City: Ocean Springs
County: Jackson
Total acreage: 2.0 acres
Conservation method: Donation
Date acquired: 2006-06-00
This property consists of five lots in the Braemar subdivision of Ocean Springs donated by Maria Mavar in memory of her nephew Chris Butirich. The property is covered with a combination of southern mixed hardwood forests on the upland side that borders Portree Place and a bayhead swamp that defines the rear of the site. The mixed hardwood forest includes large longleaf and slash pine, live, water and southern red oaks, and a variety of other hardwood trees and shrubs. The sloped portion of the site is covered with saw palmetto and a wide range of shrubs including wax myrtle, yaupon, witch hazel, galberry and a variety of herbaceous plants and vines. The bayhead swamp includes large black gum, sweetbay magnolia, slash pine, red maple, yellow poplar, wax myrtle, and a lush ground cover of netted chain, cinnamon, and royal ferns. This property is probably the best example of a second or third growth forest in this area, as indicated by the presence of large longleaf pine that appear to be in the 50-60 year range. Most of the longleaf pine in this portion of the coast were cut long ago and few remain as large as those seen on this property.
