Preserve recovering from spring fire damage

Wildlife returning to Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve, habitat recovering

Although a big chunk of habitat is gone, wildlife has returned to the Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve in eastern Horry County, four months after a massive wildfire devastated the area.

“Mourning doves, turkey, and quail have been noticed throughout the preserve in large numbers. Black bears are still present and appear to be doing fine. Deer, turkey, bears, and grassland birds will directly benefit from the fire and the active timber salvage operation in progress,” said Deanna Ruth, a biologist for the S.C. Department of Natural Resources who coordinates the Heritage Preserve program.

Starting as an escaped brush fire on April 22, the blaze, fueled by gusting winds and a fuel build-up in its path, got out of control, blasted through the 9,393-acre preserve and forced the evacuation of more than 4,000 nearby residents. It took fire fighters a week to put out the fire, but not before it burned almost 20,000 acres, consumed 76 homes and damaged 96 more.

As the fire entered the preserve, wildlife instinctively fled to adjacent properties. However, just as the smoke cleared and human activity began to dwindle, wildlife began moving back on to the preserve.
“Within 72 hours after the wildfire passed through the property, black bears, songbirds, turkey, quail, and other wildlife returned,” Ruth said.

While the fire completely destroy entire blocks within the preserve, approximately 1,800 acres of forest was only partially burned and salvagable for fiber and lumber. Salvage operations in the affected area will be completed later this year, and after the site is prepared, it will be reforested.

Luckily, much of the preserve was enrolled in SCDNR’s prescribed burning program, so it caused insignificant damage to a large portion of the total land area. The warm temperatures and seasonal rainfall over the past few months fueled a “green-up” across the landscape.

According to Ruth, hunting opportunities and passive recreation will continue to be part of the preserve’s benefit to the public, but the date the preserve will re-open is still undetermined.