Terry Sharpe Property

With a name like “Burnt Pines,” you know there has to be an interesting story behind this project! In December of 2013, Terry Sharpe placed 114 acres of his property under conservation easement with The LandTrust for Central NC. Located on the NC Scenic Byway of Highway 73 (just west of the town of Ellerbe in Richmond County), Terry’s property has certainly earned its moniker, to the benefit of a host of wildlife and plant species.

 When Terry first purchased the property, it was from a timber company, and the uplands were thick production loblolly pine forest. With his background as a retired NC Wildlife Resources Commission biologist, Terry managed the site impeccably to increase and improve the habitat found here. Prescribed fire is a frequently used management tool on this site, and the biodiversity and wildlife found here are exceedingly abundant as a result. Prescribed burns reduce the litter layer and open up the forest floor to sunlight, a much-needed commodity for a variety of unique wildflowers and herbs found in the understory.

 The property also possesses frontage on Mountain Creek, which is a significant natural heritage area on this property, housing a variety of rare aquatic species. A plethora of diverse wildflowers grace the north-facing slope adjacent to the creek. Wildflowers with names like bloodroot, Catsby’s trillium. Bellwort, wild comfrey, liatris (blazing star), bottlenose gentian, white wild indigo, mayapple, bluestar, turtlehead, mistflower, jewelweed (touch-me-not), and more are found in the understory of the forest. Terry even has a few plots on the property for growing these unique plants for restoration projects on other properties. Game species, including wild turkey and deer, also abound on the site.

 This conservation easement builds off a corridor of conservation work along the creek and in this immediate area. Terry’s property shares a boundary with the 605-acre Baldwin Forestland and Highfill Property, protected by The LandTrust in 2011 through restrictive conservation easements.

Although The LandTrust has now been in existence for nearly 20 years, we did our first conservation easement project in Richmond County just five years ago. We are excited that our footprint here has increased so quickly, and are grateful for landowners like Terry Sharpe who are willing to not only work to make their land better for wildlife, but also ensure that it stays that way forevermore. Thanks also to The Conservation Trust for NC for providing transactional funding for this project.