TRANSCRIPT:
Hello this is Dr. Tom Mullikin with SCDNR for Into the Wild.
I walked through a stand of longleaf pine not long ago and noticed something most people miss - grass at the base of a pine tree. Longleaf seedlings actually spend their first several years in what's called a 'grass stage.' They look like a clump of needles, building a deep root system before they ever shoot upward.
That strategy helps them survive fire. Longleaf ecosystems evolved with frequent, low-intensity burns. Fire clears competing brush, recycles nutrients, and opens sunlight to the forest floor. A single longleaf pine can filter 15 gallons of water per day.