22. Threats: While there is the possibility of activities such as 

 residential homesite development, sand mining, and damage from 

 road widening at some future date, logging is the only likely 

 short-term activity which could harm some of the unusual plant 

 communities. This, however, is a serious and immediate threat. 



If logged, the area will undoubtedly be converted to plant- 

 ations of loblolly or longleaf pine. This would have the following 

 sad effects on the flora of the county: 



1. Loss of these last remnants of the original forests — an 

 important part of the natural heritage of Gates County. 



2. Loss of the entire population of the northern race of longleaf 

 pine in North Carolina. 



3. Loss of the largest known stand of large turkey oak. 



4. Loss of the small bottomland tract of virgin loblolly pines. 



5. Elimination of the great scientific research value of the area 

 as a study site for forest ecology. 



23. Management and preservation recommendations: 



The choicest areas of high quality natural communities occupy 

 only a small percentage of the total natural area. These are: 



1. The stand of large turkey oaks on the Vaughan tract, which 

 also contain a colony of red-cockaded woodpeckers and the 

 unusual assemblage of ericad shrubs described by Otte (1978) 

 and Risk (1981): about 40 acres of very important communities. 



2. The adjoining east-facing slope on the Story property with 

 the second largest longleaf pine in the state, other very old 

 longleaf specimens, large turkey oak and diverse ericads: 

 perhaps 20 acres. 



3. The moist bottomland at the foot of the above site, containing 

 a few very large, very old loblolly pines and some large 

 beech: about 5 acres. 



4. The site shown the author and the staff of the NC Natural 

 Heritage Program by Mr. Story in 1981, containing a very 

 xerophytic stand of large longleaf pines with an understory 

 of small turkey oak & ericads: about 35 acres. 



This is a total of only about 100 acres, on which is 

 represented nearly the whole remaining portions of these types of 



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