Fire in the Pines is an educational festival dedicated to raising positive awareness about controlled burning in the longleaf pine ecosystem.
Without controlled burning the longleaf pines in the southeast United States 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. The importance of controlled burning is cause for an educational festival to spread awareness!
Fire once occurred naturally and regularly across North Carolina and the Southeast. Low-intensity fires burned every few years fueled by grass, leaves, pine straw, and other forest debris. They kept the forest open, allowing sunlight to penetrate to its floor and reducing buildup of dangerous fuel loads. Fire suppression altered the landscape, allowing fuels to accumulate and putting people and communities in jeopardy. Without fire, many native plants and animals would disappear and the safety of southeastern plant and wildlife communities would be at risk.
