Pringle Road Carolina Bays 



Name of Area: Pringle Road Carolina Bays 



Location: In southern Croatan National Forest. Carolina Bay A: "The 

 NW tip of the praninent rim of this bay is ca. 400 yards SE of 

 Millis Road. Its SW rim is ca. 150 yards NE of Pringle Road. 

 Carolina Bay B: Lies immediately NE of and is parallel to Bay A. 

 See Map 25 . 



Quad: Intersection of Salter Path, Swansboro and Maysville 



Date: 10 October 1980 



Investigator: John Fussell 



Physical/Habitat Feature: Carolina Bays 



Survey Priority: Medium: These two Carolina Bays have the following 



positive attributes: 1) they are prcminent, well-defined, and large 

 (for the county) , 2) they are within the National Forest so some degree 

 of protection is feasible, 3) they have a rather wide range of habitats 

 (for Carolina Bays in Carteret County) , 4) they are located within a 

 ccnplex of "natural areas", the pocosin to the north being designated 

 as wilderness, the Patsy Pond natural area to the SE, and the Millis 

 Road savannah to the NE. 



Doninant Vegetation: Carolina Bay A; Vegetation of ca. 90% of bay (total 

 acreage ca. 40) is similar to most pocosin and Carolina bay vegetation 

 in Carteret County, i.e. scattered Pinus serotina to ca. 40' with a 

 dense broadleaf evergreen shrub growth (up to 10 ' ) dcminated by Cyrilla 

 racemiflora , Lyonia lucida . Ilex coriacea, Smilax lauri folia , etc. 

 However, this bay has a small area (ca. two acres) dotiinated by Nyssa 

 sylvatica var. biflora (ca. 40' high) , near the southeast end of the 

 bay, and a Cladium jamaicense marsh (ca. one acre) at the southeast 

 comer of the bay The last two situations are rare in Carolina Bays 

 in this county. 



Carolina Bay B; Like Bay A, this ca. 40 acre bay is dcminated by Pinus 

 serotina (satie to 50 ' ) and a lew thick growth of broadleaf evergreen 

 shrubs (ca. 37 acres) . It also contains ca. three acres doninated by 

 Nyssa sylvatica var. biflora (40+'). 



Site Quality: Both the Pinus serotina and Nyssa sylvatica trees are 

 generally small; their age is unknown. The general quality (and 

 "potential") of both bays is enhanced by their proximity to each other 

 and their proximity to the large pocosin (proposed as wilderness) 

 which begins about one mile NW, the Millis Road longleaf pine savannah 

 (2 miles NE) , and to the Patsy Pond natural area (2 miles SE) . 



Elevation: Ca. 35-38'. The rim around the Carolina Bay is about three 

 feet higher than the bay center. 



Soil Series: Not yet mapped in Carteret County Soil Survey, but is 

 probably Murville Sand (Jeannie Wilson) . 



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