A few years ago, an intern with the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust found that only a small fraction of ground junipers on Satulah were reproducing. Experts with the N.C. Plant Conservation Program and Natural Heritage Program suggested that creating clearings could improve conditions for the juniper, but also for another species found there, Hartweg’s locust. 

Over the past nine months, volunteers from the land trust have cleared a small area where junipers and locusts were already growing to see if this would improve their growth and reproduction. All other species of trees and shrubs were cleared out, the area was raked to remove pine needles and exposed stumps were cut. Then the cut trees and laurels were turned into a fence to block people from trampling the study area. 

In 2016, the land trust hopes to have another intern look at the species’ growth and reproduction to see if those in the clearing are doing better than ones growing elsewhere. 

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