0299-GCG-FoothillsConservancy ESG24-FINALb (1) - Flipbook - Page 31
2024 Impact Report
decades. Larger trees are typically more susceptible
to windthrow, which occurs when the force of the wind
exceeds a tree’s stem or anchor strength. At Oak Hill
Community Park and Forest and several other Foothills
Finding Myself in
the Forest
Conservancy of North Carolina preserve lands, our staff
How Stewardship Changed My Life
that larger canopy trees such as oaks, hickories, and
By Jacob A. Searcy
Summer Stewardship Intern
observed hundreds of downed trees and recognized
white pines were disproportionately impacted, and
consistently by uprooting rather than snapping.
Wind and other natural disturbances create gaps in
the dense tree canopy, which expose the forest 昀氀oor
to increased sunlight and moisture. In some cases,
these conditions enable the next generation of seeds
that lay dormant in the rich, organic soils to sprout
and begin their journey towards the sky, eventually
replacing the giants that have fallen before them.
This type of natural forest development is what we
try to mimic and recreate when conducting forest
management activities on our FCNC preserve lands.
Rather than clearing large areas of overstory trees
(clearcutting), we generally remove overstory trees
in patches to create small gaps in the forest canopy.
We also attempt to imitate Mother Nature by targeting
inferior trees for removal while maintaining the
healthiest and most vigorous trees in the stand. These
strong “leave” trees then reseed the site so it can
develop into the next cohort of future forest.
While our forests may currently appear to be in a state
of disrepair and chaos post-Helene, natural forces are
already at work repairing and restoring the holes that
have been created in the verdant comforter of forest
blanketing our western North Carolina landscape.
Our region’s long growing seasons, mild winters, and
abundant biological activity will kick into gear and
When I initially told the people in my life I’d been
offered a position as a stewardship intern with
Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina, many of
them responded with the same question:
“What does that mean?”
Stewardship, for all its bene昀椀ts, is an admittedly vague
term, and it can be dif昀椀cult to understand exactly what
such a position entails without having background
experience in conservation. Its broadness can make it
dif昀椀cult to de昀椀nitively categorize.
Put simply, stewardship generally revolves around
the day-to-day details of conservation 昀椀eldwork.
Tasks carried out by FCNC’s land stewardship team
can include planting native trees, removing invasive
weeds, posting signage, transporting and operating
equipment, and writing reports or grants, to name
only a handful. However, the primary responsibility
of FCNC’s stewardship team is to monitor the land
trust’s more than 100 conservation easements
and preserves, ensuring they remain up to the set
standards protecting their conservation values. This
means boots on the ground (or sometimes in the
water), visiting properties, and collecting information
on current conditions.
eventually clear the overabundance of woody debris,
recycling stored nutrients back into the ground for the
next generation of plants to emerge. We often see the
Jacob Searcy
bare spots quickly transitioning to tangles of thorny
and scratchy early successional vegetation so thick
that only birds and insects can enjoy it. But with each
passing season, the developing forest will consolidate
until the disturbance of the past is a fading memory.
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