The Longleaf Leader - Fall 2014

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BUILDING

The Future Longleaf Forest VOLUME VII - ISSUE 3

FALL 2014

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tAble of Contents

14 6

17 30

8

h i s t o r y ...............................................................25

President’s Message....................................................2 Calendar ....................................................................3 Letters from the Inbox ...............................................5 Green Side Up ...........................................................6 Building The Future Longleaf Forest .........................8 Understory Plant Spotlight......................................13 Landowner Profile....................................................14

While You’re in the Grass Stage ..............................26

A r t s & l i t e r A t u r e ........................................27 Longleaf Destinations ..............................................30

P e o P l e .................................................................32 s u P P o r t t h e A l l i A n C e ................................34 Heartpine ................................................................36

r e g i o n A l u P d A t e s .........................................19

P u b l i s h e r The Longleaf Alliance, e d i t o r Carol Denhof, d e s i g n Bellhouse Publishing A d v e r t i s i n g Tom Livers 334.427.1029 – tom@longleafalliance.org C o v e r Planted longleaf pine in North Carolina. Photo by Robert Abernethy.

The Longleaf Leader (USPS#) is an official publication of The Longleaf Alliance, 12130 Dixon Center Road, Andalusia, Alabama 36420 and is published 4 times a year. The Longleaf Alliance reserves the exclusive right to accept or reject advertising or editorial material submitted for publication. Advertising rates quoted upon request.Postmaster: Send address changes to Longleaf Alliance, Address12130 Dixon Center Road, Andalusia, Alabama 36420. Periodicals Postage Paid at Montgomery, Alabama.

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BY ROBERT ABERNETHY, THE LONGLEAF ALLIANCE

P r e s i d e n t ’s m e s s A g e

{building the future longleaf forest} The cold fronts have started to push down into Longleaf Country and a few trees are beginning to change color in the piedmont and mountain longleaf regions. This is a busy time of the year in the longleaf woods. Herbicide applications need to be completed and burn plans must be written before restoration sites can be prescribe burned and the sites planted.

Then there is deer season and duck season and quail season to fit into the work schedule. After the heat of the summer, this is a most wonderful time to be in the woods.

We all know the statistics. Reduced from 90 million acres to 4.4 million acres, all across the South we have scattered patches of longleaf forests. A few tracts contain groves of longleaf hundreds of years old. However, we more commonly find stands with a few scattered longleaf or tracts of land that were harvested years ago and have grown up in brush, water oak, sweetgum and scattered patches of loblolly pine. But the groundcover is still there and the wildlife is still there, just waiting for new owners to realize what they have and introduce a little management. It is amazing what the introduction of prescribed fire or some thinning operations can do to open up the forest. Some of these tracts may need to be fuel chipped and the forest started anew with site prep and the planting of seedlings. Some of the tracts have good stands of loblolly that the landowner may choose to carry out to their full rotation before planting a new forest. Other landowners may choose to start thinning the loblolly and opening up gaps that will then be planted with longleaf.

This issue of The Longleaf Leader will focus on “Building the Future Longleaf Forest. Our writers will provide you with information on establishing your new forest and managing the forest that is currently on your land. We will discuss partnerships and how local implementation teams all across the range are working with the NRCS, USFWS, USFS, and DOD to attract programs and sponsors to help the private landowner manage their land. This help takes the form of education, advice and management recommendations, and cost share and incentives so the private landowner can manage the forests they are growing, as well as build the forests of the future.

We would also like to invite all our partners and readers to head down to Mobile for the 10th Biennial Longleaf Conference and 9th Eastern Native Grass Symposium, October 21-24, 2014. We have a full schedule packed into these 4 days including seminars, socials, and field trips. There will be plenty of opportunities to learn from the experts, visit with friends, and network with fellow longleaf landowners and managers.

A quick reminder for those of you that have not yet ordered seedlings to be planted in the next few months; get on it!

Several nurseries still have seedlings available but they are going fast. A current listing can be found on our website: www.longleafalliance.org. So get out and enjoy the fall woodlands and we will see you in Mobile!

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Longleaf Alliance Board of Directors Angus LaFaye – Chairman Barclay McFadden – Vice-Chairman Lynda Guerry Beam Judd Brooke

Staff Robert Abernethy President robert@longleafalliance.org 803-480-1849

Robert Franklin SoLoACE Longleaf Partnership Coordinator bobby@longleafalliance.org 843-893-7775

Ad Platt Vice President of Operations ad@longleafalliance.org 850-982-8480

Mark Hainds Restoration Coordinator mark@longleafalliance.org 334-427-1029

Anne Rilling Vice President of Business anne@longleafalliance.org 334-427-1029

Tom Livers Development Director tom@longleafalliance.org 334-427-1029

Vernon Compton GCPEP Director vernon@longleafalliance.org 850-623-0987

Ryan Mitchell Outreach & Technical Assistance Coordinator ryan@longleafalliance.org 850-758-8559

Randy Tate Ft. Stewart/Altamaha Longleaf Restoration Partnership Coordinator randy@longleafalliance.org 404-664-0586 Mike Thompson EST Supervisor mike@longleafalliance.org

Robert D. Brown Katherine Eddins E. Cody Laird, Jr. Julie Moore Dick Porterfield Salem Saloom Charley Tarver Beryl Trawick George Tyson Marc Walley

Carol Denhof Understory & Media Coordinator carol@longleafalliance.org 678-595-6405

Brian Schumann EST Member brian@longleafalliance.org

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Donna Vassallo EST Member donna@longleafalliance.org Casey White Administrative Assistant office@longleafalliance.org Bob Wilken Fire Specialist bob@longleafalliance.org Karen Zilliox EST Field Leader karen@longleafalliance.org

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uPComing events Splitbeard bluestem.

Photo by Beth Maynor Young.

2014 longleaf 101 Academy November 17-21, 2014 Chattahoochee Fall Line Conservation Partnership Area www.longleafalliance.org/events This course will introduce the participant to the history and cultural significance of longleaf pine and provides the foundation for successful longleaf restoration and management.

10th regional longleaf Conference & 9th eastern native grass symposium October 21-24, 2014 Mobile, AL www.longleafalliance.org/events/2014-longleaf-allianceregional-conference

Check The Longleaf Alliance website (www.longleafalliance.org) for updates on scheduled events

fAll mAnAgement CheCklist ✓

✓

Apply Fall Site Preparation Herbicides: For maximum efficacy, foliar active herbicides such as glyphosate (Roundup®/Accord®) should be applied to pasture grasses before the first frost.

Conversely, triclopyr (Garlon®) may be delayed until after the first frost if targeting waxy leaf competitors while minimizing impact to herbaceous groundcover. Allow time for soil active herbicides to break down before planting longleaf, especially those with the active ingredient imazapyr (Arsenal®/Chopper®).

Apply Mechanical Site Preparation Treatments: Scalp agricultural sites, but remember to stay strictly on the contour and pick the scalper up regularly.

Leaving waterbars in the furrow will greatly reduce erosion. Subsoil or rip sites with hardpans, but remember to not plant seedlings directly into the subsoiled/ripped furrow. Clean up or establish fire lanes for site prep or fuel reduction burns.

✓

Harvest Native Herbaceous Seeds: Certain species, such as the Indian Grasses (Sorghastrum spp.), ripen and fall in a very short time window (as little as 1 or 2 weeks). Ripe wiregrass Aristida stricta or A. beyrichiana can lose all of its ripe seed if a cold front blows through. Be watchful and move quickly!

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Order Native Seed for Understory Restoration: Seed from local ecotypes and endemic species is limited and expensive. Some landowners and land managers have the time and expertise to collect their own seed, but most restoration will be done with seed purchased from the few seed companies that sell southeastern seed sources.

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Plant Longleaf: It’s never too early to plant longleaf if the following conditions are met: the site is prepared (see Fall Site Prep recommendations), there is adequate soil moisture, seedlings are available, and a planting crew is available.

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Fall Foraging: Oyster, reishi, lion’s mane, and other mushrooms are there for the picking. This will be a bountiful year for longleaf seed, which taste just like the pine nuts we use on salads.

Chinquapin & hickory nuts are great, if you can beat the squirrels. Speaking of small game, squirrels fattened on shiitake mushrooms taste especially good.

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from the inbox

Planting on Red Creek Preserve, Jackson, MS. Photo by Becky Stowe.

We recommend planting longleaf seedlings in the fall as soon as adequate soil moisture is present. In Alabama, that is generally mid-November. This gives the seedlings time to put on new growth before they go dormant.

As you know, we had multiple hard freezes this past winter. We observed more damage to the seedlings that were planted late compared to those that were planted earlier. The most damage was observed in seedlings planted a few days before the hard freezes.

Good luck and let us know if you have any more questions.

Sincerely, Ryan

Q. Q. A.

Ryan, We are planning on planting 60 acres of longleaf in central Alabama this winter. A chemical site prep is scheduled for application in August. My forester is planning on conducting a site prep burn in October. I received an EQIP contract and they will plant 622 trees per acre in February. He said he is waiting until February to plant to avoid the hard freezes that may kill the trees. What do you think about this timeline?

Thank you, John, Alabama

Mark, What is your thinking concerning adding 3 ounces of Oust® in a site prep tank mix? The site in question is a cutover that will be sprayed and burned for site prep. Adding the Oust® in the site prep is practical. We do not have a lot of herbaceous release spraying being done. It would be unlikely that we could get a contractor to apply the Oust® in the spring.

P.T., Mississippi

A.

