While controlled burns are the mainstay of habitat management at Angola Bay and Holly Shelter game lands, a wildfire in the summer of 2011 did some severe damage.
“The wildfire burned between 31,000 and 32,000 acres,” said biologist Vic French of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. “The fire was not that big, but the soil was so dry the fire could not be contained with a conventional fire line because (it) would have burned under it.
“Beginning at its western boundary, the wildfire burned from the intersection of New Road and Lodge Road south along the power line, across to the Military Road, back across Lodge Road then over toward NC 50 where it went out in its own. The fire also followed the run of Shaken Creek. We had to find a defendable line such as a road, power line or creek, and back burn from there to remove the fuel.”
While the wildfire burned a small amount of high ground, it mostly burned pocosin. These areas, which once had thick bay vegetation for cover, are now tangles of downed, dead timber, restricting the ability of hunters and hounds to hunt.
“Some of the areas that had deeper, organic soils will be the last areas to recover,” French said. “If we get normal to excessive rainfall during hunting season, a lot of those areas will be underwater. The seed stock and roots were burned up, and it will be interesting to see if it comes back as a grassy, swampy area.”
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