Attrition

When I first encountered the boneyard beaches of South Carolina, I was enamored by their striking and surreal beauty. I was awed by the seemingly resolute nature of the trees which stood against the tides. However, the trees, some fallen and scattered, some still apparently rooted, reveal an accelerating attrition of the beaches and barrier islands that have long protected South Carolina’s coastline and the rich ecosystems that thrive in the wetlands between the ocean and the mainland. Tragically, erosion is expected to accelerate over the next century, eliminating these magical and bio-diverse places.