P.T., We did some of the early trials for DuPont with Oust® in fall site prep applications. We found that sulfometuron (the active ingredient in Oust®) is a reasonable addition to fall SP applications - in lieu of a spring herbaceous release. It has become fairly rare for us to follow up herbicide site prep applications on cutover sites with a spring herbaceous release, because we typically include a combination of Oust® or Oust® Extra in the fall site prep.

However, I recommend against the inclusion of sulfometuron on site prep applications on agricultural sites, because we have seen terrible root growth on newly planted longleaf behind herbicide site preps on agricultural sites that included Oust®. This may have to do with higher pH soils that we find on ag sites.

To summarize, I think it is a good idea on cutover sites, and a bad idea on agricultural sites.

Sincerely, Mark

John, Congratulations on the financial assistance through the EQIP program. As I look through the plan, a few things pique my curiosity. First, it is best to wait at least 60 days from the time a site is chemically site prepped before conducting a burn. This will allow the herbicide to translocate throughout the plant and achieve better control.

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Side

Green up Advice from Mark

&Terrible

Good

Choices for Longleaf Understory Restoration

By Mark Hainds, The Longleaf Alliance

South Carolina planted field dominated by ‘Alamo’ switchgrass. Photo by Wilfred Pace.

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Thousands of acres of young longleaf stands are being seeded with native warm season grasses (NWSG). Typically, native forb seed is included in these mixes to increase aesthetic appeal, provide diversity, and serve as food sources for our native birds, game species, and pollinators. Some herbaceous species may be fine in agricultural settings, but they can be very problematic when seeded adjacent to newly planted longleaf pine seedlings.

The following is a shortlist of species that we recommend against inclusion in your NWSG mixes, especially if this mix will be sown or drilled adjacent to young longleaf pine seedlings.

Large Flower Partridge Pea, Chamaecrista fasciculata: Large flower partridge pea was included in numerous Conservation Practice 36 (CP 36) plantings across the South. Hundreds of acres of longleaf in the 1-5 year old age range have been lost to overly aggressive partridge pea dominating fields that were previously in agriculture. The Lark selection of this species has proven to be particularly aggressive and should not be included in NWSG plantings adjacent to longleaf. Suggested alternatives: Small flower partridge pea (C. nictitans) or spurred butterfly pea (Centrosema virginianum).

Switchgrass, Panicum virgatum – Sudie Thomas and Dick Yetter with the USDA –NRCS recently described a situation and sent a photo from South Carolina where the ‘Alamo’ cultivar of switchgrass over-topped young longleaf seedlings.

Scott Phillips with the SC Forestry Commission told us that most of the longleaf did not survive on this site. He attributed the failure to competition and the intense burning conditions associated with switchgrass. It is almost certainly preferable to utilize native grasses that are shorter in stature when planting NWSG mixes around young longleaf. Suggested alternatives: splitbeard bluestem (Andropogon ternarius), nodding/slender Indian grass (Sorghastrum elliottii), and little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium).

Florida Beggar-Weed, Desmodium spp.: This species is, or was, listed as a recommended forb in at least one southeastern state guide for CP 36 NWSG mixes. This is a problematical recommendation because most seed companies sell Desmodium tortuosum , an Asian annual weed common in peanuts & soybeans, as “Florida Beggar Weed.” Suggested alternatives: Our perennial native Florida beggar-weed (Desmodium floridanum) or any of the 30 plus species of native Desmodium spp. that grow in the native longleaf pine ecosystem. Other common examples are: D. paniculatum, D. strictum, D. lineatum, and D. ciliare.

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BuildinG

the Future lOnGleAF FOreSt

By Ad Platt, The Longleaf Alliance

Planted longleaf field in North Carolina.

Photo by Robert Abernethy. currently have say or control over critical land decisions, involve your family or others who might be an important part of future success. An essential component of developing this vision is the establishment of strategic goals and objectives.

Think short, mid-term, and long-term, as forest investments are realized over considerable timelines. What matters most in meeting your objectives? And what also matters, even if it is not the top priority or objective? Determining realistic goals and prioritizing objectives is important because it allows for flexibility in developing management plans. Flexibility gives the landowner the ability to adapt to any obstacles that are met over time. Sometimes we get caught up in controlling how things are done, keeping us from considering alternative methods or techniques. Seek out people with experience, whether technical specialists or contractors, and utilize their knowledge, experience, and creativity. At the end of the day, the thing that matters most is the outcome of all this effort and investment.

In order to take these dreams and make them reality, it is necessary to create a management plan that will serve as a guide for building your forest. Want to be special? Join the 4% out of the 22 million forest landowners who actually have a current management plan. Very few landowners actively manage their

Each day, the Alliance has the opportunity to hear from and visit with landowners who manage beautiful and unique longleaf stands, and who are daily earning much enjoyment and appreciation in doing so. But part and parcel of the technical assistance provider’s role is helping find solutions and alternatives that may help landowners reach their personal objectives with less expense and time.

Knowing that most of us have very few opportunities in life to build a perfect forest, let’s take the opportunity to think about factors that help ensure success. We want to avoid the expense and regret that can come with experience and feelings of; could have, would have, and should have. To reach longterm objectives, landowners should draw upon the combined resources of experience, information, and assistance that are available. In general, these recommendations for achieving successful outcomes can be grouped under one of the following categories: Planning, Establishment, and Maintenance. plAnninG The first step of starting a new forest investment is determining a vision for the land. Consider the future and visualize what your forest should become. Even if they do not [8]

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forests and have a plan for future stewardship. At the same time, these forests are under pressure from ever-increasing threats like invasive species, wildfire, incompatible developments nearby, or fragmentation over time.

If you are investing in forest management, a harvest operation may be an important step in regenerating the next stand, rather than the end of the previous one. Know your stand before you cut it. Learn your land first, the special places and the special challenges. What was growing there previously guides your site preparation and gives advance warning about your coming challenges as well as opportunities. The past is the best predictor of the future. How you harvest the previous stand will make a big difference for the future stand.

Know and follow all rules and regulations. Build your own burn plan and prescription based upon your objectives and your management plan. Accompanying maps are another critical piece of your plan. Map out and build access lines and containment zones. Establish points on the ground that match points on your map. Establish safety zones, fuel breaks, and contingency plans - if this line fails, we catch it here. With an accurate map and clear burn plan, you will ensure that anyone helping you or working on your tract is better able to understand your directions and intent.

Anticipate problems and be proactive! Look out for those “wolfy” loblolly trees on the hill. Know where your invasive species problems currently are, and take measures to ensure

Winter burn in South Carolina. Photo by Robert Abernethy. Hand planting longleaf in Georgia.

Photo by Anne Rilling.

“The past is the best predictor of the future.

How you harvest the previous stand will make a big difference for the future stand.”

It is essential that fire be included in any management plan that is developed for longleaf pine forests. Without fire, this fire-dependent system will not thrive and long-term management will be more difficult. This is a significant tool in the management toolbox that all landowners should use. If you are inexperienced with fire, team up with more experienced burners and pursue certification. Everyone started as a novice.

Become a certified burner in your state for the knowledge, network, extended permits and greater liability protection.

future contracting operations don’t introduce more. Knowing how, in our part of the world, nature hates an empty space, be cautious that in killing one problem we don’t just create a bigger problem. Full sunlight on the ground means something will capture that site.

Lots of help is available, no matter the question or information need. Professional expertise and incentives are available in each state. The Longleaf Alliance can help connect you with these resources. {continued on page 10} [9]

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{continued from page 9} eStABliShMent waste your fuels. Burning weedy agricultural fields is difficult Site preparation is by far one of the most important factors and not very effective. Not all fires are good; care, knowledge, to address when establishing longleaf pines. Focus your site and expertise lead to the best outcomes. Burn hot enough, but preparation on the necessary competition control. But what not overly hot. Longleaf can endure a lot, but damage may you keep is as important as what you kill. Killing all delay reaching your objectives. Also, don’t overlook burning vegetation is easy. Using the on the low end. Use the selectivity of herbicides can cost combination of temperature, you less and leave you with more humidity, wind speed, weather of what you (and wildlife species) patterns, fuel availability, and want and need. ignition techniques to execute If establishing longleaf your prescription or to establish seedlings, it is vital to “plant for blacklines for a future burn day. success”. First, pick the right Monitoring the effects of the site; optimum sites typically fire is often overlooked. This is have acidic soils and sites that an effective way to determine if have basic soils, high nutrients or you are accomplishing your standing water for extended objectives. If not, then your periods should be avoided. plan should be adapted to reach Know your soils, either through your desired outcome. a soil test, or the WebSoilSurvey Keep burning for form, (websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov). composition, disease control, If your funds are limited, as they and even protection from are for most of us, money is wildfire coming into your better spent on site preparation property. Use extra care in these than on herbaceous release. vulnerable situations; when Plant good quality seedlings, longleaf is making height and know the difference between growth from the grass stage to good and poor quality. Get the 6 feet in height, when young Seedling Quality DVD from the trees are actively candling, and Alliance or watch the online when reintroducing fire into webinar on Container Grown long unburned stands.

Seedling Quality hosted by Stay connected and Southern Regional Extension Rhett Johnson providing knowledgeable with your Forestry. Earlier planting is technical advice at Longleaf developing investment. Walk generally more successful. Try Academy. Photo by Ad Platt. through your stand often not to finish planting before only for the enjoyment of Christmas. If you are using learning more about your land, but also be alert to catch any containerized seedlings, don’t plant them too deep; soil should problems early. never cover the terminal bud with container-grown seedlings.

