Database boosts plant research in Toxaway
The Southern Highlands Reserve has launched a digital database to advance its ability to research native plants from its perch atop 4,500-foot Toxaway Mountain.
The database is a powerful tool for SHR to conduct research on more than 10 years of plant observation data, weather data and plant accession records. It will further SHR’s ability to conduct research on native plants in the Southern Appalachians, one of the world’s most biologically diverse regions. With the onset of shifts in weather patterns such as storm intensity, drought and other extreme conditions, SHR can now monitor and analyze how plants respond to these long-term changes using phenology reports and information in the database.
A $20,000 grant from the Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust made development of the database possible. This seed money, awarded in January 2017, was essential to completing the project successfully. Local firm Sounds Essential designed the database in collaboration with SHR Executive Director Kelly Holdbrooks.
SHR is open April through October for garden tours, by reservation only.
