Biodiversity

Atlantic White Cedar

Chamaecyparis thyoides

Eastern Red Cedar

Juniperus virginiana

Loblolly Pine

Pinus taeda

Bald Cypress

Taxodium distichum

Wetland Ecosystem Functions

Carbon Sequestration

Organic material containing carbon is trapped in peat because no oxygen is available for decomposition

Unique Habitat and Biodiversity

As a habitat frequently inundated with water, various plants and animals have adapted to live in these conditions not found elsewhere in the world

Buffer Storms and Floods

Wetland vegetation along coastlines prevents erosion by dampening wind and water strength before reaching inland communities

Improve Water Quality

Wetlands function as natural filters of sediment and pollutants before they reach larger bodies of water (Chesapeake Bay or Atlantic Ocean)

Native American Culture

Nansemond Tribe

Prior to European colonists, the Nansemond Tribe inhabited the Nansemond River, a 20 mile long tributary of the James River in Virginia. This tribe was a part of the Powhatan paramount chiefdom, a coalition of approximately 30 tribes distributed around the Chesapeake Bay.

In an effort to exploit the natural resources of the area, colonists displaced the Nansemond into surrounding areas. Some families assimilated to an English lifestyle, while others adhered to a traditional lifestyle in Norfolk County, VA.

Construction

Atlantic White Cedar logs were used to construct canoes and frame houses due to its light weight and resistance to decay.

Spears, arrows, basket slings, and toboggans were also made with AWC wood.

Medicine

AWC trigs and bark were used to make herbal tea to treat headaches, coughs, pneumonia, colds, fever, sprains, and bruises.

Wood power poultice were used for exterior wounds.

Native Americans used a mixture of mud and straw to dig out trunks to craft boats that carried large loads yet glided easily through the water.