Fall 2012 for me has been a little hectic. Yes, it’s hunting season and there have been more than a few early mornings; but I also left one job of 17 years and accepted the position of President of The Longleaf Alliance. I am humbled by this opportunity to lead your organization and I am excited to be here with you all at this time in our history. But, before I get into my vision of the future of LLA, I want to tell you a little about where I come from and who I am.

I was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. My brother and I spent most summers and as many vacations as possible at my Grandmother’s farm in Eastern NC, where, along with assorted friends and cousins, we helped in the garden, fished and generally roamed the fields and woods of North Duplin County.

I went to NC State for a B.S. in Wildlife Biology and then to Louisiana State University for a Masters in Marine Science. It was also there that I married my Tennessee bride, Yvonne. Together, we have traveled across much of the U.S. in the last 28 years, camping, canoeing, hunting, fishing and generally just exploring this great land of ours.

In 1989, we returned to North Carolina where our daughter, Erin, was born and it was about this time that we planted our first longleaf on the family farm. By 1992, when our son Garrett was born, we had moved to Aiken, South Carolina where I worked for a contractor on the U.S. Department of Energy’s 200,000 acre Savannah River Site.

Among other projects, I worked with foresters and wildlife biologists with the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Energy to document the increase of the site’s Red-Cockaded Woodpecker population by removing loblolly and slash pine and restoring longleaf pine.

In 1995, I started work with the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) as the Director and most recently Assistant Vice President of Agency Programs. The goal of the NWTF was to restore wild turkeys to all suitable habitats in North America. We worked with State Wildlife Agencies, the U.S. Forest Service, private landowners and any other partners that would help us in our shared vision of completely restoring the wild turkey. In order to restore the bird, in many instances, we had to improve the habitat and in the South, that came to mean the restoration of the longleaf pine. Wild turkeys, as well as bobwhite, require the early successional habitat provided by well managed longleaf pine forests. Quite simply, in the South, if we provide enough brood and nesting habitat, we increase populations of both these important game birds. The wild turkey is now restored and it was accomplished by partnerships...the same partnerships that will be required to restore the longleaf pine.

As Yvonne and I traveled around the country working and raising kids, one thing in our lives remained constant. During the Holiday Season, we would return to the

(Continued on page 2)

From the President’s Desk - The Future of The Longleaf Alliance

by Robert Abernethy

Winter 2012 Volume V, Issue IV

The Longleaf Leader Published Quarterly by The Longleaf Alliance

Robert Abernethy Robert@longleafalliance.org

803-480-1849

JJ Bachant-Brown

JJ@longleafalliance.org

334-427-1029

Steve Bennett

Steve@longleafalliance.org

Vernon Compton

Vernon@longleafalliance.org

850-623-0987

Carol Denhof

Carol@longleafalliance.org

678-595-6405

Mark Hainds

Mark@longleafalliance.org

334-427-1029

Rhett Johnson

Rhett@longleafalliance.org

Ad Platt

Ad@longleafalliance.org

850-982-8480

Anne Rilling

Anne@longleafalliance.org

334-427-1029

Brian Schumann

Brian@longleafalliance.org

Vickie Stallings

Vickie@longleafalliance.org

334-427-1029

Donna Vassallo

Donna@longleafalliance.org

Bob Wilken

Bob@longleafalliance.org

Karen Zilliox

Karen@longleafalliance.org

family farm in Eastern NC to hunt, manage the land and reconnect with my extended family in the area.

Through it all, over the last 25 years, we have continued to plant longleaf, nine acres in 2000 and 15 acres in 2011. When we were not putting trees in the ground, we were plowing fire breaks and burning.

We still live in the Sandhills of Aiken, SC and our daughter now lives on the farm.

My passions are my family, conservation and a reverence and connection to the Land.

We all come to The Longleaf Alliance with our own personal history and our own individual goals and objectives. Some of us manage the trees for the magnificent timber or the straw which can yield economic returns.

Some manage the trees to provide nesting habitat for wild turkeys or brood habitat for bobwhite.

Some love the look of the grasslands and the wild flowers and some are fascinated by the role of the longleaf in our history. We search out old tarkilns in the woods or fence posts with the turpentine boxes still in place after 90 years of holding up fences for generations of farmers.

We all approach this unique, valuable and beautiful species from a different perspective but with a common vision of the future. Longleaf, far as the eye can see.

The focus of The Longleaf Alliance is not just a tree but a rare and threatened ecosystem,

that when managed properly has the longleaf pine as the dominant tree species. Unlike wetlands, air and water, this ecosystem is not protected by laws, regulations or statutes. The protection and restoration of the longleaf ecosystem depends on landowners that care. Where the longleaf system is valued and protected and managed, it thrives. It is an ecosystem that has sustained our ancestors for generations and continues to provide income and recreation as well as feed our souls with the beauty of the landscape dominated by the trees.

