Bay Forest/Swamp

Bay forests are pocosin ecosystems that are not quite as nutrient poor as high and low pocosins. Most often they occur in shallow organic deposits along drainages.

Longleaf Pine Ecosystems

Due to extensive burning fire-dependant longleaf pine ecosystems once covered about 72-92 million acres of the landscape. But for settlement and agriculture these ecosystems were cleared. Over-exploitation and fire suppression further decreased them in number.

Popcosins

Popcosins can be best described as being restricted to the Southeast, occurring in broad, shallow basins, in drainage basin heads, and on broad, flat uplands. They often occur within Carolina Bays. Low pocosins are associated with poorly drained areas with a deep peat layer (3 – 16 ft). High pocosin exist on the intermediate parts of domed peatlands and have a peat layer less than 5 ft deep.

Ponds

These areas make up the largest amount of year-long standing water. The beaver pond is full of aquatic vegetation, dead trees, and snags that provide good habitat for waterfowl, reptiles, amphibians, and some fishes.

Sinkholes

The sinkholes on the SWA 1187 consist mostly of tupelo and pondcypress with some aquatic vegetation growing in the more open areas. Though small, these areas may provide some habitat for waterfowl and may be critical for populations of crayfish, reptiles, and amphibians.

Turpentine trees

By the 1700s, coastal pinelands became major producers of naval stores, products derived from the pitch of southern yellow pines. Turpentine was produced by distilling the pitch or “gum” from living pine trees. The turpentine industry moved out of South Carolina in the 1940s. A few lightwood stumps are still harvested to extract various chemicals.

Carolina Bays

They are classified as shallow depressions in the sandy soil of the coastal plain, isolated wetlands that are mostly fed by rain or shallow groundwater, and set apart by there many unique characteristics. Since early settlement, Carolina Bays have been under constant destruction. Most of the bays were stripped of timber resources and drained for agriculture, development, and road construction. Researchers believe that more than 97% of Carolina Bays have been destroyed or severely altered.