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During the early 1800s, European settlers planted a variety of crops and removed more than 90 percent of the forests on what is now Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge. Continuous cotton cultivation combined with poor farming techniques caused significant erosion, as well as depleting the soil of vital nutrients. A combination of barren soils, the boll weevil outbreak, and the Great Depression, caused widespread abandonment of the eroded landscape in the 1930s.
In less than 200 years, the area was transformed from a rich forested ecosystem to a virtual wasteland.
Lands acquired by the federal government under the Bankhead-Jones farm tenant act during the 1930s were set aside for the refuge in 1939, as a demonstration area, in part to determine if these lands could be reclaimed to provide wildlife benefits. Today, nearly 35,000 acres of forests are actively managed with the use of prescribed fire and timber harvest to provide suitable habitats for a variety of wildlife species.
The refuge is covered by loblolly pine forest that dominates the ridge tops, and provides essential habitat for the endangered red cockaded woodpecker. Mixed pine and hardwood forests descend down slopes, and diverse bottomland hardwoods are found along the numerous creeks and streams.
A variety of wildlife species, including white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and numerous forest-dwelling songbirds benefit from the forest management practices on the refuge.
The refuge provides the visitor with numerous hiking trails, as well as several thousands of acres to explore, and a six-mile scenic drive that is open during daylight hours, except during deer hunts.
The refuge visitor center with numerous exhibits is open five days a week. Limited hunting and fishing are also offered.
Information and applications for quota hunts, and general hunting/fishing permits are available at the refuge office.
Outdoor Activities |
The red-cockaded woodpecker is an endangered species.
The bobcat lives in central and southern Georgia.
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