| Below
are some common management-related questions.
What is the reference point when deciding how an area should look?
The following was
published in the Sep 2006 Trust News.
Deciding on
what the island “should” look like is a challenging task. If you moved to Spring
Island in the early 1990s you may prefer the open woods you saw when you first
arrived. If you moved here in the last few years you may prefer thick jungle
like forests. So what is the “natural” state of Spring Island—the open forest or
the jungle? Should we make the island look like it did 20 years ago? In 1491?
Ten thousand years ago? What
is
the appropriate reference point?
The answer is as much of a
value
decision as a
science
and depends upon what you think “natural”
means. Native Americans manipulated the forests for thousands of years. The
expansive longleaf forest that once stretched across the Southeastern Coastal
Plain and greeted the first European explorers were partly there because of the
regular fires set by the early inhabitants in addition to the regular
lightning-ignited fires. Because our goal is to maximize diversity, the Trust
is striving to have a balance of thick and open places across the
landscape. This diversity also increases the variety of visual experiences for
the human residents.
Why don't you clean out the ditches?
Most of the ditches were dug on
Spring Island to drain fields. Because our goal is not to produce a commercial
agriculture crop, many of the ditches no longer are necessary. We don't need to
drain water off most fields (because they're sand and drain readily) or out of
bottomlands. In many areas that are allowed to go thick, having trees growing in
old ditches does not matter. For most of the ditches that border fields we try
to keep them in grasses or low-growing shrubs (not trees) to provide habitat for
wildlife. Ditches that drain home sites and the golf course do still need
to be maintained. If you think you have a ditch-related issue on your property,
please contact the head of the maintenance department.
Why do you use herbicides?
Herbicides have come a long way in
the last few decades. If used appropriately, they can provide the extra push
needed to accomplish our land management objectives. For example, without
herbicides we would not be able to rid Spring Island of tallow trees, an
invader that is rapidly expanding through
Beaufort County. When you cut down a tallow tree, the roots don't die and
the tree sprouts back - unless you spray it with an herbicide. We also use
herbicides to eliminate low-quality hardwoods (e.g., sweet gums) from areas that
we are trying to maintain as open forest, such as Big Neck.
Why don't you plow the fields after the crops have gone to seed?
Timing is critical when working
fields. If you break the soil with a plow at the wrong time, you will get the
wrong species. Summertime disking results in more invaders and undesirable
species, such as sandspurs and coffee weed. The fall and winter time are the
appropriate seasons to disk the soil. We'll intentionally disk some areas during
this time to stimulate beneficial wildlife species such as ragweed and partridge
pea. We also leave crops in the field after they have gone to seed because they
provide good habitat for animals.
Why don't you mow the edges of your fields?
"Clean" farming (i.e., when you
mow the edges your fields after the crop has been harvested) results in
low-quality habitat. However, clean farming is often times aesthetically
pleasing to many. We do keep some fields (especially those near roads) a little
cleaner than others for roadside aesthetics.
Why do you cut trees?
Everyone is familiar with the
phrase ' don't put all your eggs in one basket.' This is part of the reason why
we actively manage the timber on Spring Island in many areas. Hurricanes can
have a disastrous effect on an even-aged forest. This was a hard lesson learned
in many areas in South Carolina after Hurricane Hugo. We also cut trees to
accomplish specific management goals. For example, we harvested trees from some
areas to allow more sunshine to reach the forest floor and stimulate the growth
of native grasses and legumes. This enables us to burn these areas and get the
open park-like quail woods that once was the primary component of Spring
Island when it was a hunting plantation.
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