Southern Highlands Reserve taps Nelson Byrd Woltz for stewardship plan

Southern Highlands Reserve has hired Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects to create a long-term stewardship plan for its 120-acre conservation site in Western North Carolina. A new ecological survey found rare species and globally imperiled habitats that will shape protection, visitor access and stormwater planning over the next decade.

Why it matters: - Southern Highlands Reserve's 120-acre site on Toxaway Mountain contains rare species and habitats that are scarce across the Southern Appalachians. - The stewardship plan will guide how the reserve protects sensitive ecosystems while shaping infrastructure and visitor access for years to come. - The work also includes stormwater resilience planning after recent historic flood events.

What happened: - Southern Highlands Reserve engaged Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects to develop a comprehensive stewardship plan for the Western North Carolina conservation site. - A completed ecological survey by Mountains-to-Sea Ecological documented 247 plant species and 82 animal species across the reserve. - The survey confirmed 12 rare plant species, six state-rare animal species and nine rare natural communities. - The findings are now guiding a long-term stewardship partnership between Southern Highlands Reserve and Nelson Byrd Woltz.

The details: - The survey identified globally imperiled spray cliff communities, two exceptionally rare low-elevation bedrock seeps, a high-elevation rocky summit and a stunted high-elevation red oak forest. - Those habitats are found in few places anywhere in the Southern Appalachians. - The survey also confirmed a thriving population of pink-shell azaleas. - Southern Highlands Reserve has the largest naturally occurring stand of pink-shell azaleas on record. - The ecological survey is the first phase of a stewardship planning process expected to unfold over the next decade. - The planning process will inform decisions about the reserve's landscape, infrastructure and visitor experience. - Nelson Byrd Woltz's approach combines ecological analysis, historical research and operational planning. - Robinson Design Engineers will work with the team to identify stormwater resilience improvements.

Between the lines: - Kelly Holdbrooks, Southern Highlands Reserve's executive director, called the project a critical step for the organization's future and said the site serves as a refugia for many species. - Holdbrooks said the reserve's conservation work reflects 25 years of partnerships in public and private sectors. - Thomas Woltz, senior principal and owner of Nelson Byrd Woltz, said the survey confirms the mountain is a refuge worth protecting at every scale. - The partnership suggests Southern Highlands Reserve is moving from preservation alone toward a more formalized, research-led management model. - The plan also aims to deepen public understanding of the site's natural and cultural significance.

What's next: - Nelson Byrd Woltz will translate the survey findings into a comprehensive landscape stewardship plan. - The plan will shape long-term decisions on habitat protection, resilience work and the visitor experience. - Southern Highlands Reserve expects the planning effort to continue over the next decade. - The team will use the scientific findings as the foundation for long-term stewardship decisions.

The bottom line: - Southern Highlands Reserve is using new ecological data to formalize protection of one of the Southern Appalachians' most biologically important landscapes.