Mears Fork is a long third order tributary to the

Haw River The Haw River is a tributary of the Cape Fear River, approximately 110 mi (177 km) long, that is entirely contained in north central North Carolina in the United States. It was first documented as the "Hau River" by John Lawson, an E ...

, in

Guilford County, North Carolina Guilford County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population is 541,299, making it the third-most populous county in North Carolina. The county seat, and largest municipality, is Greensboro. ...

Variant names

According to the

Geographic Names Information System The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...

, it has also been known historically as: *Mears Fork Creek

Course

Mears Fork rises on the divide between Mears Fork, Haw River, and Reedy Fork at Summerfield in

Guilford County Guilford County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population is 541,299, making it the third-most populous county in North Carolina. The county seat, and largest municipality, is Greensboro. S ...

. Mears Fork then flows northeast to meet the Haw River about 2 miles south of Midway, North Carolina.

Watershed

Mears Fork drains of area, receives about 45.7 in/year of precipitation, has a

topographic wetness index The topographic wetness index (TWI), also known as the compound topographic index (CTI), is a steady state wetness index. It is commonly used to quantify topographic control on hydrological processes. The index is a function of both the slope and t ...

of 409.05 and is about 50% forested.

Natural History

The Natural Areas Inventory Guilford County, North Carolina and a later addition in 1995 recognized nine locations of natural significance in the Mears Fork watershed. These sites include: * Witty Road Wetland (County General Significant)--the location of semi-impermanent impoundment and alluvial forest. * Cummings Dairy Beaver Pond (County General Significant)--the location of a shrub swamp from an old beaver pond. * Strader Road Beaver Pond (County General Significant)--the location of a beaver pond. * Trailing Cedar Farm (County High Significant)--the location of wetland and forested communities with rare species. * Burnt Oaks (County General Significant)--the location of beaver pond wetlands and forested slopes. * Mears Fork at Lake Brandt Road (County High Significant)--the location of a mature Dry-Mesic Oak-Hickory Forest and Mesic Mixed Hardwood Forest. * Cedar Hollow Alluvial Forest (County Low Significant)--the location of Piedmont Alluvial Forest. * Mear Fork at Church Street (County General Significant)--the location of mature Dry-Mesic Oak-Hickory Forest. * Church Street Ginseng Slope (County General Significant)--the location of a mature Mesic Mixed Hardwood Forest.

References

External links