Bladen Lakes State Forest

Bladen Lakes State Forest Bladen Lakes State Forest (BLSF) is a North Carolina state forest near Elizabethtown, North Carolina. It is managed by the North Carolina Forest Service.

BLSF is a working forest, which means it is actively managed and creates its own income. Yearly revenues are generated through timber sales, pine straw sales and cooking of charcoal. It is an active partner in the Forest Stewardship Program [1][2] contributing significantly to the regions clean water and air, protection of the soil, wildlife habitat, recreational resources and timber supplies.

The Coastal Black Bear Project team is studying black bear genetics, density, and abundance across ​North Carolina's coa...
05/30/2024

The Coastal Black Bear Project team is studying black bear genetics, density, and abundance across ​North Carolina's coastal plain and they need your help!

"Using a broad DNA profiling panel for American black bears, researchers from NC State’s College of Veterinary Medicine and College of Natural Resources have created the first genetic database for a subsample of North Carolina’s black bear population.

The database, which can be used to identify individual bears and localized groups, can help law enforcement and wildlife officials identify bears poached by hunters or involved in human-bear interactions reported to the state. Both uses are invaluable to officials in managing North Carolina’s black bears, which number over 20,000 statewide."- NC State University

05/29/2024

In honor of Black Bear Day this Saturday this will highlight the Black Bear! DYK the black bear is NC's largest mammal but is the smallest of the 3 bear species in the U.S.? Learn about their habitat and food requirements and how to manage your woodlands for these NC natives in our publication: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/black-bear

05/23/2024

It is not entirely flat land here at Bladen Lakes State Forest. Inside the game land area are these massive slopes and ditches, but how did they form and why? Starting in the 1600's and for two hundred years, rice was a lucrative crop grown on large plantations in the lower Cape Fear region of eastern North Carolina. The formation of the rice paddies, and it's drainage system, was done by African slave labor. This was incredibly difficult, and grueling work considering the land was swampy, and full of old-growth trees that had to be cut and cleared out. Before the rice could be planted, levees, huge ditches, and dams had to be built so the cleared land could be flooded. These were extremely dangerous and harsh conditions, and they worked in snake, alligator, and mosquito infested swamps.

You never know what the Enchanted Forest will reveal next! Recently, this site has been used as a helicopter landing pad...
05/17/2024

You never know what the Enchanted Forest will reveal next!
Recently, this site has been used as a helicopter landing pad, but 150-200 years ago it was used for naval stores, in particle for tar kilns. The wind from the helicopters caused rotor- erosion of the soil which revealed this hidden historical treasure. The charred wood and tree stumps are remnants of the long leaf pine that was used to make the tar. A tar kiln was a pit dug in the ground with a barrel in it to collect the tar. The pit was filled with the resinous wood, called lightwood, and covered with dirt. When the lightwood was set on fire, the tar ran out of the wood and into the barrel.

Bladen Lakes State Forest has made history again! The first ever growing season prescribed burn was conducted on a 90 ac...
05/16/2024

Bladen Lakes State Forest has made history again! The first ever growing season prescribed burn was conducted on a 90 acre long leaf/pond pine stand by the NC Forest with help from The Nature Conservancy. The objective of the burn was to reduce the thick vegetative understory low enough to support red-cockaded wood pe**er habitat. RCW's depend on open,park-like mature pine woodlands and savannahs for foraging and nesting. The groundcover,and diverse plant species that regenerate after a burn attracts a multitude of different insects for them to eat.

here are some more pics after the burn
12/16/2023

here are some more pics after the burn

Yesterday morning at Jenny Strand Red Cockaded Woodpe**er area. We successfully burned that area the day before with hel...
12/16/2023

Yesterday morning at Jenny Strand Red Cockaded Woodpe**er area. We successfully burned that area the day before with help of a helicopter.

The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (26th MEU); based at Camp Lejeune, N.C. is conducting another Exercise in December. I...
12/12/2022

The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (26th MEU); based at Camp Lejeune, N.C. is conducting another Exercise in December. If you are experiencing any issues with the training or have specific concerns, please contact the II MEF Expeditionary Operations Training Group at (910) 440-2156.

And another year has passed and the marines are coming again. This time on September 25, 2021 for recovery training.
09/13/2021

And another year has passed and the marines are coming again. This time on September 25, 2021 for recovery training.

It's this time of the year again. The Marines are coming to the "enchanted forest" on October 04...
09/24/2020

It's this time of the year again. The Marines are coming to the "enchanted forest" on October 04...

Please follow these guidelines while enjoying our forest!
03/27/2020

Please follow these guidelines while enjoying our forest!

Here are some photos of the training session from the Marines 22 Expeditionary Unit, which started yesterday at Bladen L...
06/03/2019

Here are some photos of the training session from the Marines 22 Expeditionary Unit, which started yesterday at Bladen Lakes State Forest...

Address

4470 NC Highway 242 N
Elizabethtown, NC
28337

Telephone

+19105884964

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