In addition to providing wildlife habitat , strong root systems in these forests stabilize soils to resist washing away during heavy storms and help to retain and cleanse upland runoff before it reaches the marsh . Vegetation in maritime forests is well adapted to coastal conditions , but it remains susceptible to strong winds , saltwater intrusion , periodic tidal flooding , and salt spray . The overall resilience of the maritime forest is influenced by the magnitude of environmental stressors on the system and the ability of the barriers , undergrowth , and old growth to properly function and recover when damaged . It is well known that intact forests provide abundant resources that sustain wildlife , but they also help regulate water resources and facilitate water and nutrient cycling . Forests regulate the water cycle by intercepting rainfall and slowly introducing excess rainfall to the ground . This reduces stormwater runoff from the soil surface and improves environmental quality . Essentially , these forests effectively act as sponges by holding water , treating it , and slowly releasing it into surrounding aquatic areas over time . Development over the past 50 years has fragmented the maritime forest on Kiawah Island , which has created a suburbanized maritime forest . This has caused local wildlife to adapt to these novel conditions ( Roberts , 2006 ) and led to changes in the local hydrology .
In 2020 , the Kiawah Conservancy and College of Charleston , with funding from the Town of Kiawah Island , initiated a longterm effort to monitor groundwater resources on Kiawah Island . This project resulted in the establishment of 24 groundwater monitoring wells spread throughout Kiawah Island in various soil types , elevations , and geographic regions . Dataloggers were installed in each well to gather information on water levels every 30 minutes . Groundwater data was combined with local weather data from the Town of Kiawah Island ’ s weather station to generate a water budget for the island based on methods used in the ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve ( Kassabian et al ., 2015 ). The generated water budgets indicate whether Kiawah Island has a surplus or deficit of natural water resources .
Maritime Forest