Rating 

 North 

 Carolina's 

 Maritime 

 Forests 



Eight maritime forests stand out 

 among others on North Carolina's bar- 

 rier islands because of their ecological 

 significance and potential for preserva- 

 tion. In 1990, a citizens' working 

 group studying the state of maritime 

 forests rated them as high-priority sites 

 for preservation efforts. 



KITTY HAWK WOODS, Dare County, 

 received attention when nearly 600 

 acres of the 1,900-acre forest were do- 

 nated as a conservation easement for a 

 natural area. The state and Kitty Hawk 

 split the easement, which is a perma- 

 nent tool that limits future uses of the 

 land. The forest is more than 50 per- 

 cent maritime swamp forest; the re- 

 mainder is deciduous forest owned by 

 developers. It is on the widest part of 

 Currituck Banks with gently rolling 

 dune ridges and low, wet swales. And 

 it is the largest site in North Carolina 

 with species more typical of northern 

 maritime forests. The forest's signifi- 

 cance lies in its size, lack of distur- 

 bance and extensive forest wetlands. It 

 is also the only forest site in the state 

 with stands of bald cypress. 



MAGS HEAD WOODS, Dare County, 

 is an ecological preserve owned by 

 The Nature Conservancy North Caro- 

 lina Chapter and the town of Nags 

 Head. Today, 755 acres of the remain- 

 ing 900-acre maritime forest have been 

 set aside for conservation. The effort 

 was launched more than a dozen years 

 ago with a small land donation from a 

 concerned couple. Most recently, The 



Continued 



COASTWATCH 9 



