Ten of the 35 archaeological sites listed in the Conservation Easement are presettlement Native American sites. The original route of the Charleston and Hamburg Railroad ran through Hitchcock Woods in the mid-nineteenth century along a causeway now called Cathedral Aisle and through a cut that was the former Lover's Lane, now lost to overgrowth. Ecologically significant areas in Hitchcock Woods include six mountain laurel dominated slopes, two sites dominated by wild rosemary, and several cool mesic slopes containing numerous disjunct species more commonly found in the Piedmont and Blue Ridge Mountain provinces. These communities are considered unique to this area, and especially unique in their close proximity to each other. There is no single more important restoration and management recommendation than to restore, to the extent possible, the natural disturbance regime.
Fire is needed to maintain and enhance species diversity.
Virtually all native understory species of Southeastern coastal plain uplands are fire-adapted. Most are perennials with underground storage structures, able to resprout quickly following fire. Reduction in fire frequency to intervals longer than 5 years leads to elimination of most herb layer species. The herb layer of the longleaf pine system provides critical food and habitat resources for numerous component animal species such as fox squirrels, rabbits, quail, birds, and small mammals like mice and voles which, in turn, support hawks, owls and mammalian predators. Growing season burns can reduce or eliminate the invasive woody understory, thereby facilitating the restoration of the natural biodiversity of the ecosystem.