Botanical gardens have long realized that responsible land stewardship extends far beyond the confines of the cultivated garden. As leaders in environmental education, gardens are obligated to demonstrate the highest standards of land management practices.
Many years before the creation of MFBG, a significant portion of property was planted in loblolly pine for timber production. Recently, a habitat improvement program was initiated to restore this land back to a more natural and diverse state. Through the combined use of mechanized thinning and prescribed burning, the loblolly pines and other weedy species were removed. Thousands of long leaf pines have been planted in their place, and after only two years native grasses and perennials can now be found in areas that were once choked with lespedeza and privet.
Subsequent projects include the restoration of a small wetland that was altered by agricultural practices decades ago and the documentation of the forest composition, habitat use and species diversity within these areas. It is our hope that our land management practices will serve as a model to Pee Dee region and beyond.