Established Research Natural Areas | Research Natural Areas

Established Research Natural Areas (R8/SRS/IITF)

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Established Research Natural Areas						Last Revised: 10.24.2016
State	Forest	RNA Home	Date	Size (ac)	Geo/Botanical Features	Description
AL	National Forests in Alabama	Reed Brake	1975	598	In Clayhills Region of the Hilly Coastal Plain Province	70% longleaf pine–scrub oak (SAF type 71 and red oak – white oak - hickory (SAF type 52). Pockets of old-growth cane 40–50 acres in extent. Some ravines support classic mesic hardwoods, including American Beech, Bigleaf Magnolia, and water oaks,with occasional Longleaf and Shortleaf Pine.
AL	National Forests in Alabama	Bee Branch	1962	128	Gorge in Warrior River Basin, a submaturely dissected plateau	Old growth hemlock (Tsuga canadensis – beech (Fagus grandifolia) community, southernmost range limit for hemlock
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AR	Ozark–St. Francis	Dismal Hollow	1990	2077	Two steep canyon-like ravines bounded by spectacular, near-vertical bluffs; Beech-Sugar Maple, several sensitive plant species and communities, French's shooting star.	Located within and adjacent to Dismal Hollow and Gladon Creek canyons, with deeply incised drainages. One of best examples of relict mixed mesophytic forests in the Ozarks
AR	Ouachita	Gap Creek	1990	1125	Rare endemic paleback darter (Etheostoma pallididorsum), southern lady's slipper (Cypripedium kentuckiense) and Caddo Mountain salamander (Plethodon caddoensis).	Gap Creek is one of the highest quality streams in Arkansas. The floodplain is forested with an undisturbed stand of shortleaf pine and mixed hardwoods.
AR	Ouachita	Lake Winona	1983	280	Old growth shortleaf pine	After a tornado occurred in 1982 and destroyed the trees, 120 acres of old growth was substituted for 120 damaged acres.
AR	Ouachita	Roaring Branch	1969	300	Old growth hardwood and shortleaf pine	in the Ouachita Mountains with numerous, year-round flowing springs, limited accessibillity
AR	Ouachita	R. R. Reynolds	2005	80	Loblolly pine-hardwood forest with some representatives of the virgin forest.	Closed canopy mature loblolly pine hardwood forest that has had little human interventIon. Area established to provide baseline contrast to typical managed cutover stand. Entirely within Crossett Experimental Forest.
AR	Ozark–St. Francis	Turkey Ridge	1988	373	White Oak, Red Oak, Beech, Yellow Poplar, Hickory. Steep slopes (20–60%), numerous small drainages and narrow ridge tops. Climbing Magnolia vine (Schisanda glabra) and White Walnut (Juglans cinerea L.).	The last large tract of 50–100 year old white oak-black oak-northern red oak on Crowley’s Ridge, believed to closely resemble the virgin forest. Yellow poplar is only found on Crowley's Ridge in Arkansas. Elev 200 ft. at Storm Creek Lake to 375ft at Crowley’s Ridge.
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FL	NF in FL	Apalachicola Savannah	1978	469	Saw grass, longleaf slash pine ecosystem. Many orchids, insectivorous plants, dense grasses and sedge dominate. Sands over clay, limestone parent material.	Four distinct phases of vegetation indicative of savannah grasslands. Longleaf slash pine ecosystem. Herbaceous groundcover with 100+ native wildflower species
FL	NF in FL	Osceola	1936; amended 1955	373	Three major vegetation types: pine flatwoods, mixed hardwood swamp, and virgin cypress swamp.	National Natural Area designation, 1974. This site represents an undisturbed mixed hardwood swamp with associated pine flatwoods and cypress swamp. The presence of virgin cypress is a rare feature. Major fire swept through area in ~2009.
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GA	Chattahoochee – Oconee	Murder Creek	1977	739	Bottomland hardwood forest cover: Swamp Chestnut Oak, Cherrybark Oak, Sugarberry, American Elm, Green Ash. Understory small cane. Parphyroblastic biotite gneiss rock formations, Piedmont alluvial soils.	Most of the RNA was previously under cultivation with erosion occuring. However, this RNA has relatively undisturbed Georgia Piedmont bottomland hardwoods and areas with unusual floristic value.
GA	Chattahoochee – Oconee	Plott Cove	1978	312	Abundance of yellowwood, butternut, silverbell, walking fern, narrow leaved spleenwort. Forest type is Northern Red Oak-Basswood-White Ash. Biotite gneises, boulderfields.	In north Georgia mountains which comprise the southern extension of the Appalachian Mountains. Rugged mountain country consisting of steep rocky mountain faces covered with dense forest.
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KY	Daniel Boone	Rock Creek	1939	189	Series of cliffs along Rock Creek; Hemlock Conservation Area.	Difficult to access due to multiple layers of steep forested cliffs. Designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1975 by NPS.
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LA	Kisatchie	Bayou Boeuf	1975	737	Cherrybark oak – swamp chestnut type on higher, well–drained ridges; elm – ash – hackberry on flats and cypress – tupelo in sloughs.	The area consists of sloughs, flats and ridges.
