| Congaree
National Monument, SC |
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| Congaree Swamp National Monument, in
central South Carolina (Richland County): approximately 11,000
acres of old-growth bottomland hardwoods and cypress-tupelo
systems on the floodplain of the Congaree River, within the
National Monument. The monument rests on a floodplain of
the Congaree River and is not a true swamp. This remnant
preserves, in a wilderness state, the largest intact tract of
old-growth bottomland hardwood forest in the United States.
http://www.nps.gov/cosw/ |
| Re:
Congaree National Park |
Greentr-@aol.com |
| Nov
21, 2003 08:03 PST |
Will
& All,
I just read that Congaree is to receive National Park Status
Saturday
(tomorrow?), which promises to bring in an additional 200K
people a year (don't know
how this will effect this international biosphere). If any ENTS
children have
not been to Congaree, you owe it to yourself to at least walk
the couple mile
boardwalk about a half hour south of Columbia, SC. Having
visited a number
of similar parks in south Florida, I believe Francis Marion's
old stomping
ground is second to none, when it come to old growth floodplain
forests, pristine
beauty and access to wildlife (not to mention some decent size
trees). This
represents the best remnant of swamps that once stretched from
the Chesapeake
to east Texas (though not a tree swamp, a river floodplain that
floods at least
10 tens a year.) Fall and winter are the best season to visit,
as summer
brings mosquitoes and sauna like weather; spring brings
flooding.
Randy |
| RE:
Congaree National Park |
Will
Blozan |
| Nov
21, 2003 17:36 PST |
Randy
ENTS has had many excursions to the Great Congaree, one of the
East's
greatest tree havens. Between myself, Bob Leverett, Michael
Davie, Jess
Riddle and Paul Jost, we have an extensive database of tree
measurements
from the swamp. It is home to the largest confirmed Pinus in the
East, a
loblolly pine measured to 1500 ft3. As it stands, only a white
pine can beat
it and that tree is yet to be found. The Adirondacks has a few
contenders as
well as a pine Bob knows of somewhere in New England or NY
(can't remember).
Who does Francis Marion compare to the Congaree for bottomland
hardwoods? As
far as I know ENTS has not yet sampled there. Any good conifers?
As Van Pelt would say, "Congaree Rules!!!" and "Pinaceae
Rules!!!".
Will
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