Vascular Plant Inventory of the Sheffield Wildlife Management Area

The Sheffield Wildlife Management Area is a 5,516 acre property managed by the state of Georgia, located in Paulding County. The location encompasses a great number of different habitats including areas that are being restored to a montane longleaf pine ecosystem. To inform conservation efforts, a two-year comprehensive floristic inventory was conducted to assess native, non-native, and invasive vascular species present within the area. From March through October of the last several years, teams of students surveyed the area multiple times each month to locate plants in states of fruit or flower. Species were photographed, described, geolocated, and collected for pressing upon discovery. Specimens were later identified during “keying parties”, and voucher specimens were created for the Reinhart, Kennesaw State, and University of Georgia herbaria. Currently, 333 species have been identified across 100 families of vascular plants, however we have about 151 more specimens to identify