Francis Beidler Forest
Encyclopedia
The Francis Beidler Forest is an Audubon
wildlife sanctuary in Four Holes Swamp
, a blackwater creek system
in South Carolina
. It consists of over 16,000 acres (65 km²) of mainly bald cypress/tupelo gum swamp with approximately 1800 acres (7 km²) of old-growth forest. It has an environmental education center and a 1.75 miles (2.82 km) boardwalk trail through the old-growth portion of the swamp. A free iPhone/iPod Touch app can be downloaded to provide information and images not available in the printed guidebook as well as species lists for plants and animals likely to be seen from the boardwalk. It is a favorite haunt of birdwatchers and is used for biological research projects by area schools. The Audubon Society which maintains the preserve has recently obtained funding with which to purchase additional adjacent land to expand the preserve. It is home to the largest virgin stand of cypress
and tupelo
forest, with some trees over 1,000 years old.
At high water there is guided canoeing in the swamp, which offers a different perspective as one paddles through the shallow channel and cypress knee
s.
National Audubon Society
The National Audubon Society is an American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation. Incorporated in 1905, Audubon is one of the oldest of such organizations in the world and uses science, education and grassroots advocacy to advance its conservation mission...
wildlife sanctuary in Four Holes Swamp
Four Holes Swamp
Four Holes Swamp is a small blackwater river that is a tributary to the Edisto River in South Carolina. The swamp rises in Calhoun County and flows to the confluence, in an unusual braided pattern; it has no well-defined channel, but multiple channels that start and disappear, yet maintain a...
, a blackwater creek system
Blackwater river
A blackwater river is a river with a deep, slow-moving channel that flows through forested swamps and wetlands. As vegetation decays in the water, tannins are leached out, resulting in transparent, acidic water that is darkly stained, resembling tea or coffee. Most major blackwater rivers are in...
in South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. It consists of over 16,000 acres (65 km²) of mainly bald cypress/tupelo gum swamp with approximately 1800 acres (7 km²) of old-growth forest. It has an environmental education center and a 1.75 miles (2.82 km) boardwalk trail through the old-growth portion of the swamp. A free iPhone/iPod Touch app can be downloaded to provide information and images not available in the printed guidebook as well as species lists for plants and animals likely to be seen from the boardwalk. It is a favorite haunt of birdwatchers and is used for biological research projects by area schools. The Audubon Society which maintains the preserve has recently obtained funding with which to purchase additional adjacent land to expand the preserve. It is home to the largest virgin stand of cypress
Taxodium
Taxodium is a genus of one to three species of extremely flood-tolerant conifers in the cypress family, Cupressaceae...
and tupelo
Tupelo
The tupelo , black gum, or pepperidge tree, genus Nyssa , is a small genus of about 9 to 11 species of trees with alternate, simple leaves...
forest, with some trees over 1,000 years old.
At high water there is guided canoeing in the swamp, which offers a different perspective as one paddles through the shallow channel and cypress knee
Cypress knee
In the biology of trees, a cypress knee is a distinctive structure in a root of a cypress tree of any of various species of the subfamily Taxodioideae. Their function is unknown, but they are generally seen in swamps...
s.