The Longleaf Alliance mission statement is “to ensure a sustainable future for the longleaf pine ecosystem through Partnerships, Landowner Assistance and Science-based Education and Outreach.” All components to achieve the Mission are in-place and will continue. The GCPEP Ecosystem Support Team is a hands-on, get-dirty partnership in North Florida that works and is putting habitat restoration on the ground. We need to continue to develop and expand all our partnerships throughout the range.

Landowner Assistance is critical.

The Longleaf Alliance owns no land. We cannot achieve our goals without the hard work of landowners. Simply put, we are here to help landowners - State, Federal, Private and Industry - achieve their goals where longleaf is concerned. If you have a desire to establish or manage longleaf on your land, we would like to help you achieve your goals.

And lastly, Science-Based Education and

Outreach will continue. The Longleaf Academies are very successful and widely attended. In the last two years, we have held 17 and these will be increased and expanded to meet the demand.

Since our last Regional Conference in 2010, our budget has increased by 76% and our staff has increased by 44% to 13. We were awarded 16 grants in 2011 and 21 grants in 2012. And the magnificent book Longleaf, Far as the Eye Can See has just been published. But where do we go from here?

As we all know, the longleaf habitat has decreased from 90-million acres to a little over 4 million acres. While we are planting more and more seedlings each year, we are continuing to lose longleaf land to development. Much of this land that we are losing has never been plowed or farmed. Some of this land is not very pretty, much has been high graded and un-managed for generations, but the system is still intact and the understory plants are still there, in the gaps in the canopy and the power line rights-of-way. In many instances, the land just needs a little

(Continued on page 3)

From the President’s Desk continued...

Page 2 The Longleaf Leader

New President of The Longleaf Alliance, Robert Abernethy. Photo by

JJ Bachant-Brown

management and some fire. We will expand our efforts to educate and help the landowners with their management.

Fire is critical to the management of longleaf. Many people do not understand the need for fire. We must work with our partners to educate them through all media sources. We know, right now, that we will be burning this winter and spring and we need to have plans in place to educate everyone that will smell that smoke. If we lose the ability to burn, we lose our ability to manage wildlife habitat, create the landscape and restore the longleaf.

I could not be more excited than I am right now to be working with you all planning the restoration of this ecosystem that has meant so

much to the growth and history of our country. The Longleaf Alliance is financially sound and growing. We will expand on the success that the Alliance has achieved in the last 17 years. In order to do this, during 2013 I intend to do a lot of listening. I want to hear from our staff and Board Members, our volunteers and supporters, our landowners and all of our partners on what they think is needed to ensure the longleaf ecosystem is conserved and the acreage expands.

In 1978, I was a crew leader for the Youth Conservation Corps at Stone Mountain State Park in NC. Our motto was “No one is as smart as all of us.” We must talk and meet and plan and act. A plan that sits on the shelf and is never implemented is a waste of

time. We must use the plans to guide our actions but we must judge the success of our actions in acres protected, planted, restored, burned and managed. And in landowners educated, trained and assisted. And in partnerships, expanded and strengthened.

Our vision is not the next meeting and the production of plans and reports. Our vision is the total restoration of a sustainable longleaf pine ecosystem “far as the eye can see”.

We have the vision; we have the knowledge; now is the time to move decisively into the future together, as partners, to restore the longleaf pine ecosystem. Thank you for your past support and please join us as we move forward.

From the President’s Desk continued...

Page 3 Volume V, Issue IV

Dear Longleaf Alliance Supporter,

Thank you for your continued support of The Longleaf Alliance. You probably already

know that the longleaf ecosystem is the most threatened ecosystem in America; that this

majestic tree once ruled over 90 million acres of the Southeastern United States, but was

nearly lost altogether. Today, thanks to the commitment and passion of people like you, the

decline suffered by this iconic species has been reversed, and at last, acreage in longleaf is

beginning to increase.

Our Alliance is growing, and though our number may be few, our energy is impressive. We

focus only on the protection, management and enhancement of the longleaf pine ecosystem

and are proud to count you as a supporter. With this support we have grown our staff to

13 people this year, and are now able to do even more. I am amazed daily to see our staff

members stretch and scramble to serve landowners and partners across the range from

Virginia to Texas.

As we reflect back on 2012 and the things that have brought each of us pride and joy, it is

not too late to help make more of these good things happen. Please consider increasing your

support during the Holiday Season so this resource will be there for your children and

grandchildren to enjoy.

If you are able, there is still time to make a year-end donation and to receive the charitable

donation benefit on your 2012 taxes.

It is through your generosity that we are able to accomplish our mission.

Robert Abernethy, President, The Longleaf Alliance

The Board of Directors of The Longleaf Alliance met briefly in Nacogdoches, TX in conjunction with the 9th Biennial Regional Conference with several significant items on the agenda. Angus LaFaye assumed the responsibility as our new Board Chairman, replacing Charley Tarver whose term expires in 2012. Barclay McFadden was nominated and selected to serve as the Chair-Elect of the Board.