Most importantly, continue the vision – involve your family with an eye towards the future management. Changing course MAintenAnCe is expensive in time and money. But most of all enjoy it every Once your stand is established and seedlings are robust, with day you can and build a real appreciation for this legacy with a root collar diameter greater than .4 inches, ensure successful those future managers. regeneration by starting your burning early. Protect and don’t

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Cone drying boxes at USFS Ashe Nursery seed extraction facility in Brooklyn MS. Photo by Mark Hainds.

longleaf Seed harvesting tricks of the trade

By Mark Hainds, The Longleaf Alliance

Landowners often call The Longleaf Alliance (LLA) for advice on harvesting or selling their longleaf cones. The following is a series of questions we posed to Stanley Hinson, of Southern Seed Company. Southern Seed Company is owned by the Hinson Family, based in Baldwin, Georgia, and is one of very few forest seed companies that harvest, process, and store tree seed in the southeastern United States. This interview was conducted on July 29, 2014.

LLA: Most people are aware that longleaf pine stands do not consistently produce a harvestable cone/seed crop. This year, 2014, looks to be a record year for cone production across most of the natural range. What minimum acreages or stand requirements will you look for to harvest longleaf cones this year? As a follow up question, what minimum acreages or stand requirements would you need if production was more limited?

HINSON: This year we will collect from 300 acres or larger tracts. We like to get two tractor-trailer loads (2000-2500 bushels) of cones to make moving the equipment worthwhile.

In poorer years, we need 600 acres, and some years we just won’t harvest. In poor years, there has to be a “hot spot.” You’ll find one tract that has enough to shake. As a general rule, when you only see single cones in tree tops -one cone at each limb tip – we do not shake them. In a poor year we’ll shake if there are twos and a few threes on limb tips. In a year like this (2014)

we’ll go with 3s, 4s, 5s, even 7s. In a good year we get lots of cones off small acreage. Also, in a poor year there is the compounding problem of not enough yield or pounds of seed per bushel.

LLA: What criteria define good quality longleaf pine seed?

HINSON: From the seed lab: 95% germination or better, moisture content 8% or below, and purity of 99% or better.”

We usually get this in a good cone year. The main thing that leads to poor seed quality is picking the cones too early. Also, it takes a long time to get the moisture of the seed down to 8%. Opening (good) cones is not a problem, but wormy cones are a problem, especially in a poor seed year. Wormy cones won’t open, or they open a little bit. You generally get poor seed from wormy cones. You won’t have a problem with that (wormy cones) this year. We train our pickers to not pick up wormy cones. {continued on page 12} [ 11 ]

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{continued from page 11} HINSON: Generally when you shake a tree, you will shake out a few limb tips. If there is a good crop for the following year, you can sometimes shake out the conelets and reduce cone harvest for the following year. Some of these stands we’ve shaken multiple times. Generally, you can’t tell we have even harvested a stand. But if somebody doesn’t know what they are doing – they can slip the bark. It looks like a red cockaded woodpecker cavity with the resin flow. Generally, there are problems with barking the tree when the bole is not perfectly round. You’ll slip trees with cat-face trees. Ideally, there is just a short burst (of shaking), minimal injury, we get most of the cones and go to the next tree.

LLA: Do you ever time your cone harvesting with timber harvesting?

HINSON: We never have. It can be done, but loggers don’t want people around and we don’t want cones left on ground for two or three days because they can get sun scorch and won’t open.”

LLA: Which longleaf seed sources are the hardest to come by? Are their niche seed sources that are especially valuable?

HINSON: The hardest is mountain longleaf. It grows on steep land. Our machines are not really made to operate there.

Sometimes we have to mow prior to shaking –make circles around the trees we need to harvest. That adds a lot of cost.

LLA: What other factors or issues should a landowner consider that I have not raised?

HINSON: People call and say ‘I have a lot of trees, come shake them.’People are aggressively raising longleaf for wood products, and their stands are too thick. That’s a basal area thing. We need room to operate these machines, and generally, thick stands don’t produce as many cones per acre. Another problem is going to a longleaf site and half of it is slash or loblolly. We need, more or less, a pure longleaf stand. Low basal area and burning are what makes a good stand. It works very well if they summer burn before we shake. We can see the ground. Usually we look for a well-managed stand – no yaupon or bicolor! We can’t see the cones to pick them up. We stay away from those. Finally, it’s a good idea to have an extraction place lined up prior to shaking cones this year. Everybody is going to have cones and it will be a bumper year for slash, loblolly, and longleaf.

LLA: Under what circumstances would you pay a landowner to harvest longleaf pine cones?

HINSON: When we pay for cones on the tree – we do everything. We can also offer a share of the seed. Sometimes we’d rather pay for the cones. Some people see this as “found money.” I can’t give the price, it varies. The main thing about seed is the cost of collection. And if the land is close to our plant, we’re willing to collect fewer cones.

LLA: What percentage of their seed could landowners expect from a seed company in exchange for allowing their cones to be harvested?

HINSON: We offer 10%. Sometimes on bids it gets higher, but 10% is standard. On orchard cones you may see bids as high as 30%.

LLA: Are you seeing any trends in longleaf seed pricing?

And what factors affect these trends?

HINSON: Supply and demand. If we get two poor cone years in a row, and that has happened a couple of times in the last ten years, we’ll see a spike in price because of the supply. Years like this, we try to build up inventory. Price will level off and will stay that way for a couple of years. It also depends on nurserymen, how much seed do they have left over? If we go three years without harvesting good seed, the prices lead us to places we won’t normally pick. Some smaller nurserymen won’t grow (if prices get too high).

LLA: How long can longleaf pine seed be stored under optimal conditions? And, where/how would a landowner be able to store their seed under these conditions?

HINSON: We offer seed storage. We will store at a minimal cost, enough to cover the power and keep it frozen. The main thing on storing seed is the lower the moisture content the better. If moisture is a little high, and it is kept three or more years, then the seed loses vigor. It will still germinate, but it gets kind of lazy. If it is good seed from a good seed year, then it can be stored five or more years.

LLA: How do you harvest longleaf pine cones?

HINSON: We use rubber tracked skid-steers with big shakers.

We use the biggest ones we can, because the longer you shake a tree, the better the chance of slipping the bark.

LLA: Does harvesting the cones damage the tree? And, how often can you harvest longleaf cones from a given stand?

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y r o t ders

Un

By Carol Denhof, The Longleaf Alliance

PlAnt SPotlight { SLENDER BLAZING STAR LIATRIS GRACILIS PURSH }

Description Slender blazing star is an herbaceous perennial plant in the aster family (Asteraceae). This plant produces a central stem that can grow up to 5 feet in height and is generally covered in soft hairs. The leaves are long and narrow measuring 2-8 inches in length and Image of slender up to 1/3 inch in width. Being a blazing star in member of the aster family, the flower at the Solon purple flowers of this species are Dixon Forestry Edarranged in heads consisting of 7-12 ucation Center. flowers and the heads are supported Photo by Carol by stalks that measure up to 1 inch Denhof. long. Flowering occurs from late September through October. distribution & habitat The distribution range of Liatris gracilis runs from South Carolina, south to Florida, and west to Mississippi. It generally occurs in sandhill & flatwoods habitats, preferring the drier end of the spectrum.

Other common species There are many species of Liatris that inhabit the longleaf pine ecosystem. The most common species that may grow along with slender blazing star include shaggy blazing star (Liatris pilosa), shortleaf blazing star (Liatris tenuifolia), and pinkscale blazing star (Liatris elegans). Shaggy blazing star and slender blazing star are the most similar but can be differentiated based on the presence of hairs on the stem of slender blazing star and none on shaggy blazing star.

Commercial Availability Cleaned, high quality seed of slender blazing star is available through Ernst Conservation Seed (www.ernstseed.com) and Roundstone Native Seed (www.roundstoneseed.com). The Florida Wildflower Cooperative (www.floridawildflowers.com) offers bulk seed for purchase and several Florida plant nurseries offer plants for sale.

Wildlife Uses Slender blazing star is extremely showy when in bloom. Native pollinators utilize most species of Liatris as nectar providing plants.

These plants will be covered in bees and butterflies during the fall flowering season. The seeds produced are also a source of food for songbirds of the longleaf forest.

Distribution map for slender blazing star.

PLANTS Database.

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References Radford, A.E., H.E. Ahles, and C.R. Bell. 1968.

Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC. 1183 pp.

USDA, NRCS. 2014. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 30 July 2014). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.

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lAndowner sPotlight

REDISCOVERING SILVOPASTURE WITH NRCS

By Roy Barnett, Jr., with Ad Platt

A team came together to help create Alabama's first silvopasture project under EQIP; from l to r, Tim Albritton, NRCS-AL Staff Forester, Roy Barnett, Jr., Charles Holmes, Perry County Soil and Water Conservation District, Richard Straight- USFS Lead Agroforester (Nebraska), Sutton Gibbs, NRCS District Conservationist, Cedric Hudson, Alabama Forestry Commission. Photo taken by Eddie Jolley, NRCS-AL Several contributors to The Longleaf Alliance are active farmers. There appears to be a growing interest from this subset regarding the integration of agricultural practices and longleaf management, so we thought it timely to revisit the topic of silvopasture. The article that follows is from Roy Barnett, Jr., a native of Perry County, Alabama, and a longtime pharmacist and community leader in Marion, Alabama.

Roy begins his story with a story. “I feel a lot like Jerry Clower, the wonderful, loveable Mississippi comedian, when he said, ’The first college football game I ever saw…I played in!’ Well, it was somewhat like that for me, the first silvopasture I ever saw was mine.” says Roy. Roy does not claim to be an expert, but he does have a story to share about how his family became involved, and began to care about the land and conservation. It’s really a story about what NRCS does every day, “Helping people help the land.”

