This past week I had the opportunity to visit an installation I have been working on, Fort Stewart, GA. The installation is the largest in the United States east of the Mississippi, with over 200,000 acres, that support and assist in training the 3rd Infantry Division. You can find Longleaf Pine Upland Forest, shrub bogs, and 82,000 acres of wetlands. Beautiful is the only thing that pops into my head when I think of Fort Stewart.
Prior to the visit it was hard to understand the natural resources that army bases manage and hold. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first entered but Fort Stewart surpassed any expectation I may had. I felt like I was going through a national park of some sort as we were shown around, the natural world was nothing I have seen before.
My favorite part of the trip was visiting the Longleaf Pine Forest (as shown in the cover photo) an ecosystem native to the Southeastern United States, found in coastal plains. Fort Stewart manages this ecosystem by doing prescribed fires every three years. It was so beautiful and amazing to see how the forest was thriving after a prescribed fire. It’s amazing how flexible and adaptable our mother earth is, and how stronger and vibrate she can come back.
This was such an amazing opportunity that I am so grateful to have been able to experience. I want to thank Fort Stewart and FWS for letting me visit and see this beautiful place. I now have a better understanding for what I am trying to save.