Pictured left is the roadside view of Red Bay Farm (RBF). This forest is about 39 acres in size. Our other parcel, Lone Cypress, is about 7 acres in size. The taller trees are Loblolly Pines which are approximately 50 - 60 years old. Most of the rest of this 39 acre parcel was logged in 1994 Many seed trees were left standing but unfortunately most of those trees were destroyed by Hurricanes Floyd and Fran.
Loblolly Pine. We intend to selectively cut our forest removing diseased trees and thinning the trees to balance commercial growth and preserve wildlife habitat while minimizing environmental impact. We intend to maximize the use of unmarketable hardwood trees for growing mushrooms (shiitake and oyster). Portions of our forest stewardship plan are now posted. Our Forest is typical of non-industrial privately owned forests in the Southeast. According to a Auburn University paper titled, Forestry and Community: Creating Local Markets for Local Resources, “Non-industrial private landowners own 60 million acres of commercial timberland in the four southern states of Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. More than 20% of this land – 12.6 million acres – is in holdings of 50 acres or less, a pattern we believe to be common across the South.” Red Bay Farm is one of those small holdings.
remnant Longleaf Pines. RBF at one time was likely a Longleaf Pine forest. The more wet areas would have been forested with Water Tupelo and Black Gum and perhaps some Atlantic White Cedar. The Longleaf Pine forests of the area provided the area with a major economic benefit in earlier times. The naval stores industry was important for the local economy. |
| Another indicator of the forest industry is the old tram road runs through the farm. Tram road was the common name for an old narrow gauge railroad which transported logs to the sawmills. We understand that the Tram road was used to haul logs to Swansboro until sometime in the early 1900's. Return to Home Page |
was used to produce pine tar. On the farm there is evidence of tar kilns which were used to render the rosin out of pine knots and stumps etc. The resulting naval stores were, as the name implies, important for the maintenance and care of wooden sailing ships. Visit the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association for a description of how pine tar was produced. |
We are fortunate to have also have our namesake red bay trees, a variety of oak trees on the property
(Live Oak, Water Oak, Red Oak, Post Oak, Black Jack Oak are just some of the oaks we have
identified). Additionally, Water Tupelo, Black Gum, Sweet Gum, Tulip Poplar, Holly, Red Ceadar,
Swamp Cyrillia, Wax Myrtle, Red Maple and Fetterbush are other trees prevalent in the forest. If you
need to identify a tree on your own property we recommend visiting the National Arbor Day
Foundation.
In addition to our trees there are a large variety of shrubs and bushes which we haven't yet identified.
Some appear to be blue berries and wild azaleas. Visit the Missouri Prairie and Wetland Center for a
helpful picture index for identifying a wide variety of plants
(Live Oak, Water Oak, Red Oak, Post Oak, Black Jack Oak are just some of the oaks we have
identified). Additionally, Water Tupelo, Black Gum, Sweet Gum, Tulip Poplar, Holly, Red Ceadar,
Swamp Cyrillia, Wax Myrtle, Red Maple and Fetterbush are other trees prevalent in the forest. If you
need to identify a tree on your own property we recommend visiting the National Arbor Day
Foundation.
In addition to our trees there are a large variety of shrubs and bushes which we haven't yet identified.
Some appear to be blue berries and wild azaleas. Visit the Missouri Prairie and Wetland Center for a
helpful picture index for identifying a wide variety of plants