The partnership Roy and his family formed with Sutton Gibbs and her staff in the Marion NRCS office is an example of that motto in action, both showing and helping to lead these improvements from day one.

Roy and his wife Inez grew up in Marion, Alabama, a small college town situated in the heart of the Black Belt that is home to Judson College and Marion Military Institute. Roy says, “We were married after she graduated from Auburn University

and I was in my last semester of pharmacy school at Howard College, now Samford University. It was the second marriage for both of us! We were first married in the first grade in “The Wedding of the Flowers”; Inez was the “Lily of the Valley” and I was “Johnny Jump-up”. We remained sweet hearts through high school. Marriage led to three daughters, all of whom are pharmacists today: the apples don’t fall far from the tree!

Four years after I began my pharmacy career, we had an opportunity to buy an existing pharmacy in our hometown and decided to head home. We ran into difficulty buying the store and establishing credit, so Mr. Donavan, Inez’s father, offered to put up 800 acres of his dairy farmland as collateral. With his help, we became pharmacy owners. This was my first connection with the land.

With Mr. Donavan’s death in 1974, we actually began to manage the property deeded to us, along with other land Inez inherited. For the first several years we rented most of the land to a wheat and soybean farmer. It was during this time that the farm really started to take on a different role in our lives.

We placed 150 acres in the 10 year CRP program, planting it to fescue. The pastureland developed into a hay business, mainly with dairy farmers. That did well until the market ended with the dairy buyout. Next, we turned the farm house into a camp just outside of town, and began to enjoy it for [ 14 ]

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Landowners Inez and Roy Barnett, Jr. – Growing a legacy on their land. Photo courtesy of Roy Barnett.

Touring the silvopasture. Photo by Tim Albritton.

recreation. But attitudes about the land in the Barnett family were changing, and our story continued to change. The land was becoming a priority to all of us as the next generation arrived. No longer was it just collateral!

As a city councilman, I was appointed to serve on the ASC board to represent the city of Marion. Serving on this board, I became more aware of what NRCS really did and the services it offered. These programs help landowners in so many areas to put conservation practices in place.

During the 80’s we bought some adjacent acres, and with my father’s passing, inherited his timberland. The four tracts total 1,240 acres. About 360 acres are in pasture and hay (over 300 acres of this pastureland is divided into 16 paddocks each averaging 20 acres), 600 acres are in timber, mostly pines (150 of this is longleaf), 150 acres in lakes, and 120 acres in silvopasture. We are planning to plant another 100 acres of longleaf that will become silvopasture in five to seven years.

This is coming from a 77 year old couple that doesn’t buy green bananas!

I was first attracted to the idea of silvopasture by articles in Progressive Farmer magazine, and began to search online for more information. The idea of combining forestry for the long term with cattle for cash flow, without sacrificing pine production over the long haul, really got my attention.

My first inquiries to NRCS were before the program began.

When it was funded under EQIP, we applied and were approved. Together we completed the first silvopasture EQIP project in Alabama, which has since been used to host demonstration workshops for district, state, and national USDA and NRCS staff. Early on, Sutton Gibbs and David Stewart were involved, along with NRCS State Forester, Tim Albritton.

They offered suggestions for tree thinning to optimize tree density and grazing space. We hosted workshops that provided helpful discussion on grazing practices and cattle rotation with goats to clean up privet and other underbrush.

The 120 acre silvopasture will carry 30 to 40 brood cows.

With the final thinning of the pines in 2012, we opened up the canopy and reduced basal area to a target of 50 sq. ft. to allow more grazing area. We run in total 100 head of brood cattle, operate the Donavan Fishing Club, and run the “The Donavan Inn,” a restored 1890’s farm house. It is a really scenic place there on the lakes, and we have hosted over a dozen weddings, lots of receptions, and family reunions. The fishing club is family friendly, as is the Inn, and they allow us to share our land with folks who appreciate and enjoy it.

I cannot overstate the role NRCS and USDA have played in all this. NRCS programs and technical assistance have fueled the engine that powered these improvements, including reestablishing forages, fence and cross-fence for silvopasture, managing water needs and heavy use areas near water, and establishing rotational grazing and riparian buffers around our lakes.

As a pharmacy owner I knew what I could do and what I could not do. This same approach has worked well in managing the farm. I quickly learned that I needed to surround myself with good capable folks with successful experience.

Let me close by sincerely thanking all of you who are involved in “Helping people help the land.” You are the story.

Our personal history with this land grew from collateral, to additional income, to an investment, to a legacy. Our prayer is that it continues to be an ongoing story for the next generation. [ 15 ]

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Panel discussion with USDA Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack. Photo by Bob Nichols.

5-Year Anniversary Celebration FOR AMERICA’ S LONGLEAF RESTORATION INITIATIVE

By Robert Abernethy, The Longleaf Alliance

In 2009, conservation partners from all across the South came together and prepared the Range Wide Conservation Plan for Longleaf Pine. Named America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative (ALRI), this effort to restore the longleaf pine ecosystem has grown to include over 30 partners including representatives of non-governmental conservation organizations, state and federal agencies, local implementation teams, forest industry, universities, and private landowners.On July 22, 2014, over 200 partner representatives from all over the South met in Washington, DC at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to celebrate the 5-year anniversary of America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative.

include The Southern Company, International Paper, USDA, DOD and USFWS. “Conserving America’s longleaf forests is a team effort,” said Robert Bonnie, USDA’s Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment. “We are proud of the many restoration efforts on public and private lands and we encourage landowners and land managers to take advantage of USDA conservation programs that assist in planting and managing these forests.”

Panel Discussion with Secretary Vilsack The celebration then moved across Independence Ave SW to the Jefferson Auditorium where USDA Secretary Thomas J. Vilsack moderated a panel discussion with Tom Tidwell, Chief of the US Forest Service, John Conger, Acting Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Installations and Environment for the Department of Defense, Michael L. Conner, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Interior, Brian Yablonski, External Affairs Director for Gulf Power, Dr. Jennie L. Stephens, Executive Director, Sustainable Forestry Program, Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation, Mike Black, Chair of the Longleaf Partnership Council, Jim Karels, State Forester for

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Grant Awards The celebration kicked off with an announcement by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) of $3.38 million in grants to restore the longleaf pine ecosystem. Fifteen projects across eight states were selected to receive funding.

These projects will restore more than 11,800 acres and enhance over 116,000 additional acres of longleaf pine habitat. An additional $3.8 million will be leveraged to accomplish these projects. Sponsors of NFWF’s Longleaf Stewardship Fund

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1.

2.

3. 1. Luther Jones of NRCS (l) and John Dondaro of USFS (r) at 5-year Celebration. Photo by Lark Hayes.

2. Dr. Salem Saloom received an award for displaying exceptional leadership in his role of a private landowner of a longleaf forest.

Pictured l-r: Salem Saloom and Dianne Saloom. Photo by Lark Hayes.

3. The Longleaf Partnership Council, represented by Mike Black and Vernon Compton received an award for expanding collaboration and partnership across the longleaf range. The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation received an award for successfully leveraging public and private investments to expand and accelerate the management and restoration of America’s longleaf forests. Pictured l-r: Bruce Beard, David O'Neill, Vernon Compton and Mike Black. Photo by Lark Hayes. the Florida Forest Service and Vice President of the National Association of State Foresters, and Dr. Salem Saloom, longleaf landowner from Brewton, Alabama and board member of The Longleaf Alliance and the American Forest Foundation.

Secretary Vilsack kicked off the discussion by asking the group how the USDA can encourage longleaf reforestation, protection and management with our private landowners. Vilsack said, “This is your vision; this is your mission and we are proud to be part of it.”

Mike Black stated that, “The strength of the Longleaf Partnership Council is in the member partners. We are all there for the whole system and the real success is the work of the Local Implementation Teams set up on each Significant Geographic Area.”

When asked by Secretary Vilsack why he got involved and started planting longleaf, Dr. Saloom stated that income and markets were not the major deciding factor. Dr. Saloom said,

“I want to be involved in restoring this American Heritage and provide clean water and clean air for the next generation through well managed, higher quality, burned woods. How to engage the un-engaged landowner is our biggest challenge.”

Secretary Vilsack closed the discussion by stating that he has heard the cry for more longleaf acres, more engaged landowners, more corporate support and more species protected. “We at USDA are committed to the process,” he said.

Atrium Reception Following the panel discussion, the crowd moved back to the Atrium of the USDA Whitten Building overlooking the Mall for a reception where Jason Weller, Chief of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) spoke of the commitment of the NRCS and Larry Earley, author of Looking for Longleaf: The Fall and Rise of an American Forest spoke of where we have come and where we have yet to go. {continued on page 18} [ 17 ]

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event sponsors

{continued from page 17} Meeting with Undersecretary Robert Bonnie The celebration continued on July 23 with a two hour meeting between representatives of the Longleaf Partnership Council and Undersecretary Bonnie to discuss how we could best continue to move the restoration effort forward. Several key points emerged from the meeting including:

American Forest Foundation ● American Forests ● Darden Consulting ● DJ Case and Associates ● DOD ● DOI ● Forest Investment Associates ● International Paper ● Lark Conservation Consulting LLC ● National Association of State Foresters ● National Fish and Wildlife Foundation ● National Wild Turkey Federation ● National Wildlife Federation ● Plum Creek ● Resource Management Service, LLC ● SAF ● Southern Company ● Southern Group of State Foresters ● Sustainable Forestry Initiative ● The Conservation Fund ● The Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center at Ichauway ● The Longleaf Alliance ● The Nature Conservancy ● USDA ● Weyerhaeuser ● Wildlife Mississippi ●

• Expanding the use of prescribed fire on private land is crucial to success.

