"Nature trumps anything we can dream of, let alone anything we try to do." - Theo Titus IV
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Lost Creek Forest
Lost Creek Forest, on publicly owned land near the airport in Thomas County, Georgia, is a pristine slope forest and wetlands that have seen very little disturbance.
The forest is a unique remnant of our natural heritage, in much the same condition as it would have been found by the first human inhabitants and the first Europeans to visit the Americas.
The forest is an intact climax hardwood forest. No other forests of this size with similar characteristics are known to exist in South Georgia. Lost Creek Forest is a wonderful combination of slope forest, seeps, floodplain, creeks and several different ecosystems--all within walking distance of each other.
In the heart of the forest the canopy consists of mature hardwoods such as oaks and beech--some more than 100 years old and measuring 10 feet or more in circumference. Spruce pines tower well over 100 feet high. Magnolias, Hickories, Hop Hornbeam, Holly, Sourwood, Cherry, and other varieties of trees are found in abundance.
The under story of small trees and shrubs, as well as the smaller herbaceous plants and ground cover, are all representative of what would have been found in the forest for thousands of years. There is even one of the best populations anywhere of the endangered Florida Milkvine. Native wildlife find shelter and home there.
In 2008, some local officials were looking for a site for a new industrial park in Thomas County. They realized the city and county already owned property near the airport and proposed to locate it there but they didn't realize what a treasure existed on the property. Local citizens organized the Save Our Forest Movement, and in five weeks, managed to convince local government to look elsewhere for industrial land.
Lost Creek Forest is an educational resource and a place of wonder to be appreciated and protected.
Friends of Lost Creek Forest, Inc., is a non-profit foundation that grew from the Save the Forest movement. Explore our website to find out more about our special forest and on-going efforts to conserve and cherish it for all time.