 Forest
Type
SAF 76: Shortleaf pine-oak, 120 acres
Description
The de la Howe Natural Area is located on
the 2,100 acre John de la Howe School of the
State of South Carolina. the institution was
originally endowed by Dr. John de la Howe, who
specified in his will that "1,000 acres shall
forever remain in wood or forest." Within this
area some 100 acres have been preserved with
almost no cutting and few, if any, forest fires
since 1797. This stand of shortleaf pine is
unique in the South Carolina Piedmont, a region
where the land has been worked for two centuries
and has undergone drastic change. The surrounding
forests were cut early by the pioneers, and
the land farmed under practices which ultimately
caused serious erosion and degradation of the
land. the region is now spotted with many large
areas of depleted soil supporting relatively
poor forest stands.
 In addition,
this section of South Carolina Piedmont has
widespread occurrence of the little leaf disease
in shortleaf pine. The tight, poorly drained
eroded soils are conducive to the water-loving
fungus causing the disease. However, the old-growth
pines in the de la Howe Natural Area show no
evidence of little leaf. Absence of the disease
is explained by the rich soils in the tract,
which provide organisms that act against the
fungus. Moreover, the forests on the site are
very well developed (see Metz, 1960, de la Howe
Old Growth Forest, Journal of Forestry, Volume
58, No. 10).
Some vegetation studies on the tract have
been conducted by Erskine College.
Location
McCormick County, South Carolina.
Access
Northwest from McCormick, South Carolina,
via State Route 28 and 81 to the entrance of
the de la Howe School. Then due south of the
school 9.75 miles on the county road to the
natural area, which is at the southern boundaries
of the school property adjacent to the Little
River.
For information contact
Superintendent, de la Howe School
McCormick, South Carolina
or
Director, Southeastern Forest Experiment Station
Ashville, North Carolina 28802 |