• We must maintain and expand the understanding that fire in the woods is a natural process.

• We will expand longleaf acres by working more in existing stands of loblolly than in agricultural field conversion.

• Longleaf marketing efforts need to increase as the flow of quality longleaf wood products increases.

• We need to “broaden the base.” The US population in general needs to understand what we have lost and why restoration of this ecosystem is important.

• Maintaining Farm Bill programs is critical to the success of the restoration effort.

Hill Visits Also occurring on July 23, over 40 participants spread out over the Hill to visit with and thank their elected representatives in the Senate and House for supporting longleaf pine in the Farm Bill and other programs. Participants conducted meetings with representatives and staffers from Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas. Special thanks to Rita Hite’s team (American Forest Foundation) and Louie Perry’s team (Cornerstone Governmental Affairs/ the NWTF) for organizing and setting up all the meetings.

Conclusion All participants agreed that the effort was worth it and the people involved with the meetings, discussions, and receptions have a better understanding of America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative and an appreciation of the dedication of the partners.

For more pictures and press releases on the event, go to AmericasLongleaf.org. Congratulations to all involved.

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By Mike Black, National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative, Longleaf Partnership Council Chair

longleaf Partnership Council news “

A

T I M E

T O

C E L E B R A T E

After a century of loss of longleaf forests across the range, we have reversed this trend and have in the last decade actually increased the net acreage of longleaf. This is no small accomplishment and the longleaf community has reason to pause and celebrate. Many factors have worked together to achieve this measure of success from the necessary funding down to the work on the ground by the local implementation teams.

The longleaf community stands between two significant five year celebration events. Recently, over 200 longleaf professionals and supporters gathered in Washington, D.C. for a series of events celebrating the five year progress, the turn around in the loss of longleaf acres, and the realization of future challenges and objectives. From press conferences, panel discussions and receptions the first day and NGO meetings and Hill visits the second – longleaf was the center of attention.

None of this happened without a tremendous amount of work

”

from the major event action items all the way down to the smallest detail. At risk of leaving many of those off the list, I want to thank several for their hard work – George Gay for his efficient and weekly conference calls, John Dondero for his coordination, Lark Hayes for an outstanding video for the event and photos from the event, Luther Jones and the entire NRCS staff, Troy Ettel for the outstanding local implementation team posters, and Robert Abernethy, Rita Hite and Louie Perry for organizing the Hill visits.

In October we will once again celebrate the five year accomplishments at the joint 10th Biennial Longleaf Conference/Eastern Native Grass Symposium and Longleaf Partnership Council meeting in Mobile, Alabama. The celebration will kick-off on Tuesday night and the theme will carry on throughout the week long events.

I hope to see you there – we all have a lot to celebrate!

Apalachicola Longleaf, Present and Future

By Brian Pelc, The Nature Conservancy The Apalachicola Regional Stewardship Alliance (ARSA) Local Implementation Team is working to restore longleaf pine ecosystems on their conservation lands and has already provided over half a million longleaf pine seedlings in 2014. The 2015 planting season is on track for 180,000 longleaf seedlings planted on 260 acres of public conservation lands. ARSA members are also taking the message of longleaf directly to private landowners with a series of workshops. The first of these events took place on May 14th in Washington County, FL and provided information, a guided tour, and lunch to 50 ARSA members cooperatively managed over participants. A fall workshop is in the planning stages now and will target 100,000 acres last year. Here The Nature Conservancy’s Ecosystem Restoration Team landowners in the Calhoun/Liberty County area in mid-October.

ARSA is pleased to announce that they were awarded a second NFWF treats invasive cogon grass on Apalachicola National Forest. This work is supported by the Longleaf Stewardship Fund grant in July. In this NFWF project, the team plans ARSA MOU as well as other agreements to plant over 480,000 longleaf seedlings on 816 acres, provide 25,000 acres of among ARSA members. Photo by Brian Pelc. prescribed fire assistance to partners, and offer two additional workshops for private landowners.

Florida Forest Service, in cooperation with The Florida Natural Areas Inventory released a report and database in mid-August, capturing the extent and condition of longleaf throughout the state. LITs in Florida are coordinating to utilize the data for conservation plans and targeted outreach to landowners within each local region. These plans, developed over the next year, will describe current status, threats, and plans to support longleaf. [ 19 ]

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News from the Chattahoochee Fall Line Conservation Partnership (CFLCP)

By LuAnn Craighton, Chattahoochee Fall Line Conservation Partnership In August, the 10,800-acre Chattahoochee Fall Line Wildlife Management Area (CFLWMA) opened, providing new opportunities for public hunting and other outdoor recreation in the region. The CFLWMA was created through a unique partnership among the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GADNR), The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the U.S. Army at Fort Benning. As part of Fort Benning’s Army Compatible Use Buffer (ACUB) program, TNC was able to purchase the land as well as secure conservation easements, in partnership with the Chattahoochee Valley Land Trust (CVLT.) In May 2014, TNC sold 8,800 acres of their ACUB holdings to the State of Georgia. This property, along with an additional 2,000 acres still owned by TNC, will CFLCP Full Partnership meeting participants enjoyed a field trip to the new Chattahoochee Fall Line be jointly managed as the CFLWMA. Management of the CFLWMA WMA prior to its opening to the public. Photo by will focus on restoration of the longleaf pine ecosystem. Stands of both naturally occurring and planted longleaf pine, in various age classes, are Amanda Snow. present across portions of the CFLWMA landscape.

During June, the CFLCP held its biannual Steering Committee meeting in conjunction with the fourth “CFLCP Full Partnership” meeting. The Steering Committee meeting focused on the Partnership’s MOU, opportunities for leveraging and funding the Partnership’s work, and discussing the development of the Partnership’s Conservation Plan. The Full Partnership meeting was attended by 41 members representing 16 different affiliations. The Full Partnership meeting agenda included: a program by Matt Elliot (GADNR) on estimating gopher tortoise populations in GA, updates on the new CFLWMA and other regional conservation activities, and a field trip to the Fort Perry Tract of the new CFLWMA.

Successful Longleaf Conservation Field Day Held in Southeast Georgia

By Randy Tate, The Longleaf Alliance Seventy hearty South Georgia landowners and agency employees didn’t let a little summer heat keep them from attending a Longleaf Conservation Field Day in Telfair County, GA, on June 24th. The success of the field day is attributed to the many partners of the Ft. Stewart/Altamaha Longleaf Restoration Partnership coming together to plan and carry it out. The Orianne Society hosted the field day at their Indigo Snake Preserve along Horse Creek, a tributary of the Altamaha River.

Attendees travelled via trams provided by the Georgia Forestry Commission to five different field stations to hear information on Longleaf Conservation Field Day at Orianne Indigo various longleaf conservation topics. Georgia Department of Natural Snake Preserve. Photo by Randy Tate.

Resource staff informed folks about managing for wildlife in longleaf forests. Longleaf Alliance staff discussed longleaf planting and the importance of groundcover to restoring longleaf pine habitat.

Staff from the Orianne Society discussed conversion of sand pine to longleaf. Other staff from the Orianne Society provided the willing a hands-on experience with various native reptiles.

After a barbeque lunch, staff from the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service informed the attendees of the cost share programs that exist for site preparation, planting, and burning longleaf pine.

The field day was made possible by a Longleaf Stewardship Fund grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The Longleaf Stewardship Fund is also supported by Georgia Power. Additional funding and door prizes were provided by the National Wild Turkey Federation.

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GCPEP Receives Longleaf Stewardship Fund Grant

By Vernon Compton, The Longleaf Alliance The GCPEP partners were very pleased with the announcement of a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Longleaf Stewardship Fund grant to support longleaf restoration efforts across the GCPEP landscape. The grant amount is $267,000.00 and includes support for important conservation work such as prescribed fire, invasive species control, midstory treatments, and 330 acres of longleaf restoration that will be completed by the Florida Forest Service. In addition, a reticulated salamander habitat improvement project will be completed on Nokuse Plantation, understory demonstration areas will be established on 2014 Longleaf Stewardship Fund Grant Recipients. partner land, and a large invasive species control special project will be Photo by Lark Hayes. completed on Florida Department of Environmental Protection land.

Private landowner outreach and education will also be supported through the grant. Much of the on the ground work supported by the grant will occur with assistance from the GCPEP Ecosystem Support Team (EST), a team of resource experts that assists the partners in Florida and Alabama with prescribed fire, invasive species control, mechanical treatments, monitoring, and training programs. The partners appreciate the public and private partners that support the Longleaf Stewardship Fund including the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service and Natural Resource Conservation Service, the Department of Defense, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and private funding from Southern Company and International Paper’s Forestland Stewards Initiative.

“Fire on the Forty” Campaign Expanded in Mississippi

By Tamara Campbell, MS Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks Since inception in 2011, the “Fire on the Forty” campaign has approved 35,970 acres to be burned in select geographic regions of MS with funding available for the next ranking in 2014. Given the high demand from landowners, new funding sources were attracted to the program to include funds from the MS Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, MS Partners for Fish and Wildlife (MPFW), National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the U.S. Forest Service in cooperation with the MS Forestry Commission. In response to an increased demand, we've also seen an increase in the supply of prescribed fire contract services. A series of prescribed fire workshops have been conducted across A certified prescribed burn manager inspects the fire the program's range to educate private landowners about the benefits line during a demonstration burn as part of a Pre- of prescribed fire and to provide hands-on experience for those interested scribed Fire Workshop for landowners. Photo by in participating in a prescribed burn.

