Heritage Trees of Bennett Place

It blends in with the general green, but this tree standing at the edge of the field at Bennett Place may well have been growing here when the largest troop surrender of the Civil War took place here in 1865. It is one of a number of post oaks in the Bennett woods, easily identified by its cross-shaped leaves.

Like many species of oak, post oaks grow best in areas that receive periodic "cool" fires, which pass through the understory, converting thick mulch to fertile ash and killing competing species that don't have the oak's thick, protective bark. Natural fires were augmented by those set by Native Americans, and later on by sparks from passing trains.

Though Bennett Place is preserved, these heritage trees are threatened by competition from weedy tree species that have sprung up in the absence of fire. Dense shade and thick accumulations of mulch have diminished the wildflowers and dwarf blueberries that once thrived here.

Another species of heritage tree at Bennett Place is the shortleaf pine. Note the plate-like bark, which can be distinguished from the more furrowed bark of loblolly pines.

Some years back, the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association installed interpretive signage at Bennett Place with information about the heritage trees, and the savanna plant community that still lingers here.