Board members in attendance included Angus LaFaye, Barclay McFadden, Ken Nichols, Dick Porterfield, Cody Laird, Bob Brown, Beryl Trawick, Katherine Eddins, Judd Brook, and Julie Moore. Charley Tarver was unable to attend due to a death in the family. President Rhett Johnson, President-Elect Robert Abernethy, Vice-President for Business Anne Rilling, and Ad Platt represented the staff.

The Board was presented with a current financial statement and a

proposed budget for 2013. After some discussion, the financial report was accepted and suggestions made for additional information to help the Board better understand the financial status of the organization. The 2013 budget was discussed at some length and amended at the request of the Board, with the understanding that final numbers will be adjusted as the year progresses.

The decision was made to defer the filling of the Vice President for Operations position until the results are obtained for several pending grant and contractual proposals that will provide needed funds. The Board Development Committee reported that Rhett Johnson will join the Board following his November 30 retirement as President and recommended that offers be made to three additional prospective Board members. Johnson was charged with making those offers and reporting back to the Board

(see article below).

The Lands Committee, led by Katherine Eddins, reported on activity with two prospective land donors to the Alliance. The Development Committee continues to work on sources of funding for the organization and will report to the full Board as developments occur. Membership and fund raising campaigns were identified as needs with President-Elect Robert Abernethy charged with taking the lead in those efforts.

Finally, a brief discussion was held regarding accomplishments over the past year measured against goals set forth in the Strategic Plan for the period. In general, accomplishments exceeded goals, in some cases significantly. Shortfalls were identified and strategies to increase efforts in those areas will be developed prior to the next Board meeting in the Spring of 2013.

Notes from the Board by Rhett Johnson

Page 4 The Longleaf Leader

New LLA Board Members by Rhett Johnson

As of this writing, the Alliance is pleased to welcome three new members of the Board of Directors, bringing the total to fourteen. The new additions to the Board include Past President and Alliance Co-Founder Rhett Johnson from Andalusia, Alabama; Lynda Guerry Beam of Savannah, Georgia; and Marc Walley of Atlanta, Georgia.

Lynda is a forest landowner in South Georgia and was named, along with her husband Kirby, as the National Tree Farmers of the Year in 1994. She and Kirby owned and managed Too Hollie Farm, located near Statesboro, Georgia and Lynda has continued the exemplary stewardship of that

forest land and remains involved in natural resource issues in Georgia and in the region since Kirby’s death in 2004. She was a Co-Founder of the Savannah Tree Foundation and is a Director Emeritus of that organization. Lynda is a long time supporter of the Alliance and was the keynote speaker at our inaugural Biennial Regional Conference in 1996 in Mobile, Alabama.

Marc is an Auburn University forestry graduate and is now a principle in Forest Investment Associates (FIA), a leading timberland investment and management organization. Marc’s title at the firm, where he has been employed since 1994, is

Executive Vice President of Timberland Management. The Atlanta-based company is and has been both a pioneer and a leader in the field of timberland investment since its inception in 1986 and was one of the early firms in the field. Today, FIA manages over 2 million acres of timberland for institutional investors with over $3 billion in assets located across the U.S.

Rhett is a Co-Founder, along with Dean Gjerstad, of the Alliance and has served as its President since the organization incorporated in 2007. He officially retired from LLA on November 30 and joined the Board immediately afterwards.

With the strong leadership of Chair Patrick Glass over the last year the Longleaf Partnership Council continued to flourish. The Council was formed in 2011 to increase communication, collaboration, and leverage for implementation of the Range-wide Conservation Plan for Longleaf Pine. The partners have developed a strong foundation for working together that has led to a growing recognition of and momentum for longleaf pine.

Two major items were developed in 2012 and discussed at the October meeting of the Council which was held in conjunction with the Regional Longleaf Conference in Nacogdoches, Texas. Those were an initial Longleaf Partnership Council Charter and a document titled Strategic Priorities & Actions, 2013-2015.

Pertaining to the development of the Strategic Priorities & Actions document, the Council over the last year had conducted a review and assessment of both the restoration progress and challenges during the initial three years of implementation of the Range-wide Conservation Plan for

Longleaf Pine. The blueprint for the next three years details priorities and identifies associated actions needed at various scales to advance the larger term goal of restoring 8 million acres over a 15 year horizon.

Four strategic priorities and associated actions which follow will guide partners in their individual and collective efforts.

1. Increase acres established in longleaf pine ecosystems. The Council and its partners are committed to establishing between 75,000 and 95,000 acres of longleaf annually on private lands and an additional 30,000 to 35,000 acres of longleaf pine annually on publicly owned lands.

2. Improve and maintain existing longleaf pine ecosystems, with emphasis on significantly increasing the acres of prescribed fire accomplished. Because fire is critical to longleaf ecosystems, including its highly diverse native plant communities, partners will increase acres burned annually to between 1.4 million and 1.8 million

acres across all lands.

3. Enhance restoration delivery across all lands. This effort will build upon State and Local Implementation Teams, support establishment of at least six additional teams in targeted landscapes, and promote restoration effectiveness through increased

education and training opportunities for landowners and resource managers alike.

