The goal: longleaf as a significant component again
The Longleaf Alliance states an ultimate goal of helping longleaf pine once again become a significant component of Southern forests, contributing to the functions and processes that make longleaf systems unique.
Two restoration tasks that belong together
The Longleaf Alliance emphasizes that landowners face two distinct but related challenges:
1) Establish the longleaf trees
This includes planting or encouraging natural recruitment in existing stands, and getting seedlings through the grass stage successfully.
2) Restore the forest community
A functioning longleaf ecosystem depends on a healthy ground layer that supports fire, pollinators, and wildlife.
Prescribed fire: the primary tool
The Longleaf Alliance describes longleaf restoration as a long-term effort supported by a primary management tool: prescribed fire. Fire helps maintain open structure, encourages diverse groundcover, and can prepare seedbeds for regeneration.
Learn how burn timing and frequency influence outcomes: Prescribed Fire.