A rare type of woodland spanning nearly 200 acres on Bald Head Island was recently added to a national network of protected, old-growth forests.
The 191-acre Bald Head Woods Reserve is now one of four North Carolina forests and the 277th to be added to the Old-Growth Forest Network. There are 39 states included in the network.
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“The site is located in the central portion of Bald Head Island and is characterized by its extremely old, large live oak trees that create an intricate maritime forest canopy system,” according to a release from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.
The N.C. Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve, a program of the department’s Division of Coastal Management, oversees Bald Head reserve and 9 other coastal reserve sites.
A dedication ceremony took place late last month.
“Showcasing this forest in the Network is an invitation to others to see what is ecologically possible. Less than one percent of old-growth forests remain in the eastern US,” Dan Camacho, Old-Growth Forest Network, said in a release. “These forests offer a glimpse into the ecological potential of our wild, native forest ecosystems. They offer a blueprint for sustaining biodiversity and a weapon for fighting climate change.”
Bald Head Woods Reserve was added to the N.C. Coastal Reserve and National Estuarine Research Reserve in 1993, a move that forever protects maritime forest and interdune swale communities on the land “as a living laboratory,” according to a state Department of Environmental Quality release.
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N.C. Coastal Reserve Manager Rebecca Ellin said the program “is fortunate to be entrusted with the protection and preservation of ecologically important habitats on our coast. We appreciate the local partnerships and recent dedication from the Old-Growth Forest Network that support our management of the Reserves and promote stewardship of these natural areas.”
