Lassiter Swamp at Merchants Millpond State Park, NC

Tree-ring analyses from Lassiter Swamp, located along a tributary of the Chowan River, indicate that cypress trees have occupied the site for at least 500 years. To extend the record even farther back in time, scientists from USGS, Duke University and East Carolina University are working together with students at C.S. Brown High School STEM in Winton, NC to study sediment cores from the swamp. Analysis of pollen, charcoal, and sediments will allow scientists to reconstruct the history of plant communities and fire over thousands of years. Because the ability of the Albemarle estuary to support human communities and activities relies upon healthy upstream ecosystems, research on long-term patterns at Lassiter Swamp will provide new perspectives on the relative roles of land use, water management, climate variability, and other factors in shaping wetland communities, water quality, and aquatic habitats in the rivers and estuary.

Learn more about the collaborating institutions at their websites:

• Duke University - Nicholas School of the Environment (https://nicholas.duke.edu/)
• East Carolina University - Dept of Geological Sciences (http://www.ecu.edu/cs-cas/geology/)
• C.S. Brown High School STEM (https://www.hertford.k12.nc.us/Page/764)
• Merchants Millpond State Park (https://www.ncparks.gov/merchants-millpond-state-park)
• North Carolina State Parks (https://www.ncparks.gov )