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It was longleaf y'all. From southeastern Wake County to everything east to the beach and all the way down to Texas was the longleaf pine ecosystem. North Carolina is the pine tree state.
Longleaf pine forests were once one of the most extensive ecosystems in North America. The historic range of longleaf pine stretched from Texas to Virginia, covering approximately 90 million acres. Early explorers described the forest as a vast open park-like savanna of long-needled pine over a diverse understory of grasses and forbs. Frequent fires caused by lightning strikes shaped the longleaf forest for thousands of years, resulting in a unique forest home to many endemic (restricted to a certain area) plants and animals that require fire or habitats created by fire to survive.
Cary development was limited years ago to slow down on all the growth. The developers soon we moved over to Apex. It is tough to stop as clear-cut building is the preferred quickest method for builders and developers to put up their money making buildings. The one thing that’s missing and going the fastest from the landscape is what’s referred to as large pieces of dirt. ( schools and shopping malls)
Absolutely. There is very little virgin forest in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain. The British liked North Carolina for its trees, remember? And until fertilizers became available commercially, the general practice was to clear a field, work it until its soil was depleted, and then move on to the next field. Some 80 to 100 year-old trees in the Triangle that have grown up since then and managed to survive hurricanes, tornadoes, ice storms, insects, and disease. But they're not necessarily indicative of what grew here pre-European. For one thing, the American Elm (and in the mountains, the American Chesnut) was wiped out.
The American elm got wiped out due to the Dutch disease, not necessarily due to human activity. Same thing happened to the American Chestnut -- the chestnut blight.
Currently we are in the midst of similar tree epidemics for the American Ash and Beech. I had to cut down two gorgeous ash trees when I lived out in Colorado, and it was the saddest effing thing. The emerald ash borer is an absolute disaster and in 10 years we will have barely any ash trees left. Here in NC I had to cut down one my beech trees because the fungus that's has killed it, and it's killing all beech trees all over east coast. Tree removers couldn't climb it because it was brittle due to the fungus and the inside was almost hollow (the previous owner had let it go or didn't care for it. I guess). I am now super vigilant about two large beeches I have in my backyard.
EDIT 1: I forgot that I also had to remove an ash tree here in NC. It was completely dead due to the emerald ash borer. So 3 magnificently beautiful ash trees I owned in the last 5-8 years -- all gone.
EDIT 2: Sorry completely forgot the point I was making haha -- yes, no virgin forest probably left, the growth of British industry and their complete dependence on charcoal in crazy ways killed tons of our forests. But, like poppydog said this place was not all hardwood forest. Pine ruled here and it is obviously have come back since then. My arborist is a cool dude who probably speaks tree language. He is like 3rd generation "forester" and he says the beauty with forests you can bring them back. You just have to allow the nature to heal itself.
Last edited by HatchChile; 09-15-2020 at 06:36 AM..
Here in NC I had to cut down one my beech trees because the fungus that's has killed it, and it's killing all beech trees all over east coast. Tree removers couldn't climb it because it was brittle due to the fungus and the inside was almost hollow the previous owner had let it go or didn't care for it. I guess). I am now super vigilant about two large beeches I have in my backyard.
Oh no! One of the only trees on my property that I actually care about and am not planning on cutting down is a beautiful beech tree. What am I supposed to be doing to keep it healthy? We've already had to cut down a huge oak that was dying.
Oh no! One of the only trees on my property that I actually care about and am not planning on cutting down is a beautiful beech tree. What am I supposed to be doing to keep it healthy? We've already had to cut down a huge oak that was dying.
Get an arborist and let them take a look at it. Meanwhile do not wound your tree in any way -- meaning do not put a nail on it to hang Halloween/Christmas lights like some people do. If there are any other beech trees around and it is infected with fungus, that's how it spreads. As far as I understand there is no treatment once fungi gets into your tree. You can control the spread before your tree gets infected, but after I am not so sure. Apparently, in the past this happened and killed a lot of beech trees out north, this time it's killing them in Midwest and Southeast -- from Michigan and NC.
Quote:
The first visible sign of a beech scale insect infestation is a woolly, white, waxy covering that the insect secretes. This sign can be observed covering small areas or most of the tree. The amount of waxy material observed depends on the population of the beech scale insect on that tree. The Neonectria fungi also show signs of its presence. An early sign is what looks like a bleeding spot on the tree. A reddish-brown fluid will ooze from the wound site, giving it this appearance. Later, perithecia will form around the dead spot, which is another sign of the disease.[1][2]
Symptoms of beech bark disease can be observed in the foliage and on the bole of the tree. Foliage may become small, sparse and yellowed. Trees that display a thin, weak crown may persist for several years but may also die without displaying any symptoms.[2] Noticeable symptoms on the bole are the cracking of the bark, the formation of cankers, and beech snap. Beech snap is a result of the fungi and insect weakening the wood, which makes it susceptible to being blown over by wind.
BTW y'all, you just might not know an old tree when you see it. There is a nearly 500 yr old Longleaf pine in Weymouth Woods that doesn't really look that different from the others there.
I know a member of Apex town council and they used historical data in Cary to pave the future for Apex. Half wanted to stay with growth and more revenue. The other half wanted to save all the trees.
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