Mature baldcypress swamp. Water levels vary with tides and rainfall, but this area is nearly always freshwater and tides push freshwater back up into the swamp. Periods with extreme storm surge can push brackish water into the area. In the foreground is a leaf litter trap used to measure monthly litterfall for productivity studies. Hobcaw Barony’s forests, both upland and swamp, have been cleared multiple times since first settled by Europeans in the 1730s. The area was the world’s 2nd largest rice producer by 1850. Swamps that were de-stumped after clearing tend to be dominated by tupelo. If stumps were left, as in this video, baldcypress resprouted and returned to dominance.