LA	Kisatchie	Cunningham Brake	1990	1765	Bald cypress and water tupelo trees, some over 100 years old and diverse plant species; Three bird's orchid (Triphora trianthophora).	Large contiguous area of bottomland hardwoods
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	Tombigbee	Chuquatonchee Bluffs	1991	216	Steep mesic oak-hickory slopes and ravines and a calcareous prairie-like area on the bluff	Relatively undisturbed forest with high diversity and several rare and sensitive species
MS	De Soto	Granny Creek Bay	2002	120	Aquatic ecosystem containing an unusual plant community	The site is a hardwood bay surrounded on three sides by pine stands, with several rare plant and animal species
MS	Delta	Green Ash	1943	70	Bottomland hardwood forest	Old growth forest remnant dominated by green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) and Nuttall oak (Quercus nuttallii)
MS	Harrison Experimental Forest	Harrison	1989	180	Former beach of Mississippi Sound covered by deep white sand	Overstory mostly composed of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) with scattered individuals of other species
MS	Tombigbee	Noxubee Crest	1990	536	Narrow ridges and deep coves with a large spring flowing through the center	Climax oak–hickory forest of the southeastern US with high floristic diversity
MS	Bienville	Nutmeg Hickory	2003	299	Bottomland hardwood forest with calcareous soil, with an unusual association of tree species	Bottomland hardwood forest with calcareous soil, with an unusual association of tree species
MS	Delta	Overcup Oak	1943	40	Bottomland hardwood forest	Old growth forest remnant with American elm (Ulmus americana) and Nuttall oak (Quercus nuttallii), and overcup oak (Q. lyrata) intermediate in importance
MS	Delta	Red Gum	1943	40	Bottomland hardwood forest	Old growth forest remnant with sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) and box elder (Acer negundo) as species with the highest Importance Value
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NC	NFNC, Pisgah NF	Black Mountain	1933	1405	Representative of the virgin growth of red spruce, balsam fir and northern hardwoods, including yellow birch, buckey, beech, maple and oak.	n the Black Mountain range, highest peaks east of the Mississippi River, visible from highways of Western NC. Lies in watershed of South Toe River, elev 3000–6600 ft.
NC	NFNC, Croatan	Pond Pine	1977	300	Pond Pine, low and high pocosin, mixed pine–upland hardwoods, creek bottom hardwoods.	Pocosin with almost impenetrable jungle of broadleafed, evergreen shrubs and vines.
NC	NFNC, Pisgah	Walker Cove	1965	55	Sugar maple–beech–yellow birch and associates. Carolina gneisses, metamorphic rock of unknown origin.	NE slope of Walker Ridge, elev 3800–4500 ft. Old growth stand of southern Appalachian hardwoods–sugar maple and associated species. Sapstreak disease (Endoconidisphora virescens) was first reported here.
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OK	Ouachita	Tiak	1990	199	Deep alluvial deposits underlain by limestone. Wlllow oak, water oak, dlamondleaf (laurel) oak (Ouercus phellos, Q nigra, Q laurlifolia) alluvial floodplain forest.	Bottomland hardwood forest, with overcup oak (Quercus lyrata) and willow oak (Q. phellos) the most abundant canopy species.
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PR	El Yunque	Baño de Oro	1949	1840	Steep terrain in the Luquillo Mountains, underlain by complexly faulted and folded terrain composed chiefly of Cretaceous volcanic rocks	Lower montane rain forest, montane rain forest, palm brake, and dwarf forest - the four forest types that characterize the Luquillo Mountains.
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SC	Francis Marion	Guilliard Lake	1963	18	Alluvial river swamp, dominated by baldcypress and water tupelo. Natural levee. Sweetgum, green ash, willow, water and overcup oak, sycamore and willow.	The only virgin swamp found in the Santee bottom on NFS lands. Old growth in narrow strip of bottomland along Santee River. Large veteran trees, gigantic cypress knees; floods in winter & spring, ground surface dry in growing season, unlike most alluvial baldcypress stands. Minor flooding throughout year is no longer prevalent due to diversion on Santee River.
SC	Francis Marion	Little Wambaw Swamp	1963	60	Bottomland hardwood swamp dominated by swamp tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica var. biflora), baldcypress (Taxodium distichum), water tupelo (Nyssa aquatica).	Creek swamp, Headwater area for several creeks, not subject to flooding inundation as are river bottom alluvail swamps, but serves as a collecting basin from surrounding uplands; no well–defined waterways through swamp. Primarily virgin swamp area in Carolina Low Country
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TX	LBJ National Grasslands	Western Cross Timbers	1977	370	Oak woodland with post oak, blackjack oak, live oak and juniper; open grassland with Bluestem, Indian, Switchgrass, Gramas; Shrub and Stream Channel–Woodland.	Includes soils and vegetation characteristic of the Western Cross Timbers and Grand Prairie vegetation zones; oak savannah with mixed mid and tall grasses, sparse component of various forbs and shrubs.
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VA	GWJ NF–George Washington NF	Little Laurel Run	1938	2092	Old growth Oak–Hemlock–Pine forests; Chestnuts killed by blight.	Along Little Laurel Run, a tributary of Dry Creek, headwaters at 3300 ft dropping to 2400 feet. Cove slopes rise sharpley to 3500 elevation.
VA	GWJ NF–George Washington NF	Ramsey's Draft	1935	1794	Chestnut Oak, Hemlock, cove hardwoods, Red Oak, Black Birch, White Pine, with Laurel understory.	One of the few virgin Hemlock and eastern Appalachian hardwood tracts in the vicinity. Elevation from 2000 to 4200 ft at Big Bald Knob. Shenandoah Mountain range.
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