INVESTIGATIONS OF THE N. C. GEOLOGICAL AND 
ECONOMIC SURVEY RELATING TO FORESTRY 
PROBLEMS ALONG THE NORTH 
CAROLINA BANKS 
BY JOSEPH HYDE PRATT, STATE GEOLOGIST 
Problems of considerable interest have recently come up regard- 
ing the preservation of the small areas of forests that still remain 
on a few sections of the Banks along the North Carolina coast and 
of the reforestation of certain other sections. Conditions along 
the banks have been studied and, although the investigations have 
shown that over certain areas it will be impractical to attempt 
any reforestation or to try and check the progress of the dunes, 
yet there are certain other areas that should be protected and 
reforested. The greatest enemy of the areas of forests now exist- 
ing on the Banks are the dunes and one of the greatest difficulties 
in the way of checking the progress of the dunes is the cattle, 
sheep, and hogs that roam over these Banks, devouring the grass, 
roots, tree sprouts, etc. The survey has been assisted in its work 
of collecting data regarding the conditions existing along the 
Banks by Professor Collier Cobb of the University of North Caro- 
lina, Mr. I. F. Lewis of Johns Hopkins University, and the U. S. 
Forest Service.' The principal investigation has been on Shackle- 
ford Banks, extending from Cape Lookout southwestward about 
eight miles to Beaufort Inlet and from Cape Hatteras to Hatteras 
Inlet, a distance of about twelve miles. 
Shackleford Bank extends from Cape Lookout southwestward 
about eight miles to Beaufort Inlet, and is from a half to three- 
quarters of a mile broad. The whole Bank was, within the mem- 
ory of the older inhabitants, heavily wooded over iis entire area. 
Owing, however, to cutting of the timber for firewood and lumber, 
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[December 