4. Maintain and broaden the resource base. The Council and its partners will work to ensure that the significant federal investments in longleaf are leveraged by substantial contributions from public and private organizations as well as individuals.

If you are interested in learning more about the positive impacts of this collaborative effort centered on longleaf pine, please go to www.americaslongleaf.org. A special thanks to the writing team and all of the members of the Council for their investment and leadership in completing the three-year implementation document.

I would also like to thank Patrick Glass, Assistant State Director for the Alabama Forestry Commission for his service as the first Chair of the Longleaf Partnership Council. He did an outstanding job leading the Council and establishing a strong foundation during its formative year. In addition, I would like to thank Lark Hayes (Southern Environmental Law Center) and Rhett Johnson (The Longleaf Alliance) for their service on the Council which ended in 2012. I am honored to have been selected to serve as Chair for 2013 with Mike Black, Forestry Coordinator for the National Bobwhite Conservation initiative, chosen as Chair-Elect. We will be serving as the leadership team with support from the USFW and USFWS Longleaf Coordinators, Glen Gaines and Clay Ware. We are looking forward to a most productive year for the Council.

Longleaf Partnership Council Update by Vernon Compton

Page 5 Volume V, Issue IV

EJ Williams with USFWS (left), Glen Gaines with USFS

(middle), and Patrick Glass (right) with Alabama Forestry Commission at the 3 Year Celebration of America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative in Atlanta, GA. Photo by Lark Hayes.

In helping landowners meet their objectives, The Longleaf Alliance always strives to provide honest and balanced information on both economic and environmental benefits of longleaf pine. These can be demonstrated as a straightforward investment, but the availability of cost-share assistance can do more to improve your economic analysis than any other factor. Across the range, cost-share programs have led to a significant increase in environmental benefits by accelerating restoration and improving management of existing longleaf stands.

The diversity of available cost-share programs includes Federal, State, and privately funded programs. Federal programs include USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) administered through the Farm Services Agency; USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs including Working Lands For Wildlife (WLFW, formerly WHIP) and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP); and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program among others. A variety of state programs exist that are funded in various ways, depending upon location. Some non-profit organizations, including the Alliance, have at times administered locally targeted efforts.

Each of these offerings are subject to periodic changes and program improvements, so for Alliance staff providing assistance, the challenge is typically one of tracking down contact persons and potential programs in any given locale. A new Farm Bill is expected to be drafted in 2013 as part of the larger debate about our Federal budget and priorities.

Meanwhile, USDA programs continue to operate under the 2008 Farm Bill. While the progress, details, and timeline for the new bill are uncertain at best, both parties have tended to regard it as vital and worthwhile.

NRCS has focused its efforts to help forest landowners address longleaf pine forest conservation issues through its Longleaf Pine Initiative (LLPI), which can include both WLFW and EQIP programs. Through the LLPI, available on priority areas across the nine states range, landowners are qualifying for up to 75% payment rates to restore or enhance longleaf pine forests. Practices can include forest stand improvement, prescribed burning, planting, site preparation, and management planning. More than 1,000 landowners participated in the fiscal year 2011, leading to the establishment of more than 32,000 acres of longleaf. As the two programs have developed, traditional tree planting projects tend to be directed more towards EQIP if the primary objective is timber production, because higher tree planting densities are allowed. If the landowner’s objective is primarily wildlife, or improving existing stands for wildlife, then WLFW offers a variety of practices that can effectively improve wildlife habitats on your land. Planting longleaf under WLFW focuses on more open spacing to offer greater wildlife habitat benefit. For example, in Alabama, EQIP tree planting rates for LL will be allowed up to 622 trees per acre (tpa), while WLFW allows up to 454 tpa.

As this newsletter was going to press, the new Working Lands for Wildlife program was announced in Alabama. USDA’s NRCS State Conservationist for Alabama, Dr.

William Puckett, announced a partnership opportunity for landowners to voluntarily restore and protect habitat for the gopher tortoise. This program targets at-risk wildlife species across the country.

The gopher tortoise is the species of concern for parts of six states. It is a ground burrowing tortoise found in southern Alabama whose habitat is sandy, well-drained soils. Management practices that benefit the gopher tortoise also benefit quail, turkey, deer, and many other wildlife species. Gopher tortoise habitat management, in most situations, is compatible with and even enhances forest production.

“Landowners can receive financial assistance for a number of habitat management practices such as prescribed burning,” said Puckett. Landowners with gopher tortoises on their property will rank highest for funding allocation.

Financial assistance is available for practices such as:

Longleaf pine planting at any spacing between 10 x 12 feet (363 tpa) and 8 x 12 feet (454 tpa);

Pre-commercial thinning to below 500 tpa;

Native warm season grass and forbs planting;

Mid-rotation release of pine timber by removing hardwood brush;

Release of young longleaf pine trees by removing hardwood competition; and

Other supporting practices such as firebreaks, site preparation for longleaf planting, and invasive species control may also be eligible.

