Pine savannahs grow on the sand rims around Carolina Bays.  The pine savannah is one of the most rare and threatened ecosystems in North Carolina.  Pine savannahs are made up of longleaf pine trees.  Very few other trees grow there.  These forests are open and park-like.  There are very few shrubs or small trees to block out the sunlight. 

Because these forests are not shady, many different kinds of grasses and flowers grow on the forest floor.  Some of the plants that grow there are wiregrass, rare orchids, and carnivorous plants like venus flytraps and pitcher plants.

To stay open and sunny, pine savannahs need small wildfires every few years.  All of the plants that grow in pine savannahs are adapted to fire.  Long-leaf pine needs fire to reproduce.  The wildfires kill off the other trees that compete with long leaf pine.  The grasses, like wiregrass, are also adapted to fire.  They have strong roots that can survive even the hottest of wildfires.  They grow back fast and thick in the open sun after a fire. 

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