ABSTRACT
WIREGRASS REGION The Wiregrass Region, also known as Wiregrass Country, is a cultural region of the American South that stretches from the area north of Savannah, southwest into the Georgia coastal plain, fanning into the southeastern corner of Alabama, and dipping down into the northwestern panhandle of Florida. The Wiregrass Region owes much to its ecosystem, which produces an inordinate incidence of low-intensity forest fires. Of all the pines, only the longleaf can easily endure the sweltering heat of these wildfires. Indeed the survival of this “fire climax” species depends on recurrent blazes; it thrives on such conflagrations because they serve to obstruct the growth of competitive trees and shrubs. Wiregrass (Aristida stricta), a prominent feature of the longleaf pine forest, plays a vital role in the ecosystem as an igniter. Wiregrass residents came to regard the forest fire as a tool for controlling the environment; it also helped foster a distinctive folklife in the region.