(Continued on page 7)

New Developments in Cost-Share Programs for Longleaf by Ad Platt

Page 6 The Longleaf Leader

Cost-Share Programs continued...

Page 7 Volume V, Issue IV

Funding for this initiative is provided through the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) administered by NRCS. Applications will be accepted on a continuous basis; however applications for 2013 funding in Alabama must be received by the batching date of January 25, 2013.

Interested producers in Alabama or other states within the focus area for the gopher tortoise should visit their nearest USDA Service Center to determine eligibility. Individuals are not eligible for WHIP until they have completed the Farm Bill eligibility requirements. Contact your local NRCS or Farm Service Agency Office to begin this process. NRCS field offices are listed in the telephone directory under U.S. Department of Agriculture or on-line at http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov.

EQIP programs also feature a continuous signup with periodic batching and ranking periods depending upon the state. Currently received funding in Alabama, for example, is being allocated to applications received prior to October 19, 2012. There may possibly be a second ranking period if additional funding is made available later; if not the applications can be carried over to 2014 pending progress on the new Farm Bill. Most longleaf planting in Alabama in 2013 will probably be through WLFW.

To improve program efficiency, NRCS programs are moving to a regional pricing structure, and continuing to improve practice requirements and pricing to properly incentivize priority practices. The new region for the center of the longleaf range will include the states of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida.

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Seasonal Questions by Mark Hainds

Are there still longleaf seedlings available?

Yes, Blantons’ Container Pines still has over 800,000 longleaf pine seedlings available for the 2012-2013 planting season. Call 850-973-2967. In Alabama, call Robert Dismukes at 251-363-2952.

Zellner Farms still has approximately 100,000 container-grown longleaf for sale. Visit their website at: http://zellnerfarms.com/wp/ or call Bob Zellner at: 770-283-7187.

When should I plant my longleaf seedlings?

Earlier is better. Try to have most of your seedlings in the ground well before Christmas. However, if a cold front is predicted in the days ahead you may want to delay planting until it passes. Temperatures near freezing are not highly problematical but newly planted seedlings may be more susceptible to freeze damage as compared to seedlings that were planted weeks or months before hard freezes. Most of the freeze-damage seedlings we have inspected were planted immediately before cold fronts on sites exposed to winds and temperatures in the teens or lower.

that occurs now, as evidenced by the yearly conference, those conflicts have been greatly reduced and all parties have a much better understanding of needs and challenges.

Each year the conference is hosted by either the military (Naval Air Station-Whiting Field or Eglin Air Force Base), Alabama Forestry Commission, or the Florida Forest Service. Landowners, resource practitioners, and the military are always in attendance. Presentations include background information on why prescribed burning is important, military and training overviews, burn permitting and authorizations, smoke management issues/challenges, and operations updates. There is always time allocated to a question and answer period and the meeting culminates with an unveiling of the yearly Smoke Management/Burn Planning Map to NAS-Whiting Field. Military personnel leave with a better understanding of the land management mission of landowners and foresters and land managers leave with a better understanding of the military mission.

The 27th Annual Marty Martin Smoke Management Conference was hosted by the Alabama Forestry Commission on November 7 at the Why-Not Hunting Camp owned by Cedar Creek Land & Timber Company. The meeting and lunch was graciously sponsored by Nalty Timberlands and Cedar Creek Land & Timber Company.

The Smoke Management Conference began over two decades ago as a result of conflicts pertaining to the smoke created by prescribed burning in northwest Florida and south Alabama and flight training conducted at NAS-Whiting Field. NAS-Whiting Field is the Navy’s primary base for fixed wing training and is also the exclusive home of all helicopter training for the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Over 1200 students are trained yearly with over 140,000 flight hours each year. Over 10% of all US Navy and US Marine Corp flight hours occur in this airspace. The airspace is thus extremely busy.

The area also has a long history of prescribed burning on private and public lands and consistently has some of the highest, if not the highest, burn acreage totals in the United States, of late over 200,000 acres per year. What started as a desire to address this conflict and find a way to better work together has grown into a model of collaboration that others could learn from. It is not to say that there are still at times difficulties as public and private landowners often need to burn on every good burn day that presents and the military likewise needs to train on those very same days. However, due to the high level of communication and collaboration

27th Annual Marty Martin Smoke Management Conference by Vernon Compton

Page 8 The Longleaf Leader

As a result of the smoke management conference and resulting collaboration, prescribed fire plans developed by land managers and maps are shared with the Navy base. On the day of prescribed burns calls are made to local Navy operations office. Comparisons then occur of Flight OPS and smoke plume projections. The burn is then either approved or not and if not then some burns are moved to another location to facilitate burn activity. Due to the increased cooperation that has occurred over the last 27

years, there have been no smoke related flight accidents while millions of acres have been burned. When a problem occurs, all know who to call and military and land manager goals are both accomplished.

