Dewees Island borders the Francis Marion National Forest, so we’re not far from this interesting and specific habitat. When the European settlers first got to our shores, they were struck by the tall pines with sparse undergrowth. The Longleaf pines are specifically adapted to fire prone ecosystems, so that when forest fires occur, young hardwood trees are eliminated but the pines continue to grow. Foresters now conduct prescribed burns in this habitat to manage it, and we can see the smoke from here at times. The charring on these trees in the Francis Marion shows you this is a fire-maintained ecosystem.