When forest wetlands, or swamp trees, suddenly die off what’s left are the bones of a ‘Ghost Forest’.

It’s a haunting scene  that can be acres and acres of bones stretching to the sky. The usual culprit is salt water.

Under ground aquifers can be miles long, connected to other aquifers, and slowly be drained empty. There are two main reasons they empty, over development and now Data Centers. Both use a tremendous amount of water.

Those empty pockets can be filled by creeping salt water from rising tides, like here in the Lowcountry. Water seeks the lowest spot, and goes where it wants.

Below is a Stork high up in the bones of a Ghost Forest. Salt from the St. Helena Sound, ACE Basin slipped in here. This was a healthy swamp 5 years go. There are plenty of other places just like this.

Best viewed large.