UPDATED: International Drive to remain open, Carolina Forest construction: What you need to know

Update: Horry County government on Monday announced that the state Department of Natural Resources would no longer conduct a controlled burn at the Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve as scheduled this week due to the threat of inclement weather. SCDNR could reschedule the controlled burn for a later date. If and when the burn is rescheduled, see our original story below for details:

Horry County public safety officials will close International Drive for part of next week as part of an effort by the state Dept. of Natural Resources to conduct controlled burns at the Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve.

International Drive will be closed from Ocean Bay Elementary School to Highway 90, and gates will block off the road. The road will be closed next Tuesday and Wednesday, March 30 and 31, with the road closing at 9:30 a.m. March 30 and reopening as conditions allow the next day. Smoke from the burn will likely be present in the area depending on weather conditions.

Controlled burns are used in the Lewis Ocean Bay preserve and other South Carolina forests as a way to prevent uncontrollable wildfires. By burning along the forest floor, DNR is able to remove much of the fuel that would easily ignite a larger fire if lightning were to strike the area, for example. Controlled burns “reduce the danger” of forest fires, DNR spokesperson David Lucas told The Sun News earlier this month.

“That fuel, if it builds up over time and you get a lightening strike … you get a fire that burns really hot and really fast,” Lucas said.

Horry County on Friday also announced that traffic patterns on Carolina Forest Boulevard would change soon. Starting today, March 26, and continuing through April 1, Southern Asphalt will install a lane change at the intersection of Carolina Forest Blvd. and River Oaks Drive, a key intersection for drivers moving about Carolina Forest and others seeking to avoid traffic on Highway 501. The work will take place between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day excluding the weekend. The county advises drivers heading east in the area specifically to use caution when traveling.

The controlled burn next week will be DNR’s second of the year at the forest preserve. Previously, Horry County closed International Drive for a week earlier this month to allow for another controlled burn. Burned blocks of forest now abut untouched blocks, and visitors to the Lewis Ocean Bay preserve can see where DNR conducted its previous burn. Prior to that, DNR’s last controlled burn at the site was March 2019. DNR aims to conduct at least one controlled burn in that forest each year, sometime between November and April.

In addition to preventing wildfires, controlled burns support the unique ecosystem of the Lewis Ocean Bay preserve. Home to longleaf pines and pond pines, as well as venus fly traps, pitcher-pants and orchids, the fire produces elements that supports those plants and the overall ecosystem. The preserve is also home to several Carolina Bays, elliptical depressions in the earth that often fill with water and allow for a diverse array of trees, plants and wildlife to thrive nearby.

Controlled burns in the area have taken on a political sheen in recent months as Conway Medical Center has sought county approval to rezone a portion of land along International Drive, next to The Farm neighborhood, so that it can build a new hospital. In letters sent to Horry County planners, DNR officials said such a facility could interfere with the necessary controlled burns. CMC officials have said they’d build the hospital in such a way to keep any smoke outside, and patients safe inside.

In a related situation, some Horry County leaders have expressed concerns about the hospital because it, too, will need to conduct controlled burns in a wetlands forest it owns across the street from the Lewis Ocean Bay preserve. As part of its $600 million RIDE 3 road and infrastructure program, Horry County needs to preserve a certain amount of wetlands to make up for other wetlands it will needs to fill in or damage as it builds and widens roads elsewhere. If the hospital prevented controlled burns on the land, which are needed to obtain wetlands credits from the federal government, the county’s road plan could be affected. The county and CMC are currently working on a development plan to allow the hospital to move forward.

This story was originally published March 26, 2021 at 3:19 PM.