Trees Saved From Forest Fires Will Become Family Home, 1946

By F.H. Jeter, Extension Editor, N.C. State College, Raleigh, as published in the Wilmington Star, Feb. 25, 1946

John Gray, assistant forester, has been traveling in Lenoir, Pamlico, Carteret, Craven and Jones counties and in Lenoir he ran across a man who is growing a new home on two acres of land. This man is James Sutton of the Buckleberry community who has two acres of fine loblolly pine timber bordered by a drainage canal. The timber on this two-acre tract is now 45 years old and was saved first by Mr. Sutton’s father and later by the son.

Both men have fought forest fires to protect it and right now the younger Sutton is thinning the stand so as to secure fuel wood by removing the poorly grown, ill-shaped trees. Mr. Gray says he saw a number of the better individual pines containing over 600 board feet of sound lumber and he estimates that Mr. Sutton will not only have enough timber for his home but a good volume left over for building other structures about the home. All of it will come from the small two-acre tract which has been preserved against loss from fire.