The importance of controlled burning is cause for the Fire in the Pines festival each year.

Fire is an essential and natural part of the longleaf pine ecosystem.  Natural longleaf forests have an open canopy, allowing sunlight to reach the forest floor and animals to navigate the forest easily.  There are many rare and endangered species of plants and animals that make their home only in longleaf forests.

Today, trained professionals conduct controlled burns to mimick the natural fire that historically moved through the landscape.  These low intensity fires reduce competition from hardwoods and other pines, so native plants can thrive while providing food and habitat for wildlife.

Without controlled burning the Longleaf pines across the region would disappear. So, too, would the Red-cockaded woodpeckers, Venus flytraps and a host of other carnivorous and rare plants that need fire to thrive and survive.