The program has been expanded to include the following focal Melissa Moore. counties: Prentiss, Monroe, Lowndes, and Noxubee in north Mississippi; Pearl River, Lamar, Forrest, Pike, Walthall, Marion, Jefferson Davis, Covington, and Amite in south MS, with additional funding available for longleaf pine in select counties in the longleaf pine native range. Focal counties were selected based on key habitats where conservation action can directly benefit wildlife species of greatest conservation need.

The campaign was designed to promote prescribed burning on private lands by providing cost share assistance to private landowners. Although prescribed fire is one of the best tools used for managing forests and wildlife habitat, costs and liability have posed concerns among private landowners. This cost share program provides up to 50% of costs associated with conducting prescribed burns on private property.

Landowners can submit applications for the program by October 1, 2014. Applications will be competitively ranked and selected for funding by the MPFW. For more information about the “Fire on the Forty” program, including project application forms, visit www.mdwfp.com/fireontheforty, contact Tamara Campbell (email tamarac@mdwfp.state.ms.us), or call 601-432-2199. [ 21 ]

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Updates from North Carolina

By Susan Miller, US Fish & Wildlife Service & Hervey McIver, The Nature Conservancy The Onslow Bight Conservation Forum and North Carolina Sandhills Longleaf Restoration Task Force (on behalf of the North Carolina Sandhills Conservation Partnership) have each received $300,000.00 in NFWF Longleaf Stewardship Funds. These funds will directly lead to an increase in fire capacity on public and private lands in addition to establishment, enhancement, and restoration of longleaf. These funds will also enable contractors to engage more than 120 private landowners by providing technical assistance.

These habitat improvements and management activities will also benefit several military bases (Camp Lejeune, Cherry Point and Fort Bragg) in Central and Wiregrass & Longleaf at Holly Shelter Game Land. Photo Eastern North Carolina.

by Mark Daniels.

The Onslow Bight partners are developing a priority private landowner list. These people will be informed by the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) of regional longleaf pine educational opportunities and, if interested, will receive technical assistance. The NWTF will also work with landowners with existing Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) contracts to reach full implementation of their contracts. This work will be supported by the new 2014 NFWF Longleaf Stewardship Program grant.

The North Carolina Sandhills Conservation Partnership, Greater Uwharrie Conservation Partnership and North Carolina Longleaf Coalition held a joint meeting on September 10, 2014. The goal was for each group to share important lessons learned related to longleaf restoration and benefit from each other’s experiences. The group also looked at longleaf restoration efforts that could eventually re-connect the Sandhills and Uwharries.

Beginning the Work of Getting it Done: Ocala Longleaf Pine Local Implementation Team

By Cheryl Millett, The Nature Conservancy The Ocala Longleaf Pine Local Implementation Team (OLIT) met for the second time in early May at Ocala National Forest.

We spelled out what resources the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) Longleaf Stewardship Fund award brings and solicited on-the-ground projects. We reviewed other resources available for public and private lands. We also compiled a resource wish list.

As soon as the NFWF funding became available, The Nature Conservancy’s Northeast Florida Ecosystem Restoration Team began working on projects on conservation lands, from prescribed fire to invasive plant control. The private lands work to be Sunrise at the Paisley Woods in the Ocala National Forest. conducted in the OLIT region is through a partnership with the Photo by Carrie Sekerak.

Florida Forest Service, which is offering restoration, maintenance, and technical assistance related to longleaf pine throughout its range in Florida. The request for projects closed recently and now the work of implementing those projects begins.

OLIT was represented at the 5-year anniversary celebration of America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative at the Department of Agriculture, with the opportunity to meet coordinators of other LITs throughout the nine-state range of longleaf pine. Learning from their experiences, there’s inspiration to continue the work we’ve already begun and consider new directions.

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Sewee Longleaf Conservation Cooperative Assists Underserved Landowners

By Colette Degarady, The Nature Conservancy The Sewee Longleaf Conservation Cooperative (SLCC) is working closely with the Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation (the Center) to assist historically underserved landowners with longleaf restoration and general forest management advice. Sam Cook, Sustainable Forestry Program Director from the Center, develops relationships with landowners who have forestry management needs.

The SLCC coordinates with the Center to conduct site visits to these properties bringing additional partners including the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services, Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center, US Fish & Wildlife Service, SC Wildlife Federation, and SC Forestry Commission. From these visits, SLCC SLCC partners meeting with private landowner. Photo by representatives can provide forest management guidance and Rachael Bergmann. recommend the best cost-share program based on the landowner’s goals. With new National Fish and Wildlife Foundation funding, the SLCC will also help survey select Center properties and develop management plans relating to longleaf restoration.

Sandhills Longleaf Pine Conservation Partnership Restoring Understory

By Jimmy Lisenby, Partnership Coordinator

USDA-NRCS District Conservationist Charles Babb talks with local landowners William Lenz and Kasey Craven about their longleaf conservation goals. Lenz and Craven have plans to establish 5 acres of native understory with the SLPCP. Photo by Susan Griggs.

The Sandhills Longleaf Pine Conservation Partnership (SLPCP) continues to help private landowners with longleaf restoration efforts. Recently, a Prairie Habitats pull-type seed harvester and Grasslander Seeder™ were purchased using funds from a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) grant. This equipment will be used to restore 25 acres of native ground cover.Several test plots have been planted using the Grasslander Seeder™ and are being monitored to determine the effectiveness of different site prep methods, planting dates, and depths.

Using the seed harvester, local native ecotype understory seed will be collected from several sites this fall and provided to contracted landowners.

Landowners will be able to use the Grasslander Seeder™ to establish their sites with the

provided seed.

Additionally, two seed production areas were established with container grown plugs of Liatris, Coreopsis, and Helianthus. These areas will be harvested and the seed used to supplement the collections from natural stands.

Sandhills Longleaf Pine Conservation Partnership (SLPCP) Coordinator Jimmy Lisenby visited Washington DC for America's Longleaf Restoration Initiative five-year celebration to represent the SLPCP Local Implementation Team (LIT). In Washington, attendees met Liatris flowering in seed production with State Representatives and Senators to share accomplishments facilitated by grants area. Photo by Jimmy Lisenby. awarded through the NFWF Longleaf Stewardship Fund. They emphasized the importance of Farm Bill Funding to help continue and expand Longleaf restoration efforts.

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SoLoACE Longleaf Partnership awarded $280,000 grant from National Fish and Wildlife Foundation By Robert Abernethy, The Longleaf Alliance SoLoACE is short for the Southern Low Country and ACE Basin of South Carolina. This summer, the partnership was awarded a $280,000.00 grant from NFWF to expand longleaf restoration in the nine counties running along the South Carolina side of the Savannah River. In August, The Longleaf Alliance hired Bobby Franklin as the coordinator and work has begun to engage private landowners along the river. Over the next two years, the partnership will be holding two Longleaf Academies and two workshops. A significant focus of these Academies will be prescribed fire education and a mentoring program teaching landowners how to conduct their own prescribed burning. The partnership will also be teaming up with Clemson University to produce a series of short videos on how to manage longleaf. Partners will also be working with landowners to plant 1,000 acres of longleaf and remove 625 acres of midstory.

Map prepared by Gary Burger, SCDNR.

Texas LIT Hosts Field Day

By Kent Evans, Texas Longleaf Implementation Team Led by Mark Hainds of The Longleaf Alliance, the Texas LIT hosted a field day in May on lands owned by Rufus Duncan (Scrappin' Valley) and several tracts of Campbell Global holdings.

These properties are within the Longleaf Ridge Significant Geographic Area. Mark led discussions to address several silviculture challenges facing restoration on Longleaf in east Texas.

The group had a mix of consultants, state and federal agency foresters, and land owners.

Longleaf Field Day in Texas; pictured from l-r Brian Gowin (Campbell Global host), Nick Muir, Ike McWorter, and Mark Hainds. Photo by Wendy Ledbetter, TX TNC.

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history

By Randy Tate, The Longleaf Alliance

Historical Perspectives The amazing picture below of old growth longleaf pine in East Texas is from the collection of the Ralph W. Steen Library at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, TX, and is part of their Thompson Brothers Lumber Company, 1847-1959, collection.

The Thompson family was one of the earliest lumber manufacturers in Texas. Beginning in 1852 Benjamin F. Thompson and his sons built a small sash sawmill in Northern Rusk County, which supplied local needs and also sold lumber as far west as Dallas and Ft. Worth. His son, John Martin Thompson, expanded and enlarged the mill buying new and improved machinery as it became available. In 1882 the family moved its operations to Trinity County where they built a large mill at Willard, on the Trinity and Sabine Railroad. In turn his sons developed several new mills and related companies, either in partnerships with members of the family or with other lumbermen. The Thompson family had mills at Willard, Douchette, Grayburg, New Willard, and Trinity, with headquarters in Houston. J. Lewis Thompson was a leading conservationist and an early supporter of the Texas Forestry Association and the Texas Forest Service. The widow of his brother, Mrs. Hoxie H. Thompson deposited some Thompson Papers, a history of the family lumbering business, and a great number of photographs with the Forest History Archives of the Stephen F. Austin State University Library. The pictures, especially, are most useful in recreating the history of the Texas lumber industry during the bonanza era. The picture above is noteworthy in that the original was in black and white.

Somewhere along the line this one has been colored.

Photo and information provided by Ralph W. Steen Library of Stephen F. Austin State University.

Old Growth Longleaf Pine, c.1908. Photo courtesy of Stephen F. Austin State University.

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By Anne Rilling, The Longleaf Alliance

While you’re in the

grass stage…

“Grass Stage” is a section just for kids and/or kids-at-heart. Longleaf forest management is a long-term endeavor and in order to keep the longleaf pine ecosystem in longleaf, the next generation must get engaged or else all of the hard work, restoration, and protection currently going on will be for naught. We hope you share “Grass Stage” with your “next generation” longleaf enthusiast.

