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Croatan Pocosins 



Name of Area: Croatan Pocosins 



Location Description: Jones, Craven and Carteret Counties, North 

 Carolina; Maysville 15 min. and Masontown 7.5 min. 

 topographic USGS quad map in Croatan National Forest; 

 central Croatan National Forest, Catfish-Great Lake area. 

 See maps 5-7. Only the area called "Pocosin" lies within 

 Carteret County. 



Ownership and Administration: Area owned and administered 



by the USFS as holdings within the Croatan National Forest. 

 Four sections included in the natural area are those 

 proposed by the USFS as Wilderness - RARE II Areas (road- 

 less and undeveloped areas): Catfish Lake South, Sheep- 

 ridge, Pond Pine and Pocosin (see map 7). The Low 

 Pocosin area on the west side of Great Lake is premier 

 example of low evergreen shrub pocosin and is critical 

 to maintain the hydrology of the Sheep Ridge pocosin site. 

 The inclusion of the Low Pocosin area recognizes it as a 

 significant and necessary link to maintain the hydrology 

 of the other four areas. IvTiile the Low Pocosin area is 

 not included in the USFS proposed Wilderness Area due 

 to the presence of roads, it does meet all the qualifi- 

 cations of a Natural Heritage Area and its inclusion in 

 the natural area is recommended. 



Approximate Acreage: Catfish Lake South 7,605 acres (3,042 

 hectares). Low Pocosin 4,035 acres (1614 hectares), 

 Pocosin 11,000 acres (4,400 hectares). Sheep Ridge 

 5,380 acres (2,152 hectares). Pond Pine 1,860 acres 

 (744 hectares). 



Land Use: The proposed natural areas are restricted in 

 accessibility in that much of the area is covered by 

 impenetrable evergreen shrubs characteristic of pocosins 

 and flooded swamp forests. Maintained roads surround 

 the areas, but none actually transverse them with the 

 exception of the Low Pocosin area; therefore, land use 

 is restricted to hunting along the road edges. The land 

 is reserved primarily for wildlife habitat. 



Dangers to Integrity: Massive wildfires are seen as a threat 

 to be controlled by the USFS. Pocosins are fire dependent 

 ecosystems and their successional status depends on both 

 hydroperiod and frequency of fires. Any major change in 



Compiled by the NC Natural Heritage Program, DNRCD, 

 Division of Parks and Recreation, Raleigh, N.C. December 

 (1979). 



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