Fayetteville Works

About the Program
The Chemours Company Fayetteville Works program is located in the Sandhill region of southeastern North Carolina. The entire property, including the active manufacturing facility, is located on approximately 2,150 acres. The Sandhill region’s ecosystem historically consisted of pine and wiregrass, which formerly dominated 60% of the Coastal Plain but currently only covers 1% of the area. The Fayetteville Works site manages plantings of the now-rare longleaf pine stands, as well as bottomland hardwood forest adjacent to the Cape Fear River, for the benefit of wildlife. While the forest project provides income through selective timber harvesting, harvest operations are managed in accordance with the best management practices for several species of wildlife, ultimately improving their habitat. Other projects focus on bluebird, wild turkey and white-tail deer populations.

Practices and Impacts

• The Fayetteville Works forestry project began in 1993. The team currently manages 1,500 acres of longleaf pine stands, mixed upland hardwood/pine stands and bottomland hardwood forest. Their objectives are to restore native long leaf pine forests in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina and to develop mature bottomland hardwood forests with mast-producing trees for the benefit of wildlife. Longleaf pine stands are being managed to grow in uneven age cohorts, maximizing their use by a variety of wildlife, while bottomland areas are managed to maximize long-term growth potential and, in turn, to maximize wildlife food sources. Other pine dominated stands are being managed with an even age system, as both an income source and as wildlife habitat.
• The team began an eastern bluebird nest box project in 2002. They have installed and actively maintain nest boxes strategically placed throughout the site. It is estimated that around 60% of the nest boxes are being utilized for nesting. The team replaces boxes as needed and performs routine cleaning and maintenance annually. The boxes are monitored weekly during the nesting season. In addition, forest management practices provide open areas under the pine stands providing both shelter and improved foraging areas.
• In 1990, the team began an eastern wild turkey reintroduction program on-site. With the cooperation of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, nine turkeys were introduced to the site. Routine monitoring indicates that they currently host a thriving population of wild turkey. Loblolly pine stands are routinely thinned and controlled burns are conducted, providing open areas under the canopy for shelter and additional foraging opportunities. The team also adaptively manages grassland areas by delaying mowing until the end of the nesting season.
• In 2010, the team began a white-tailed deer management program for the purpose of maintaining habitat that will foster a healthy deer herd on site. The bottomland forest is managed to encourage mast-producing trees, such as a variety of oak species, providing deer with a natural food source (acorns). The team monitors the population through casual direct observations, sign (antlers and tracks), and use of trail cameras. The resulting data indicates that the site currently has a herd of adequate size.
• In 2022, a pollinator garden was installed in an area that consisted of turf grass. This project was in conjunction with the company’s Awareness & Community Engagement education event. Elementary-aged school children learned about pollinators and flowering plant species in the area and planted some of the native plants in the garden.
• The pollinator garden is monitored throughout the growing season for butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. Within a few months, four butterfly species were observed.