Incident Media Photographs

Why is peat so important?

Peatlands are one of the largest carbon stores on Earth. Peat holds carbon, and can also ‘collect’ more carbon from the atmosphere as peat is created over time. Peatlands also host unique habitat types like pocosins, Atlantic-white cedar forests, and canebreaks. Healthy peatlands are damp to saturated which creates an environment without oxygen that allows peat to build.

#PocosinLakesRefuge was established to preserve and protect these unique habitat types, so our firefighting tactics on the #LastResortFire are taylored to protect them, as well.

Photo from Refuge Manager Wendy Stanton shows old stump exposed from fire. Likely bald cypress from logging prior to Refuge ownership.

As promised at the public meeting on Sunday, fire personnel on the #LastResortFire have four pumps set up to dewater agriculture field drainage canals west of the fire area – one in each canal adjacent to Nylon 3, Biddix, Spruill, and Tennessee roads.

The meeting had 30+ attendees, including representatives from various partner agencies and local landowners. There was a great exchange of information. It’s great to see federal, state, and local agencies working closely with our neighbors. It’s takes a village to put out a wildfire! So thankful we have a strong village!

Starting an educational series on PEAT!

Why do we even care about peat on the #LastResortFire?

What is peat?

Peat is the surface organic layer of a soil that consists of partially decomposed organic matter, derived mostly from plant material which has accumulated under conditions of waterlogging, oxygen deficiency, high acidity, and nutrient deficiency. Peatlands are unique and only make up 3% of the Earth’s surface. By comparison, about 37% of the Earth’s surface is used for agriculture.

Part 2 coming soon!

Photo: Restored Atlantic-white cedar habitat with firebreak in foreground. The water restoration took place after the Evans Rd Fire.

Credit Fireline Resource Advisor Bryan Van Druten, USFWS

Typical pocosin habitat on Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge