The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1958-09-26
A NEW CROP ON
SANDY RIDGE ON
DARE MAINLAND
West Va. Pulp Company's Activi-
ties Extend to Tyrrell
County Too

area which was once a pleasant
homeplace for several families
back in the days when people were
content to live in the wilderness.
Sandy Ridge has now become ac-
cessible by a good road since all
it's people have moved away.
But West Virginia Pulp &
Paper Co. is doing a lot of work
in the Sandy Ridge section by
planting a new crop in its acres
This and other news of interest
concerning woodland activities of
the company in Dare and Tyrrell
Counties is contained in the re-
cent company bulletin as follows:
Timber Inventory Surveys
The Timber Inventory: the cruis-
ing and mapping of Company for
est land, is steadily increasing the
knowledge of North Carolina
Woodlands. The data gathered by
the inventory provides the basis
for many management activities
including road building, selecting
sites for reforestation, and timber
sales.
With full time inventory crews
in both districts the work is now
progressing at an accelerated pace.
Approximately A percent of Dis
trict 1 and 40 percent of District
ii have been inventoried to date
although much of the inventoried
area in District /, burned during
last summers fire, will require re-
inventory.
The field phase of the inventory
operations is carried on by a
three-man crew. The crew leader
is the Estimator whose duties in
clude mapping as we'll as estimat-
ing timber volumes; the Compass
men in addition to operating the
compass and pulling the chain,
act as notekeeper. An Axeman is
inclu8ed in the party when work
ing in areas with thick brush.
In addition to first aid kits,
food and canteens, inventory equip
ment includes: a two chain type
for measuring plots, diameter
tape for measuring tree diameters,
an Abney level for measuring tree
heights, an increment borer for
determining tree age, and COM
pass for direction.
The property is inventoried by
Units which are areas enclosed by
roads or natural boundaries. Since
it is impossible for the inventory
to measure and count each tree on
the Company forest land, small
sample is taken. This sample is
provided from measurements taken
on tenth acre plots spaced two
chains apart along cruise lines run
across the unit. Cruise lines are
spaced at half mile intervals and
are laid out on purely mechani-
cal basis to prevent the sample
from favoring any particular stand.
The information gathered by the
inventory crew includes data on
timber stands as well as individual
trees. Stands are mapped and
typed according to species, site,
age, and stocking. The species
type is determined by the FREEDOM
mate merchantable species or asso-
citation of species within the stand.
TIL .s4> ;rdox> ,.alofac 70 tho prod-
uctivity of the area for a given
species. Many areas, due to fire,
salt flooding, and deep peat do
not contain any trees of a mer-
charitable species. These areas are
typed "open" or "flood killed" In
dividual trees are Tailed by dia-
meter and merchantable height in
multiples of sixteen foot logs. A
reproduction count of all stems of
a merchantable species less than
eight inches in diameter is taken
on the hundredth-acre plot. Type
lines and such typographical fea-
lures as roads, bitches, canals,
abandoned railroads, etc. are noted
on the Estimator's field map.
When tally sheets and field
maps are turned in to the Man.
agement Forester, the job is only
half complete. In the Manteo Of
flee, the field data is transferred
from the tally sheets to map.
Using aerial photographs the
area between cruise lines is ex-
aminad and compared to known
stands reported along the sample
lines. With the aid of an instru-
ment known as a multi-scope, it
is possible for the mapper to pro-
sject a three dimensional image of
the aerial photos upon the map,
enabling him to correlate photo
information with the ground cruise.
The field tally sheets prepared
by the cruisers are then mailed to
the Tabulating Department OF
West Virginia's Mill at Covington,
Virginia. Here the information
gathered in the woods is trans
lated into multitude of tiny rec
tanguIar holes punched into small
cards. These cards are then run
sthroagh electronic IBM machines
providing computations in few
n y