Both Ad Platt and I spoke at the conference this year. I explained why we prescribe burn and Ad spoke on the various landowner assistance programs available. Prescribed burning is such an important management tool for private and public landowners, and especially those managing and/or restoring longleaf pine. The more those with an interest in longleaf and other southern pines can do to educate others about the role of fire while also highlighting collaborative efforts such as this Smoke Management Conference, the healthier our fire-maintained longleaf forests will be. Congratulations to the military and private and public landowners for turning a negative from so many years ago into a positive for both military training and management of pine forests.

GCPEP burn led by Northwest Florida Water

Management District under leadership of Steve Brown. Photo shows prescribed fire activity right up against Interstate-10. Photo by Bill Bollfrass while

employed by TNC/GCPEP.

I recently returned from a whirlwind road trip peddling our new book (see article on page 13) and visiting old friends across the South. I got a great response to the book and enjoyed the reunions along the way. While visiting the property of Wade Fletcher, one of our longtime supporters in South Carolina, the subject of burning young longleaf planted in former agricultural fields came up.

Wade’s longleaf were planted under the CRP program three years ago, with some inter-planting two years ago. After some early problems, the stand looks very good with trees ranging from grass stage to four feet tall, with the majority at about two to three feet in height. The trees are robust, with good color and good stem diameter growth. The competition varies a good deal across the 70 or so acres, with sparse ground cover and a lot of bare ground in some places and lots of very fine grasses in others. A few loblollies have pioneered in throughout and are still very small. One field edge bordered by a mature loblolly stand has dense loblolly invading into the field, with most still in the size class that is very vulnerable to fire. There are occasional hardwoods scattered throughout the stand but never more than one or two clumps per acre.

Wade had planned to burn the stand this winter and I assured him that he safely could. Like most prudent landowners, he is a little worried about the longleaf. Our experience has been that a fast moving strip headfire on a chilly winter day before bud-break and candling is pretty safe around seedlings of this size. Much of the stand probably won’t burn at all because there is just no fine fuel on or near the ground. Scattered

broom sedge clumps have too much bare ground between them to carry the fire. Where the fuel continuity is good, it consists almost entirely of grasses, many of them flashy very fine grasses.

Our standard prescription in these conditions is to use strip headfires on a cool breezy day one or two days after a rain. The flames run past the seedlings quickly and generally don’t damage them at all. I’m confident that this will be the case on the Fletcher property.

As we talked, I sensed and appreciated Wade’s trepidation about fire in the stand he has worked so hard to establish. Finally, I asked why he wanted to burn now. I think we talk about fire so frequently and favorably for longleaf in general, we tend to forget that fire itself is not necessarily so much good for longleaf as it is bad for its competitors. In Wade’s case, fire would certainly help control the

few hardwoods and eliminate much of the invading loblolly. It might aid in pruning the longleaf and would cleanse the stand of brown spot needle blight infection.

That said, there was no evidence of brown spot and the trees are small enough that pruning at this point may not be important. Other than the loblolly, then, the most compelling reason I can think of to burn this stand at this stage has nothing to do with biology or the trees, but instead is programmatic. Wade’s CRP contract stipulates that he burn within the first three years of establishment in order to continue to receive the payments provided by the program.

After a great deal of discussion, Wade and I decided that it would be financially advantageous to go ahead and carefully burn the stand where fuels were sufficient to carry the fire. Spot spraying the hardwoods where the fire was ineffective should be easily done, especially using an herbicide like triclopyr or glyphosate with no soil activity.

The point of all of this rambling is that we shouldn’t burn longleaf, particularly, young longleaf, just because we want to burn. We should always have an objective or objectives in mind when we plan our fire. Fuel reduction, brown spot control, hardwood control, loblolly control, native understory enhancement, wildlife habitat enhancement, etc. are all good reasons to burn and at least one will fit most situations. Still, fire is a destructive agent and longleaf is fire resistant, not fire proof, and the benefits should always outweigh the costs. So we should always ask ourselves…to burn or not to burn!

To Burn or Not to Burn by Rhett Johnson

Page 9 Volume V, Issue IV

Photo by Beth Maynor Young

The Longleaf Alliance receives numerous inquires about restoration

and management of longleaf forests. Sharing some of these questions and our responses should enlighten our readers

to common issues faced by our supporters across the Southeast. If you have questions for the LLA, email them

to: questions@longleafalliance.org

Several contributors to The Longleaf Alliance have asked our opinion on wind-throw or toppling of longleaf pine seedlings. It is believed, in some sectors, that container-grown longleaf are more susceptible to this problem than are bareroot longleaf pine seedlings. From my personal experience, every planted stand of longleaf that I have tracked for an extended period of time, whether bareroot or container-grown, has lost at least a few trees to wind-throw.

At the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center in Covington County, Alabama, our first planting of container-grown longleaf pine seedlings utilized standard hard-wall seedlings on a sandy cutover site that was leveled by Hurricane Opal in 1995. Opal was a Category 3 hurricane that came over the Florida Panhandle and knocked down approximately 1/3 of the standing timber on the 5,300 acre Dixon Center. Not far from The Longleaf Alliance headquarters, which is located on the Dixon Center, a natural, mixed-pine hardwood stand on Beegum Road was completely leveled by strong winds from Hurricane Opal. None of these trees were planted, so it is important to keep in mind that even naturally regenerated seedlings – pine or

hardwood – fall over when winds reach well in excess of 100 mph.

