Recently the North Carolina chapter of The Nature Conservancy did a prescribed burn in the Green Swamp. These fires are vital for a healthy ecosystem. The fires thin out fast growing woody vegetation, and promote the new growth of native species like the Venus flytrap, pitcher plants, orchids, and rare wildflowers. Angie Carl, the Conservancy's Southeast Coastal Plain fire specialist, says without fire the vegetation would become so overgrown these pine savannas would lose a lot of their biodiversity.

On February 1st, 2009 fellow photographer Skip Pudney attended a burn in the Green Swamp. He was able to capture the fire in action. Check out his photo essay: Green Swamp Prescribed Burn. My gallery here show how the savanna woods looks along Hwy 211 a couple days after the fire.

May 3rd, 2008
A return visit to the Green Swamp three months after the winter burn. Look how the green of Nature has return to the charred remains.