About this Event
Join us for the N.C. Tree Farm Program's 2026 Annual Meeting on May 16 at Bayfields in White Oak, N.C. The event will include a field tour focused on wetland and longleaf pine restoration, creation of bobwhite quail habitat, prescribed burning and Carolina Bays. The program will also include presentation of volunteer and Tree Farmer awards.
Bayfields is a 4,000-acre Tree Farm that supports sustainable timber management, recreational hunting, pine straw production and habitat enhancement for rare and non-rare plant and animal species. Located in Bladen County, Bayfields has ecologically significant longleaf pine and wetland habitats within a larger landscape of natural forest, pocosin and managed timber. The property contributes to a network of federal, state and private conservation lands in northern Bladen County with a 1,770-acre conservation easement donated to The Nature Conservancy in 2007.
The current family owners have refocused management efforts toward habitat conservation and restoration. They are restoring upland old field loblolly pine and slash pine plantations back to longleaf pine stands that more closely approximate the structure and composition of the natural longleaf pine stands that once occupied the sites.
Agenda
8:30 Check-in Opens
9:30 Welcome
Overview of Bayfields Tree Farm: Tree Farmer Richard Broadwell will tell Bayfields’ story from his father and uncle’s original vision for the land to the family’s management objectives 50 years later.
Carolina Bays: Carolina bays are shallow, elliptical wetlands found along the Atlantic coastal plain from New Jersey to Florida, including at Bayfields. One strange thing about these geological anomalies is that thousands of them point in the same direction. Learn about the possible origins of Carolina bays and the critical wildlife habitat they provide.
10:15 Break
10:30 Tour Begins
Wetland Restoration: Wetlands are important for stormwater retention, biodiversity and clean water. Learn about the steps you can take to restore wetlands on your land and the cost-share funding available to help.
Establishing Bobwhite Quail Habitat: Are you interested in attracting bobwhite quail to your Tree Farm? Learn about their habitat requirements, the challenges to establishing that habitat and the resources available to help.
Restoring Longleaf Pine Forests: If you want to restore longleaf pine forests to the landscape, what are some of the challenges you will face, and what steps do you need to take to be successful?
Prescribed Burning: Landowner Options: Learn about employing burn contractors vs. conducting your own burns, basic equipment needs, assistance from local burn associations, available cost-share programs and the effect of burn season on habitat.
12:45 Lunch and Awards
2:30 Adjourn
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
5543 Live Oak Methodist Church Rd, 5543 Live Oak Methodist Church Road, White Oak, United States
USD 64.05 to USD 85.40
