Land Management and Stewardship Notice, August 2025
A note on oaks in the mid-story of the forest: Oak trees are an important part of the longleaf pine ecosystem. Patches of mature oaks and scattered large oaks provide mast and nesting sites that are important to wildlife. Small oaks stump sprout when burned and provide added diversity to the system. However because of fire exclusion, some areas of the Foundation have a dense hardwood mid-story which blocks light from the forest floor and smothers ground cover with a dense layer of leaves. The oaks in these areas have grown too large to effectively control with prescribed fire.
Thinning of the oak mid-story is an important part of restoring the longleaf forest. Oaks are either cut and left on the forest floor to be burned at a later date or are chipped and removed from the land. Hand application of herbicide to the stumps slows the re-growth of oaks.
Should you have any question or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me at 910-695-7811 or email director@walthour-moss.org.
MAP WILL BE UPLOADED by 12:00PM, 8/22/25
