CASE STUDY:ALTAMONT PLANTATIONCLEMSON EXPERIMENTAL FORESTLauren S. PileRestoration EcologySpring 2011

ALTAMO

NT PLAN

TATION

: HISTO

RICAL O

VERVIEW

•Altamont Plantation was constructed in 1808 by Col. Thomas Pickney Jr. the son of General Thomas Pickney a Revolutionary War veteran and Governor of South Carolina•Pickney’s left in the late 1830s•Went through several owners and was sold in probate court as the Brown Farm in 1923•Was sold by the U.S. Government in 1937 to become apart of the Clemson Community Conservation Project•Was heavily degraded and vandalized and in turn was destroyed

ALTAMO

NT PLAN

TATION

: LOCATIO

N CH

ARACTERISTICS

237 acres

Located in the Clemson Experimental Forest in Anderson, SC

Resides on the eastern side of Fants Grove Road, and is north of the Fants Grove Baptist Church

Managed by Knight Cox, Forest Supervisor

ECOLOGICAL SITE CHARACTERISTICS Southern inner

piedmont ecoregion Elevation between 800-

860 ft above sea level Historically would

climax to an upland oak-hickory community

Dominated by Cecil and Pacolet soil series

Reference ecosystem: Aull Natural Area (CEF)

SOILS AND SLOPE PERCENTAGE OF ALTAMONT PLANTATION

ALTAMONT PLANTATION ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION GOALSRe-establish a balanced biological communityEnhance existing ecosystem processesWildlife habitat enrichment/enhancementImprove recreational opportunitiesHistorical education through the use of interpretive trails

KNOWN ECOLOGICAL ISSUES Invasive

plants ~ 1 acre of bamboo Wisteria Periwinkle Monkey grass (Liriope) Privet

Remnant farm terraces

Soil erosion Stream

sedimentation Human debris

INTERPRETIVE RECREATIONAL TRAIL Trailhead begins at

Altamont historic homestead

Historic and culturally significant garden is constructed in the footprint of the homestead

Interpretive markers indicate plant significance (e.g. medicinal properties, etc)

Trail winds through the plantation

Narrative signage will provide insight into historic faming practices and its effect on ecosystem processes

Some remnant terraces will remain for educational purposes

Interpretive trail will also showcase the ecological restoration and provide educational/volunteer opportunities

ALTAMONT PLANTATION RESTORATION COSTS AND TIMELINE

Herbicide application ($40/acre @ 50acres, with 25 acre follow up applications) $3,000

Planting/Vegetation establishment $8,000

Land grading $5,000

Trail construction $10,000

Historical Markers (signage, etc) $2,000

Monitoring/Research $20,000

Project Manager $20,000

Supplies $1,000

Total Cost: $69,000

5 Year Project Year 1

Full evaluation of ecological site characteristics Soil and water chemical surveys

Acquisition of required regulatory permits Collect desired vegetative ecotypes and begin

nursery plantings Year 2

Land grading with immediate seeding of native grasses and loblolly and short leaf pines

Herbicide application of invasive species (fall) in high priority areas

Build and establish historical site garden Plant pines (loblolly and shortleaf) on eroded side

slopes Plant high value wildlife hardwoods on upland sites

Year 3 Native vegetation planting (spring) in herbicide

areas Green ash and switch cane along stream

margins Loblolly and shortleaf in non-stream areas

Trail construction and interpretive markers Follow up herbicide re-treatments where necessary

Year 4-5 Monitoring

Projected Costs Project Duration

ALTAMONT PLANTATION: MONITORING Permanent

vegetation plots Soil and water

quality samples Visitor evaluation

and trail use Wildlife diversity

and abundance sampling

REFERENCES Clewell, Andre, Rieger, John, and John Monroe. 2000. Guidelines for developing and

managing ecological restoration projects. Society of Ecological Restoration. Dooley, Katherine and Gene W. Wood. Altamont Plantation: Horse Trails Trail History.

Clemson University. Online publication: http://www.clemson.edu/trails/history/altamont.html#middle

Grant, A. S., Nelson, C. R., Switalski, T. A. and Rinehart, S. M. (2011), Restoration of Native Plant Communities after Road Decommissioning in the Rocky Mountains: Effect of Seed-Mix Composition on Vegetative Establishment. Restoration Ecology, 19: 160–169. doi: 10.1111/j.1526-100X.2010.00736.x

Griffith, G.E., Omernik, J.M., Comstock, J.A., Glover, J.B., and V.B. Shelburne. 2002. Ecoregions of North and South Carolina. (color poster with map, descriptive text, summary tables, and photographs): Reston, Virginia. U.S. Geological Survey (map scale 1:1,500,000).

Society for Ecological Restoration International Science & Policy Working Group. 2004. The SER International Primer on Ecological Restoration. www.ser.org & Tucson: Society for Ecological Restoration International.

Tilden, Freeman. 1967. Interpreting our heritage. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

Tyler, Royal and James Pongetti. Herbicide Applications. Arkansas Timber. Online resource: http://www.arkansastimber.info/pdf/Herbicide%20Applications.pdf

United States Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service. 1979. Soil Survey of Anderson County, South Carolina. Online publication: http://soildatamart.nrcs.usda.gov/manuscripts/SC007/0/anderson.pdf