Ben,

Thanks for the post. Interesting name, too--were you named for the Scottish Mountain? Allison and I tried to hike it once, but stopped short of the summit. Ran out of time, had to descend to catch a bus.
Like so many plants and animals that are taking it on the chin, white wicky (Kalmia cuneata) is diminuitive. It isn’t overtly impressive and doesn’t get much press. What is impressive is its tenacity, hanging in there against the odds.
Just last Sunday several of us from the Friends of the Carolina Sandhills NWR hiked into a pocosin (a boggy depression) in search of the plant. Forester Clay Ware lead the pack. The day was hot and humid, and the undergrowth of bay, swamp azalea, holly, sweet pepper bush and a hundred other kinds of plants we waded through was shoulder-high and as thick as fur.
As if to evidence its rarity, white wicky isn’t easy to find, and we struck out. When you do find it in bloom--and you’ll only find it in a few counties in the Carolinas--it’s a woody, hip-high stem with delicate, dime-size flowers; and it’s usually a few feet down the slope of the bowl of the pocosin. (I have an entire chapter dedicated to the plant.)
As we slogged through the vegetation, I kept thinking how badly white wicky needs fire. Historically, frequent low intensity fire was part of the longleaf ecosystem. A good cleansing fire in the pocosin would cut back some of the competition and give the wicky the chance it needs to compete.
To find locations (and more info) on old growth longleaf forests, try the Longleaf Alliance website, http://www.auburn.edu/academic/forestry_wildlife/longleafalliance/ecosystem/old-growth/oldgrowth.htm

Den

Two years ago, I stopped by the Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge near McBee, South Carolina. A freelance writer, I was casting about for something to research. The refuge manager, Scott Lanier, asked if I’d write an article or two on prescribed burns for local newspapers.
Prescribed burns, though controversial, are critical for preserving longleaf habitat--a habitat I knew nothing about. I couldn’t tell a longleaf from a slash pine or loblolly.
Fifty thousand words and 10 chapters later, I’m still learning about one of America’s great and threatened forests, and still writing. I’ve witnessed prescribed burns (even pitched in), witnessed the capture and release of venomous snakes and the translocation of endangered birds, field-tripped with ornithologists, hunters, botanists, foresters, wildlife biologists, fire management officers, geologists, and conservationists intent on protecting red-cockaded woodpeckers, white wicky, wild turkey, quail, fox squirrels and the forests they depend on.
The result is an upcoming book on a fire-maintained ecosystem, the great longleaf pine habitat which once dominated the landscape of the Southeastern US. This blog is an intro to that book. Excerpts from chapters and photos illustrate some of the topics.
Frequently, the blog will be updated with other excerpts and comments from readers.