Lesson Thirteen: When European settlers arrived in the South, they found longleaf pine trees towering over a carpet of grasses as far as their eyes could see. Unlike cattle-farms of today, fences were not used and cattle were simply left free to roam about as they pleased. Use Lesson Thirteen found on our website (www.longleafalliance.org/nextgeneration) to complete this sentence.

Scrambled Tiles Instructions Keep the letters, spaces, and punctuations within a particular tile as they appear. Instead, re-arrange the tiles to form words.

For example the arrows show the placement of the first two tiles. Hint: there are two sentences!

Answer Prior to the twentieth century, cattle roamed free in the longleaf pine forest. Forests were frequently burned to enhance the growth of tender grass. [ 26 ]

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Arts & literAture

LITERARY

REVIEW

By Mark Hainds, The Longleaf Alliance

Painting the Landscape with Fire: Longleaf Pines and Fire Ecology

By Den Latham

Painting the Landscape with Fire was published in 2013 by the University of South Carolina Press. Painting the Landscape with Fire has 218 pages and is available in hardcover and Kindle formats.

An effusive forward is provided by an old friend of The Longleaf Alliance, Dr. Shibu Jose. Dr. Jose formerly worked with longleaf in Florida but is now employed as the H.E. Garrett Endowed Professor with the School of Forestry at the University of Missouri. Dr. Jose writes: “Latham definitely instills in the reader a sense of duty for supporting the management of conserved land for the benefit of the species involved and for humanity…. With his book, Latham has accomplished an admirable task of telling a complex story in a simple, yet powerful way and from a refreshing perspective.”

Painting the Landscape with Fire is a collection of essays in which Mr. Latham accompanies a series of biologists, foresters, land managers, and landowners on guided tours of longleaf forests. These tours focus on prescribed fire, plants, birds, and snakes of the longleaf ecosystem. Mr. Latham transcribes his conversations from these numerous field trips with the goal of allowing the general public a window into a declining ecosystem that few will encounter with such detail. While some of the species and stories are unique to the Carolinas, most of the messages or themes transfer well to the ecosystem at large.

A bio from the University of SC Press: Den Latham is a nature writer. His articles have appeared in South Carolina Wildlife, Pee Dee Magazine, Sandlapper Magazine, and the Aroostook Review. He is an extensive traveler and is a twotime member of the US East Surf Kayak Team. He has two sons, Adam and Aaron, and lives with his wife Allison near Clemson, South Carolina.

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Arts & literAture

By Carol Denhof, The Longleaf Alliance

longleAf Art SPotlight Artist: Melanie Walter

Starry-Eyed Fish Created with coiled longleaf pine needles, this fish measures 8” long, 7” high, and 5” deep. Beginning at the fish’s mouth, small pine needle coils were stitched together to form the head, body, and tail.

Artificial sinew was used to stitch the coils together, and vintage buttons were used for the eyes. Longleaf pine needles were harvested on Melanie Walter's property in Wilmington, NC. Buttons are from her Grandmother’s button collection.

Walnut Two Ring Bowl A more traditional basket form, this coiled pine needle piece was stitched from the bottom center, outward, to form the shape. Artificial sinew was used to stitch the pine needle coils together. Black walnut slices are used for the ‘rings.’ Longleaf pine needles were harvested on Melanie Walter's property in Wilmington, NC. Black walnuts are from the Cary, North Carolina area. [ 28 ]

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Arts & literAture

about the artist Having grown up in the metropolitan New York area, Melanie Walter was exposed to the arts at an early age. Throughout her life, she had an interest in expressing herself creatively and loved to learn new skills in which to channel her creative energies. These skills were in the areas of music, voice, language, and most importantly, the visual arts.

Ms. Walter found her creative home in clay and ceramics in the early 1970's. In the mid 1990's, Ms. Walter came upon her first pine needle basket while helping a friend set up a local exhibit. She became interested in learning how to make these beautiful baskets, and could see how her background in clay could be utilized; both pine needle baskets and hand-built clay pots employed the use of coils to build their form.

Over the past 15 years, Melanie has developed her own pine needle basket making style, incorporating many other natural items into her work including sliced black walnuts, North Carolina river cane, hickory nuts, and shells. She has participated

in dozens of juried crafts fairs, offered demonstrations in many venues, taught classes, participated in arts competitions and placed her work in galleries, shops and museums. In 2001 she created her own business, Pine Garden Baskets, and developed a website to share and sell her work. Melanie will be exhibiting at the upcoming Longleaf Conference & Eastern Native Grass Symposium in Mobile October 21-24.

In addition to selling her beautiful wares, she will also be teaching 2 classes on pine needle basket making and pine needle ornament making.

Tree of Life Coiled longleaf pine needles were stitched to nylon screening to establish the tree’s trunk and a few branches. Approximately 600 bamboo slices were then individually stitched to the screen to form the tree’s canopy. This framed piece measures 34” wide, 50” high, and 3 ½” deep. Pine needles and bamboo were grown locally in Wilmington, North Carolina.

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By Andrew Saunders, Mobile Botanical Gardens Board President

Longleaf Destinations Dauphin Street in downtown Mobile.

Photo by Tad Denson.

Mobile Botanical Gardens - Mobile, Alabama A 35-acre Urban longleaf forest Rolling sandhills and ravines were a seamless topography surrounding Mobile Bay when the old city was newly founded in 1702. Many of those hills and ravines, once canopied by longleaf, are reshaped and unrecognizable as natural systems today. But remnants can be found, and restoration efforts can yield a naturally-preserved, full-featured, vibrant longleaf forest, even within the city limits.

Such a remnant longleaf forest—35-acres—has been restored and is managed by Mobile Botanical Gardens in the heart of old Springhill, a western suburb of Mobile. Today, this woodland passes two of the acid tests in longleaf forest health assessment: • Long sightlines are common throughout the property between the high longleaf canopy and the fire-nurtured understory, the beautiful signature of longleaf.

• There are patches of naturally-occurring, new-growth regeneration throughout our woodland. Everywhere you look, sprightly grass-stage seedlings burst from the woodland floor in their new-life green. It’s enough to make the gnarliest old woodsman grin. [ 30 ]

Today, few longleaf stands, certainly none in an urban setting, depend on nature alone to survive and thrive. The ethic of preservation and the practice of good management must be provided. So, every longleaf stand has a human story. Here’s Mobile Botanical Garden’s story: MBG is a 40-year-old member-supported, non-profit organization, organized around horticultural interests and assets. Much of our 100 acres is devoted to gardens of outstanding specimen collections—camellias, azaleas, maples, herbs, ferns, and more, in addition to our longleaf forest. Our traditional gardens offer a tour worth taking for The Longleaf Alliance (LLA) visitors.

But, for our Longleaf Forest history we need go back only about 15 years. The forest we admire today as a living example of longleaf health was mainly a high oak thicket with big pines in it. The prospect of restoration at ground level was daunting.

However, visionaries see not what is but what can be, and we had three visionaries and one important political supporter from the start:

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Heritage Oak Overlook at the Mobile Botanical Garden. Photo by Mobile Botanical Garden.

Fall wildflowers in the Mobile Botanical Garden longleaf forest.

Photo by Mobile Botanical Garden.

Ann Bedsole—civic leader, forestlands owner, philanthropist Bill Finch—naturalist, journalist, author Keville Larson—forest management executive and LLA charter member Mike Dow - former mayor of Mobile These three, all friends of LLA, are still active in support and management of our longleaf forest, but at the beginning they were essential in providing the vision, the energy and the funding to transform this overgrown thicket into the beautiful stand that we have today. It’s all about the reintroduction of fire, and these three knew it and found ways to convey it to those of us who did not fully understand the essential relationship of fire and longleaf. Mike Dow played a major role in the beginning. Suffice it to say, he made fire in the city politically possible. We’ve now conducted seven controlled burns over about 12 years.

Mobile Botanical Gardens is honored that The Longleaf Alliance has chosen our site for a tour during the upcoming Longleaf Conference & Eastern Native Grass Symposium this fall. When you sit on the bench at the Heritage Oak Overlook pictured in this article, the story of our longleaf will be fully told, wordlessly.

Bienville Square Fountain in Mobile, Alabama.

Photo by Tad Denson.

For those visitors who find their way out of the woods during or after the conference, here are a few local tips for eateries and entertainment: Seafood on the Causeway is a Mobile institution. The Causeway is handy from the Riverview, head east through the Bankhead Tunnel. There are several great seafood restaurants along the way: Felix’s Fish Camp, R & R, Ed’s Shed, The Bluegill, Original Oyster House, Laps, Tacky Jack’s—see what I mean—plenty of places to eat great seafood.

Walking distance from your hotel in downtown Mobile (Dauphin St and adjacent streets) there are a variety of eateries: The Royal Scam, Noja’s, Spot of Tea, and The Noble South.

There’s also music and night life on Dauphin Street. See our local rag, Lagniappe, which comes out weekly with a list of events and is available, free, and everywhere downtown.

For a nature tour of our delta, 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center on the Causeway offers short and beautiful cruises in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. And, for those with more time to spend, visit Mobile’s most famous home and gardens—Bellingrath located west of town on the Fowl River.

Enjoy your stay in beautiful old Mobile.

