Carolina Environmental Diversity Explorations
The northern Outer Banks · By Dirk Frankenberg and Blair Tormey
Dune migration
Figure 5. As Run Hill Dune migrates to the southwest, this tree in Nags Head Woods is being buried. (Photograph by Blair Tormey. More about the photograph)
At the northern border of Nags Head Woods, one can see clear evidence of the migration of Run Hill Dune into and over Nag Head Woods due to the stronger northeast winds. This migration is occurring rapidly enough to bury entire trees within a matter of years and sections of the forest in a matter of decades.
Figure 5 shows a tree partially buried by the migration of the southwest side of Run Hill Dune.
