Swing
down south on your trek, into the Sandhills for a glimpse of a community
that once commanded the hills and flatwoods of North Carolina. Longleaf
pine forests spread from the deep dry sands of the fall-line sandhills
to the seasonally flooded savannas of the Coastal Plain. The forests'
open, park-like spaces depend on periodic fires. As more people settled
here, the fires were controlled, allowing a dense growth of oak trees
to shade out the longleaf pines. The longleaf pine communities that remain
are havens for red-cockaded woodpeckers, bobwhite quail, fox squirrels,
and scarlet king snakes.
[Mountains] [Piedmont] [Sandhills] [Upper
Coastal Plain] [Lower Coastal Plain] [Barrier Islands]
[North Carolina's Natural Treasures Home]
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