Timber harvest planned for 85-acre white-pine section of DuPont Forest

The North Carolina Forest Service plans to thin 85 acres of white pine in DuPont State Recreational Forest near Thomas Cemetery trail to create “a more appropriate hardwood and pine stand. …  The Thomas Cemetery natural area contains rare natural communities, rare species populations, and high quality examples of typical natural communities. Thinning of the plantation will allow natural regeneration of oaks and encourage shrub and herb growth with benefits for wildlife,” says Ed Schwartzman, an inventory biologist with NC Natural Heritage Program.

Forest officials also note that the Thomas Cemetery trail will likely be closed during the thinning project, which will conclude in June. The timber will be salvaged and sold, and help fund public-safety, infrastructure maintenance and other projects in DuPont. Here’s the full release:

DuPont Forest planning timber harvest

CEDAR MOUNTAIN – DuPont State Recreational Forest will conduct a thinning on 85 acres of white pine plantation near Thomas Cemetery trail this spring. The start date and time-period for the work is dependent on the weather, but visitors to the forest need to be aware that there will be some periodic trail closures as well as forestry equipment in the woods and on DuPont’s roads. Thomas Cemetery trail will likely be closed from early-April through June of this year.

The 85-acre thinning is the first step of a restoration effort to convert a white pine plantation to a more appropriate mixed hardwood and pine stand. This restoration area is identified as the Dry Branch Watershed in the dedication document that created the DuPont Dedicated Nature Preserve in 2002. The timber from the restoration will be salvaged and sold. Proceeds from the timber sale will be used to fund projects in DuPont Forest geared towards public safety and maintenance of existing infrastructure, according to Jason Guidry, Forest Supervisor for the state forest.

The N.C. Natural Heritage Program (NC NHP) has provided close coordination during the planning of the thinning. The NC NHP, part of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, serves as an information clearinghouse supporting conservation of North Carolina’s rarest and most outstanding elements of natural diversity.

“The Thomas Cemetery natural area contains rare natural communities, rare species populations, and high quality examples of typical natural communities. Thinning of the plantation will allow natural regeneration of oaks and encourage shrub and herb growth with benefits for wildlife,” said Ed Schwartzman, an inventory biologist with NC NHP.

“The Thomas Cemetery thinning is also consistent with DuPont’s Land & Resource Management Plan,” said Guidry. “Additionally, we required that the removal of the white pine be conducted with specialized equipment, commonly known as a forwarder, to demonstrate these activities as having minimal soil disturbance in this watershed. It will be a unique operation in that there will be almost no skidding trails or temporary forest roads constructed within the white pine stand.”

The entire DuPont State Forest Land & Resource Management Plan, as well as maps of the Dedicated Nature Preserve, can be found athttp://ncforestservice.gov. For up to date information on trail closures or safety alerts, go to the N.C. Forest Service Facebook page atwww.facebook.com/NCForestService, email dupontsf.ncfs@ncagr.gov, or call 828-877-6527, ext. 205.  DuPont staff will also be updating kiosks within the forest as harvest continues.