fire
The Longleaf Pine Forest—
Fire Management and Biodiversity in a Natural Wonder of the Coastal Plain by Roger Shew Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) forests are special to the history and economy of the southeast, especially to southeastern North Carolina, with lumber and naval stores products. Some have even said it is the tree that built the South. Longleaf was once one of the most extensive ecosystems in the U.S., covering over 90 million acres in the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain from Virginia to Texas. It was greatly reduced in acreage and area through the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. William Bartram in 1791 wrote:
“We find ourselves on the entrance of a vast plain which extends west sixty or seventy miles. This plain is mostly a forest of ‘longleaved pine,’ the earth covered with grass, interspersed with an infinite variety of herbaceous plants, and embellished with extensive savannas, always green, sparkling with ponds of water.” In less than 150 years, NC State’s B.W. Wells (1932) noted that “Not a part of this great natural wonder ... remains intact within the state’s borders.” Much of the reduction in longleaf forests was attributable to three factors: (continued on page 11)
Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is the state carnivorous plant of North Carolina.
Early morning in Bean Patch Savanna. Longleaf Pine canopy and biodiverse herbaceous layer with grasses, forbs, and wildflowers. The small white flowers are Venus flytraps in bloom. The dense forested area in the background is the pocosin that surrounds the savanna. 10
www.goinggreenpublications.com
