Dawson Forest

Dawson Forest is a large tract with an interesting history. At one time it was property of Lockeed Corporation and used a test facility for research on nuclear propulsion for aircraft. Later the City of Atlanta purchased the property with the intent of locating a second major airport north of the city. Prevented by environmental concerns, the city leased the land to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources for use as a state Wildlife Management Area. It is a roughly rectangular tract of 10,000 acres in the northern tier of the Piedmont within sight of the Blue Ridge. To date we have found only R. canescens, but almost certainly R. calendulaceum and R. arborescens grow on the property. It is also possible that R.periclymenoides, R. flammeum and R. viscosum may exist there too. The Etowah River flows through the property and is joined within by two major tributaries, Shoal Creek and the Amicolola River. This property deserves to be searched more thoroughly.