Rapid regrowth as the Okefenokee burns

Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp National Wildlife Refuge near the Georgia-Florida line burned in 2007 and again in 2011. This rapid recovery of fuels reflects the importance of sprouting vegetation. In the map sequence from the summer of 2011, this resilience is clear. By June 17, wildfire had spread northward through about half the Refuge as shown in red (left). By July 19 (center), fire had progressed north and a new fire became evident northwest of the Refuge. By August 20 (right), vegetation in the area burned in May and June was recovering compared to the long-term baseline normal, as shown by blue. This 2011 fire burned over 300,000 acres. (image: Mark McCullough, USFWS)