Sunday, 15 December 2002
North Carolina State Forestland Earns FSC Certification
A North Carolina State Forest totaling 32,237 acres has been FSC-certified as well-managed for environmental, social and economic viability. Bladen Lakes Forest near Elizabethtown joins Duke University’s 7,830 acre forest which was FSC-certified in 2001 and North Carolina State University’s 4,750 acre forest which is likely to finish the certification process in December 2002. DuPont State Forest near Brevard in the Southern Appalachians has also undergone a certification assessment by Smartwood and may be certified once their management plan is completed. North Carolina is the second Southern state to have state forestland certified, behind Tennessee.
“We are pleased to have such an exemplary forest in the FSC system," said FSC-U.S. President Roger Dower. “The forest has a unique mix of wood production, environmental protection and social value. The certification also expands FSC’s portfolio of land in the South, the 'wood basket’ of the country."
“The Southern Center for Sustainable Forests, a partnership between North Carolina State University, Duke, and the North Carolina Division of Forest Resources, along with the Pinchot Institute, helped bring about this certification and have shown outstanding leadership in research and education and promoting exemplary forest management," said Loy Jones, Southeastern Regional Manager for Smartwood.
The 32,237 acre Bladen Lakes State forest in southeastern North Carolina, is considered part of the state’s Coastal Plain forest. Tree species include mixed hardwoods, Atlantic White Cedar, loblolly, longleaf, and slash pine, as well as sweetgum, red maple, and Baldcypress. The forest also contains areas that have been identified and protected as Natural Heritage Preservation Sites. There are several areas set aside for protection and enhancement of red-cockaded woodpecker colony sites in longleaf pine. Some longleaf pine stands are also dedicated for the production and harvest of pine straw, used as mulch.
Dupont State Forest, totaling 10,256 acres, has also undergone assessment for FSC certification. It contains several Natural Heritage sites, as well as four scenic waterfalls and a lake that serves as a public water source.