In the early 1900’s, the entire Okefenokee Swamp was logged and nearly all the large trees were removed leaving only stumps behind. In addition, annual wildfires kill many of the younger trees throughout the swamp. But each year the growing cycle begins again and many young saplings begin to race toward the sky before the next devastation.
Not all new tree growth is from seeds. Many of the trees sprout from the old stumps. In the Okefenokee, one can see an odd growth pattern called a coppice. Coppices are a group of several small trees growing from the stump of an older tree. Blackgum coppices are common from the buttresses of former trees destroyed in logging or wildfires.
iNaturalist observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/46220379
Okefenokee Photography Project by William Wise 