The Beegum site was salvage logged, sprayed, burned, and hand-planted to container-grown longleaf a couple of years post Opal. Since then, the site has experienced severe

winds from two more hurricanes including another Category 3 storm – Hurricane Ivan. There has been minimal longleaf wind-throw on Beegum Hill associated with these storm events.

On other Dixon Center sites, including a 135 acre pecan plantation that was also leveled by Hurricane Opal and subsequently replanted to longleaf, we’ve seen

more wind-throw. We’ve not seen so much wind-throw that the stands would be considered unmanageable, but wind-throw or toppling was certainly noticeable.

When trees blow over it is generally possible to examine the remainder of the root system. Frequently, trees that topple do not have taproots and more often than not their lateral root systems are poorly developed or oriented in one direction. Dr. Susanna Sung with the U.S. Forest Service has been examining this issue for several years, as have Dr. David South and Tom Starkey with the Auburn University Nursery Cooperative.

Dr. James Haywood of the USDA- Forest Service, Southern Research Station in Pineville, Louisiana was interviewed November 28 about toppling on the Alabama Forest Landowners’ Association (AFOA) internet program – Capitol Ideas Live (www.afoa.org/cilive/CI1211.htm). Dr. Haywood provided a short, but very informative summary of the topic.

The Longleaf Alliance is currently installing a study looking at potential treatments to minimize toppling. We will be discussing potential treatments with Dr. Susanna Sung (USDA-FS), Dr. Tom Starkey (AU Forest Nursery Cooperative), Dr. Glenn Hughes (MS. State Extension Service), and representatives from the NC State Forestry Service. It is likely that seedlings will be planted in December or January on the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center. We will keep you posted as this study progresses.

From the Inbox by Mark Hainds

Page 10 The Longleaf Leader

Top photo shows recent wind-throw to

longleaf in South Mississippi. Photo to the left shows bareroot loblolly seedlings that were laid over on the Blackwater River

State Forest in Florida mostly likely from Hurricane Ivan in 2004. It simply shows that wind-throw/toppling is not unique to longleaf pine. Both photos by Mark Hainds.

One of the very first lessons we learned at or near the formation of The Longleaf Alliance - old fields and pastures can be tough places to establish longleaf pine seedlings.

To some degree, the decline of longleaf acreage can be tracked back to longleaf pine planting failures and the lack of shared knowledge among people who were successfully planting longleaf pine seedlings on a somewhat consistent basis. Failures were (and are) expensive. Word got around that planting longleaf was a risky proposition. Foresters focused on short-term fiber production encouraged landowners to take the simpler and cheaper route with bareroot loblolly or slash pine seedlings: and who could fault them?

The situation is, or at least should be quite different today. We know how to consistently get good survival planting longleaf seedlings on cutover sites. We know the steps to minimize, but not eliminate planting failures on fertile agricultural fields. We know we can and should be successful planting longleaf on high site index cutover sites, but that the odds are against us on agricultural fields that have been heavily limed and fertilized.

The Alazan Wildlife Management Area near Lufkin, Texas reinforced everything that we knew or suspected about planting longleaf pine on fertile-former agricultural use sites.

This property had previously housed a dairy operation and The Longleaf Alliance has witnessed complete planting failures behind a dairy operation in Mississippi. We have also seen complete and repeated planting failures on sites that were in cattle production, especially where the farmer concentrated their feeding

activity. If the farmer has a catch-pen or site where they fed cattle for extended periods, then large amounts of cattle manure were deposited in that location and soil nutrients will build to the point where pine trees can not be successfully planted on those soils.

We knew Alazan was going to be a tough site, we just didn’t know it was going to be this tough.

We selected approximately two acres on a hilltop for our planting demonstration. This site had been planted to longleaf pine twice before. Several years after these two initial plantings, there is less than one surviving tree per acre. If we assume a planting rate of 300 to 600 TPA for each of these two previous plantings, then the cumulative survival rate was between .002% - .0001%.

A soil test was conducted by local NRCS personnel. Unfortunately, the soil samples were taken from an adjacent area and not directly from the location we installed our planting demonstration. Their soil sample analysis did not expose any obvious nutrient loadings but excessive nutrients can be highly localized based upon where the manure or effluent is deposited.

Besides a scattering of surviving longleaf seedlings, Alazan is covered with pasture grasses and weeds typically found on former agricultural sites. The demonstration area had a fair amount of Bermuda grass so a good site preparation treatment would have included a high rate of imazapyr (aka Chopper®, Arsenal®). We were not able to get an herbicide site preparation treatment on our study site prior to planting. However, we were able to gain the assistance of the local NRCS personnel and they scalped their study area and The

Longleaf Alliance’s demonstration area prior to planting.

