Atlantic White Cedar Salvage Efforts in the Great Dismal Swamp Following Hurricane Isabel
On September 18, 2003, Hurricane Isabel made landfall near Drum Inlet on the Outer Banks ofNorth Carolina, and inflicted considerable damage to forests throughout North Carolina and Virginia. Some of the most severe damage occurred within the mature stands of Atlantic white cedar (AWC) in the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge (GDSNWR). No mature stands of A WC within the GDSNWR escaped without significant damage. The thick layer of debris including a tangled mat of uprooted, snapped and standing storm damaged trees prohibited natural regeneration of A WC and represented a severe fuel loading situation. Between the spring of 2004 and fall2006, the GDSNWR conducted two timber sales to reduce the fuel loads and create an environment suitable for the establishment, survival and growth of cedar. This report discusses available information on Hurricane Isabel, the damage to cedar and cedar restoration efforts to date.
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Author(s): Robert T. Belcher, Bryan Poovey
Publication: The Ecology and Management of Atlantic white-cedar