Pocosins: Vanishing Wastelands or Valuable Wetlands?

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Abstract
Pocosins—nutrient-poor, freshwater, evergreen shrub bogs—were developed by peat accumulation and blocked drainage over the last 10,000 years. They once covered nearly 1 million hectares on the North Carolina coastal plain. Extensive drainage for agriculture, forestry, and peat mining reduced these natural wetland areas to 281,000 hectares by 1980. This development has resulted in a shift of hydrologic output from evapotranspiration to runoff; significant increases in carbon flux and P, K, and Ca output; and a reduction in habitat for rare and endangered biota, while dramatically increasing the economic value of these lands.