A restoration, fire, and adaptive management plan for The Nature Conservancy's McLean Savanna Preserve, Pender County, North Carolina
Abstract
In December 2008 the North Carolina Chapter of The Nature Conservancy purchased 540
acres adjacent to Holly Shelter Game Lands in Pender County, North Carolina from the
William McLean Family. This tract of land is considered by North Carolina Natural
Heritage Program to be “one of the best examples of very rare Pine Savanna variant,
which is known from a few locations in the world” and houses 14 rare plant species,
two of which are federally endangered. However, while components of the historic
community types are still present, fire exclusion and forest conversion have resulted
in an alteration of biodiversity and structure.
The current condition of the site was evaluated through extensive field surveys and
compared to presettlement vegetation data to determine the deviation from desired
conditions and the efforts necessary for restoration. Management recommendations
were devised for twelve different management units based on an exhaustive literature
review. The reintroduction of fire and the implementation of an appropriate fire
regime is the most critical component for restoration. In some areas additional mechanical,
chemical, and manual applications are necessary to meet the desired objectives. Through
the adherence to an adaptive management approach this plan will provide the means
to restore the composition, structure, and function of health longleaf pine ecosystem.
Type
Master's projectPermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/3710Citation
Coleman, Connor (2011). A restoration, fire, and adaptive management plan for The Nature Conservancy's McLean
Savanna Preserve, Pender County, North Carolina. Master's project, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/3710.Collections
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