We feel the land in our care deserves respect. Making it sustainable to support not just our interests but the interests of all the life that is contained in our woodlands. The common practice is to harvest timber stands on 30-year cycles. At Southern 8ths this cycle has been changed to 50 years to cause less disruption of the local environment.

Planted Hardwood Stands
Planted hardwood is a woodland of single species of hardwoods, oaks and yellow poplar, planted in old fields in bottomland habitat.  Seedlings were planted using commercial spacing similar to planted pine stands.

Upland Planted Pine Stands
Upland pine is a woodland of widely spaced pines with a sparse to moderate shrub layer and a groundcover of grasses and herbs, occurring on gently rolling terrain.  Most stands were old fields planted in 1999 with loblolly pine seedlings utilizing a commercial spacing for pulpwood and lumber production.

Mixed Pine Hardwood
Mixed pine-hardwood forests occur throughout the property primarily on mid to upper slope ridges.  Loblolly pine is the dominate pine species and hardwoods include oaks, maple, hickory, blackgum and sweetgum.  These stands were harvested in the past (15 – 20 years ago) and allowed to re-grow from stump sprouts and seed resulting in mixed stands.

Bottomland Hardwood
Bottomland hardwood forests are forested, low-lying, moist areas near Thompson Creek, Talton Branch and Muddy Branch. Species varyin bottomland hardwood forests, based on slope of the land, soil type, water availability, and climate. Deciduous trees of various ages grow in these forests. They often grow in distinct layers, with an overstory of dominant tree species, an understory of companion trees and shrubs, and a groundcover layer of herbaceous plants.

Upland Hardwood
Upland hardwood stands include mature mixed hardwood species on mid to upper slope ridges throughout the property.  Predominate species include white oak, red oak, sweetgum, yellow-poplar, red maple and black cherry.  It typically has a diverse assemblage of deciduous and evergreen tree species in the canopy and midstory, shade-tolerant shrubs, and a sparse groundcover.

Learn about Bark & Grain, our on-site sawmill specializing in reclaimed, fallen. live-edge wood.