Ecology and History
The Carolina Sandhills NWR, as its name suggests, is dedicated to the preservation of a portion of the Carolina Sandhills, a distinct ecosystem characterized by inland sand dunes, thin or absent topsoil, and frequent brush fires.
Recurrent, noncatastrophic fires tended to remove invasive shrubs and maximize the health of fire-tolerant species such as the longleaf pine. Pine-friendly birds, such as the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, also thrived in the Sandhills.
After attempts to farm this portion of the Sandhills turned unsuccessful during the Great Depression, the region was consolidated by New Deal federal managers into the current National Wildlife Refuge in 1939.
Current Refuge management practices at the Carolina Sandhills NWR include a program of Sandhills prescribed burnings.
Read more about this topic: Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
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