless the former high water 

 conditions can be reintroduced, the old-growth cypress 

 and swamp blackgum will eventually die out and be re- 

 placed by a red maple-sweetgum forest. Unable to re- 

 generate itself because of the competition from these 

 species, the old-growth cypress stand will slowly 

 change as the older trees die out from disease, light- 

 ning, and other factors. 



23. Management and Preservation Recommendation: 



The Cypress Park natural area at present represents 

 a protected remnant example of a palustrine swamp forest 

 wetland in a relatively undisturbed old-growth condition. 

 Because of past logging operations, very few swamp forest 

 stands remain in the eastern coastal plain which are still 

 dominated by old-growth cypress. The site would make an 

 ideal study area to use as a comparison with non-cypress 

 dominated communities. From a long-term perspective, the 

 site has probably been irreparably altered by the clearing 

 and drainage operations which have almost completely en- 

 circled the area. It is doubtful that water control 

 measures could be implemented to raise the water table to 

 previous levels and recreate a more natural hydrologic 

 regime . 



However, this does not mean the site should not be 

 preserved. At the present time and for some years hence- 

 forth, it will represent an interesting remnant of a peat- 

 dominated, palustrine swamp forest ecosystem which was quite 

 extensive but is now rapidly being cleared and converted to 

 other uses. The site could be used as an interpretive out- 

 door classroom for schools, natural history organizations 

 and other interested groups. 



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