in agricultural use. The nature of the original vegetation is unknown, 

 but was probably a diverse assemblage of mesic to xeric hardwoods and 

 longleaf pine ( Pinus palustris ; cf. Frost, 1982). The drier uplands 

 were cleared and farmed at an early date. Additional moderately well 

 drained soils occur along Minnesott ridge , where they are dominated 

 by the original longleaf pine , or a replacement growth of loblolly 

 pine ( Pinus taeda ) . 



The forests of Pamlico County have been exploited since the 

 colonial period. Timber cutting and similar activities do not 

 necessarily entail a permanent alteration of plant communities, 

 however. Plant communities along Minnesott Ridge and in the 

 northwestern and southeastern quadrants of the county have retained 

 considerable integrity of composition in the face of repeated logging 

 cycles - although with changes in the age class structure and in- 

 creased presence of some species which are promoted by disturbance 

 or by selective removal of their competitors. Recovery in wetland 

 communities after logging is most complete where extensive ditches 

 have not been constructed „ The longleaf pine communities of the 

 Ridge, the Northwest Pocosin, and the hardwood flats around the 

 southern edge of Light Grounds Pocosin in particular still exhibit 

 a remarkable correlation with soil types. This observation supports 

 the conclusion that edaphic and related hydrologic and nutrient con- 

 ditions (and an uninterrupted fire regime on sand ridge and in poco- 

 sin) still exert a controlling influence on the basic wetland com- 

 munities in those sections of the county. 



Contemporary disturbances affecting the Pamlico County vege- 

 tation include continued timber cutting, fire suppression in certain 

 communities , clearing of wetland vegetation and draining of wetland 

 soils for agriculture and pine plantations, and, potentially, peat 

 mining. The now common practice of extensive ditching in conjunction 

 with timbering will shift wetland sites toward drier conditions and 

 prevent the self-maintenance and recovery of the vegetation. Drained 

 sites from which the original hydric tree species have been removed 

 often become dominated by more mesic and "weedy" species such as red 

 maple ( Acer rub rum ) , sweetgum ( Liquidambar styraciflua ) and lob- 

 lolly pine. This process is evident in the Bay City Pocosin in 

 northern Pamlico County, where pocosin vegetation has been extens- 

 ively replaced by loblolly pine and red maple thickets after drainage. 

 The same process , with only minor variations occurs when longleaf 

 pine flatwoods and hardwood flats are drained during logging. 



Modern fire control and suppression also contribute to vege- 

 tational change. Fire is a natural and common force in the pocosin 

 and longleaf pine communities which are extensive in Pamlico County. 

 Fire/vegetation relationships cannot be adequately expressed solely 

 in terms of fire presence or fire absence, however. Where fire 

 occurs , as in Pamlico County pocosins and longleaf stands , its in- 



