Return to North Carolina's Assessment of Need (draft)
Description of Forest Legacy Area and Important Environmental Values
The Piedmont Northern Tier FLA extends
along the stateís border with Virginia and includes Caswell, Person, Rockingham,
Stokes, and parts of Durham, Granville, Orange, and Surry Counties.
Water resources of note include Dan River,
Bellews Lake, Mayo Reservoir, Roxboro Reservoir/ Hyco Lake, Lake Michie,
and Falls Lake. The FLA incorporates much of the Roanoke River basin in
North Carolina west of US15, small portions of the Cape Fear and Yadkin-Pee
Dee river basins and headwaters of the Neuse and Tar Rivers. Several
headwater areas and downstream segments contain freshwater mussel populations
of regional and national importance.
Gamelands created throughout this FLA are a major environmental feature. Butner-Falls of the Neuse Gamelands, Caswell Game Lands, Sauratown Plantation Gameland support large white-tail deer and wild turkey populations that use extensive areas as home ranges.
Eno River State Park and Hanging Rock State Park are two of the recreational sites in this FLA that would benefit from protection on their perimeters. Pilot Mountain State Park, though not within the boundary of this FLA, is adjacent to US52 and would benefit from protection near its eastern boundary.
NC State Universityís Hill Forest,
north of Durham, serves as a key educational and research resource of historic
importance. The Duke Forest is proximal to this FLA and serves research,
teaching and recreational functions similar to the Hill Forest.
Current and Future Conversion Pressures
Residential and commercial development from the Piedmont Triad and Research Triangle urban complexes is rapidly eroding southern margins of the large contiguous blocks of rural land in this area. All along the I-85/I-40 corridor from Durham to Burlington to Greensboro and Winston-Salem, urbanization is creating extensive development pressure. Urban workers seeking less congested areas are quite willing to commute from this region, and developers have already made inroads, seeking less expensive land for future development. Rural development threatens the connectivity and utility of the numerous areas of gamelands in this FLA. Water quality in proximity to headwaters of several rivers that support native freshwater mussel populations is threatened by sedimentation and polluted runoff from advancing development.
Properties such as Eno River State
Park and NC State Universityís Hill Forest, north of Durham, are already
being surrounded by residential development that threatens their ability
to function effectively. The Duke Forest, proximal to this FLA, is
already experiencing changing land use and development pressures throughout
its scattered properties.
Goals and Objectives of FLA for Public Benefit
Maintain large contiguous blocks of working forest lands.
Create and maintain landscape-scale corridors connecting large designated areas of managed habitat.
Contribute to population interchanges between the Coastal Plain and foothills of the Appalachians.
Protect water quality and habitat for freshwater mussels.
Enhance protection of water quality supplies
and protect headwaters of the Neuse and Tar Rivers.
Potential Partnering Entities
Piedmont Land Conservancy
North Carolina Division of Forest
Resources
North Carolina Division of Parks
and Recreation
North Carolina Wildlife Resources
Commission
Triangle Land Conservancy
Boundary Description
From the Virginia line along US52 to the
Stokes County line.
Along the Stokes, Rockingham, and Caswell
County southern lines to NC 86.
Along NC86 to Hillsborough and US 70
Along US70 to the Eno River
Along the Eno River to and Falls Lake
to I-85.
Along I-85 to US15
Along US15 to the Virginia line.
Along the Virginia line to close at US52.
Figure B-6. Piedmont
Northern Tier Forest Legacy Area.