MERRITT NATURAL AREA 



Within the Portsmouth-Torhunta Soil Association, one 

 hardwood flat of local significance is found east of the 

 community of Merritt. Again the flat is delimited topo- 

 graphically by well-developed local tributaries, in this 

 case to the Bay River and Pamlico Sound. The Merritt 

 hardwood flat centers on the highest local elevation, 

 and no pocosin vegetation or peat soils abut this hard- 

 wood stand, although pond pine - dominated vegetation occurs 

 to the north, probably as a secondary growth after removal 

 of hardwoods. 



Soils in the Merritt natural area include Arapahoe 

 fine sandy loam and Stockade loamy fine sand, as well as small 

 areas of several other soil series. (Arapahoe soils are Typic 

 Humaquepts; Stockade soils are Typic Umbraqualfs. ) Only the 

 vegetation over the Arapahoe series has been examined in the 

 field (CT 6) . Sweetgum, laurel oak, tulip poplar and red 

 maple form a mixed canopy over ironwood, red bay, wax myrtle 

 ( Myrica cerifera ) and leucothoe; the shrub layer is fairly 

 dense. Ground cover is 100 percent, except where open 

 shallow pools occupy the forest floor. Herbs include netted 

 chain fern, Virginia chain fern ( Woodwardia virginica) , cin- 

 namon fern ( Osmunda cinnamomea ) and lizard's tail. Some 

 canopy-sized pines were noted during aerial reconnaissance. 



Based on field reconnaissance elsewhere of sites mapped 

 as Stockade fine loamy sand, the vegetation over the Stockade 

 series in the Merritt hardwood flat resembles that over the 

 Arapahoe soils, possibly being slightly better-drained, with 

 water oak ( Quercus nigra ) present and ironwood less common on 

 Stockade . 



The Merritt stand is less well-developed than the two 

 hardwood flats natural areas detailed previously, having been 

 more recently logged. It is, however, still a diverse com- 

 munity which has not succumbed to domination by "weedier" 

 tree species. 



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