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PeoPle

By Anne Rilling, The Longleaf Alliance

BoBBy frAnklin JoinS the longleAf AlliAnCe Robert (Bobby) Franklin has been hired as the South Lowcountry and ACE Basin (SoLoACE) Longleaf Partnership Coordinator. He earned a B.S. degree in forestry from Auburn University in 1978. He also received an M.S. degree in forestry from Auburn in 1985. He is a registered forester in both Alabama and South Carolina and a Society of American Foresters Certified Forester. Bobby worked as an Extension Specialist at Clemson University from 1985 until he retired in 2014. Prior to joining the Clemson University faculty, he worked as an Assistant County Agent with the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service in Escambia County and as a consulting forester and timber buyer in that state. Bobby has made a significant impact on landowners and natural resource professionals by organizing workshops, making site visits and producing educational materials.

Among Franklin’s publications are Stewardship of Longleaf Pines: A Guide for Landowners and Introduction to Prescribed Fire which teaches the benefits of prescribed burns for timber management, wildlife habitat improvement and aesthetics. He has been an advocate & volunteer for the Longleaf Alliance since the

Robert Franklin, newly hired SoLoACE Longleaf Partnership Coordinator.

Photo courtesy of Robert Franklin. beginning of the organization. Franklin and his wife Barbara, who live in Walterboro, have three children – Mary Beth, Scott and Jess.

By Vernon Compton, The Longleaf Alliance

llA WelCoMeS Mike thoMPSon AS gCPeP eSt SUPerviSor The Longleaf Alliance is pleased to welcome Mike Thompson as the new Gulf Coastal Plain Ecosystem Partnership (GCPEP) Ecosystem Support Team (EST) Supervisor. Mike will head up the team of resource experts that work across the GCPEP landscape conducting prescribed fires, controlling invasive species, completing mechanical treatments and ecological monitoring, and conducting fire training classes.

Mike comes to the LLA from the Arkansas Chapter of The Nature Conservancy where he worked his way up to Fire Management Crew Leader and Fire Management Specialist positions. Mike graduated from Iowa State University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in Urban and Community Forestry.

We are very glad to have Mike on board in a leadership role with the GCPEP EST. In 2013 the EST supported 63 fires on 57,595 acres, completed 767.55 acres of invasive species control, conducted 19,161 acres of mechanical treatments including hardwood and sand pine removal and red-cockaded woodpecker habitat improvement, 44 days of ecological and red-cockaded woodpecker monitoring, and led 10 prescribed fire training classes reaching 203 students.

Mike Thompson has joined the GCPEP as the new EST supervisor. Photo by Vernon Compton. [ 32 ]

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PeoPle

By Anne Rilling, The Longleaf Alliance

WelCoMe to CASey White!

Casey White recently started with The Longleaf Alliance as Administrative Assistant in the Dixon Center office. She received an AA degree from Pensacola State College and an AAS in Forest Technology from Lurleen B. Wallace Community College. Prior to joining the Alliance she worked as Comptroller for Gulf Coast Office Products and Sr. Accounting Clerk at Pensacola State College.

Casey is a Pensacola, FL native living in Andalusia with her husband Steve. When not at the Alliance, Casey works for the Conecuh National Forest as a Personal Service Contractor and cruises timber for local consultants. Casey is an active member of Southside Baptist Church in Andalusia and enjoys hiking, kayaking, and fossil hunting.

Casey White joins the Longleaf Allaince as our new Administrative Assistant. Photo by Anne Rilling.

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suPPort the AlliAnCe

it’s an

By Tom Livers, The Longleaf Alliance

exciting time

The 10th Biennial Longleaf Conference is almost here. The conference program of speakers is most impressive with nationally and regionally-renowned experts presenting on a wide variety of topics filled with information you can take home and use.

Register today at: www.longleafnativegrassconference.com.

If you act quickly, there is still time to become an exhibitor.

Please contact me ASAP at 334-427-1029 or tom@longleafalliance.org. The exhibit hall is located in a hightraffic area that permits you to talk with current customers and meet new customers.

The silent auction is another exciting part of the conference.

The auction features donated items including original artwork, autographed copies of books, longleaf pine needle baskets, quail hunting trips, and much more. If you have an item you wish to donate, please send it to me prior to October 13, or if you are attending the conference bring it with you. The proceeds

of the auction benefit The Longleaf Alliance’s mission. Your support is, as always, greatly appreciated.

Speaking of support, I wish to express our most sincere gratitude to our conference sponsors. Please contact me to join this growing list of conference sponsors.

Have you thought about honoring a colleague, friend or family with a gift membership? One way you can support the Alliance, which is easy and simple, is to become a monthly donor.

The Longleaf Alliance Facebook page hit a 1,000 plus “likes” in June 2014. With your help, we can aim for a goal of 2,000.Ask ten of your Facebook friends to “like” the Alliance.

The reason why we are asking for your help is simple. The more followers we have on Facebook, the more information we can distribute to increase awareness about the longleaf pine ecosystem and its unique fauna and flora.

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suPPort the AlliAnCe

Welcome to our newest Supporters!

Paschal Family Charitable Fund Johnny Tate Crenshaw Land Management Group, LLC Guy & Jan Anglin C. C. Dockery Sally Neal Jim & JaeDe Keith Noel Brinkley Gaskins Timber & Wildlife Mangement, LLLP

A.J. Hodges Industries, Inc. George Franklin Debra King Mark Dozier William Schoell Ronald Shumack Patrick Franklin Thomas Wright Perdido Sprouts 4H Club

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heArtPine

the

Long View OF LongLeaf

By Bill Finch

Mature longleaf forest with diverse understory.

Photo by Beth Maynor Young.

It’s not something we like to admit in public, have to be a little on the edge.

From Roland Harper to Bill Boyer, the ones who best understood the potential for longleaf stood well outside the mainstream. Their obsession with longleaf, their confidence that it offered something unique and important, and their anxiety and disgust at what was happening to it was passed off as naïve or even psychotic.

When you walked into the room with Bob Farrar, the bitterness was so thick you could taste it. When he said we don’t deserve a tree like longleaf, he said it with something approaching a snarl. He’d seen enough of what happened to longleaf to believe that any rational person had to be pessimistic about its future, and Bob was a consummately rational man.

But Bob never got tired of explaining, and re-explaining, his plan for managing longleaf, a mathematical plan that he believed anyone could follow, a plan that tried to take full advantage of the values and lifecycles of the longleaf forest, while providing the landowner with stable income in perpetuity.

Sometimes, in the middle of explaining it, he’d stop himself.

You could see the realism take over, and he’d look at you closely, like he was trying to size up whether what he was saying was, once again, wasted on you. But he’d pull himself back together and start up again, a crusader trying to convert the infidels with

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graphs and formulas and the reasonableness of longleaf.

A lot of folks in the industry snorted at Bob’s persistence.

They raised their eyes in exasperation when someone asked about Bill Boyer’s latest longleaf research. They cracked a twisted smile and walked away when anyone suggested that longleaf could be an attractive investment for landowners.

These notions were so outside the mainstream, they were considered preposterous.

And yet, in the year that both Bob Farrar and Bill Boyer fell silent, their arguments are not just being taken seriously, they’re starting to reshape everyone’s view of the South’s forest and its future.

This fall will mark what I suspect will be a turning point in the long view of longleaf.

For years, longleaf advocates along the Gulf Coast have talked about the potential for a major longleaf conservation effort along the Gulf Coast, an effort that would reconnect the last great fragments of longleaf. That vision is born out of a recognition that the longleaf ecosystem wasn’t a series of islands. Its great strength was that it was like a giant river flowing over the landscape, carrying richness from one region to another, connecting riparian corridors, wetlands, broadleaf coves, marshes and prairies, multiplying the resilience and

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“It’s a vision that will seem preposterous except to those of us on the edge, who understand longleaf’s usefulness and its unique ability to transform lives and landscapes.”

but those who take the long view of longleaf

productivity of all habitats. Imagining that this kind of landscape could exist again requires what most people would dismiss as hopeless optimism, crazy naivete. Figuring out how to make it happen requires a larger dose of Bob Farrar’s rationality and skepticism.

But this fall, I think you’ll see both coming together.

In the September edition of Smithsonian Magazine, the wellknown writer Tony Hiss will be introduced the concept of a “long landscape” of longleaf pine connecting the Gulf Coast’s great rivers and wetlands from Apalachicola back to the Mobile Tensaw-Delta. That’s a vision Hiss become enamored with after spending weeks exploring the region with longleaf advocates like E.O. Wilson and longleaf conservationist M.C. Davis, whose 60,000-acre longleaf restoration effort at Nokuse Plantation sits in the middle of this long landscape vision.

Meanwhile, heads are shaking over a proposal made by one of North America’s largest timber management organizations, RMS. In coordination with the Conservation Fund, that organization has proposed restoring some 200,000 acres of loblolly and slash pine plantations in Baldwin County, Alabama, and Escambia County, Florida, to a working longleaf forest and ecosystem. Doing that would require a conservation effort between public and private groups on a scale never before

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imagined in the South, and it will require a new way of thinking about how conservation is accomplished.

The devil will be in the details. But so far, the devil hasn’t gotten the upper hand. And if it works, it has the potential to restructure longleaf timber markets and change the conservation equation across the Gulf of Mexico.

As if to meet this challenge, a number of organizations, including The Longleaf Alliance, the E.O. Wilson Foundation, WildSouth, The Nature Conservancy and the Ocean Foundation, are working with multiple universities and federal agencies to develop a coordinated study unit across the states of the northern Gulf, one that would provide the research and backbone to expand this conservation planning and effort from Okefenokee through the Florida Panhandle to Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.

It’s a vision that will seem preposterous except to those of us on the edge, who understand longleaf’s usefulness and its unique ability to transform lives and landscapes.

Bob Farrar would grumble that we’re not smart enough to make something like this happen. And then he’d pull out his charts and his formulas, and show you just how we could get there.

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