The implement was not terribly effective. It created a relatively narrow furrow, about 18” in width and 4” in depth. Normally, on extremely competitive sites like Alazan we prefer a wider scalp, something, in the range of 30”-36”. Never-the-less this rough scalp proved significantly better than the alternative (not scalping).

Container-grown longleaf seedlings were hand planted in January, 2012. We installed a small, randomized demonstration with seedlings planted in blocks laid over rows. Each treatment had twelve seedlings and treatments were replicated two or three times.

Seedling Quality: We planted three different seedling qualities in the demonstration: target seedlings, floppies, and doubles. Treatments were replicated three times.

Scalped vs. Not Scalped: For comparison, we planted two treatments each of target & floppy seedlings outside the scalped rows with the plug slightly exposed and the terminal bud approximately 1” above the soil surface.

Planting Depth: We planted seedlings at four different positions in the scalped furrow.

Deep: Soil approximately 1” over the terminal bud at bottom of scalped furrow.

Level-Bottom: Plug level with surrounding soil at bottom of furrow. Terminal bud above soil surface.

Level-Side: Plug level with surrounding soil on the side of scalped furrow. Terminal bud above soil surface.

(Continued on page 12)

Lessons from Alazan by Mark Hainds

Page 11 Volume V, Issue IV

Elevated: Terminal bud 2” above the soil surface. Approximately 1.5” of the plug exposed. Planted at the bottom/center of the scalped furrow.

We made it back to Texas in July for a mid-summer banded application of 11 oz of Oustar over all treatments. By this time there were large and obvious survival differences between some of the various treatments: seedlings in the scalped rows were doing much better than seedlings planted outside the scalped rows and deep-planted seedlings were disappearing rapidly.

By October herbaceous competition had thoroughly claimed the demonstration area and we sorely regretted missing our herbicide site preparation and our inability to monitor the site and follow up with necessary herbaceous weed control applications.

We measured survival rates on the Saturday prior to our Regional Conference in Nacogdoches, Texas. A few days later between 200 and 300 conference attendees visited Alazan during the field trip portion or our Regional Conference. This is what they saw.

Seedling Quality: No big differences between seedling survival rates based upon treatment. Survival rates were 17% for doubles, 19% for floppies, and 22% for target seedlings. This is terrible across the board. Normally, we expect no difference in survival for doubles and target seedlings, and lower survival rates for floppies.

Planting Depth: Deep planted seedlings had 4% survival. There were minimal differences in survival between seedling planted with the plug

level, on the side or at the bottom of the furrow. Overall the level planted seedlings averaged 42% survival. Shallow planted seedlings with the bud 2” above the soil surface averaged 38% survival. Typically we expect our greatest survival rate with seedlings from the most shallow planting depth in scalped rows.

Scalped vs. Not Scalped: If we compare all seedlings planted in the scalped furrow (except deep planted) to target quality seedlings planted outside the scalped furrow, we averaged 28.6% in the scalped row verses 5.5% outside the scalped furrow.

Summary

Consistent with all previous examinations of scalping, we found big benefits from scalping with more than a five-fold increase in survival when planting inside the scalped furrow verses flat-planted (no scalp).

Inconsistent with most of our previous studies, there were minimal differences in survival based upon seedling quality. We speculate that herbaceous competition was so fierce on this site that differences in seedling

quality washed out compared to site preparation (scalping) and planting depth.

Consistent with all of our previous planting depth studies, we found the lowest survival with the deepest planting depth (1” over the terminal bud). At Alazan we had ten times the survival rate when seedlings were planted with the terminal bud exposed. Soil did not move back into the furrows as we have witnessed with previous studies. We speculate that the heavier soil and near total coverage with herbaceous competition minimized soil movement on this site.

Alazan is an excellent example of the most problematic sites to plant longleaf pine seedlings. Unless the landowner/manager is totally committed to the process, planting failures are the most likely outcome. For most landowners the reasonable alternative is to avoid fertile old fields and to invest their longleaf restoration dollars on cutover sites or less fertile agricultural fields.

If the landowner is undeterred by these challenges, make sure to:

test soil nutrients,

kill problematic pasture grasses with a herbicide site preparation treatment,

scalp (wider is better),

plant good quality seedlings early in the planting season,

plant seedlings shallow,

visit the site every 1-2 weeks during the growing season to track herbaceous competition, and

follow up with necessary herbicide applications.

Fertile agricultural fields are not for the faint of heart!

Lessons from Alazan continued...

Page 12 The Longleaf Leader

Scalped rows being added to the Alazan

study site. Photo by Mark Hainds

Page 13 Volume V, Issue IV

Longleaf: Far as the Eye Can See by Rhett Johnson

The initial reception of the book has exceeded our expectations! Sales have been brisk and the publisher, The University of North Carolina Press, reports that about half of the initial printing was sold in the first month of publication. The book is beautiful, highlighted by Beth Maynor Young’s exceptional photography. The supporting text has been equally well received, with numerous comments on its readability and content.

I recently returned from an extended loop around the Southeast visiting book vendors and other sites; reading from and signing books. The response has been very encouraging … even flattering. I spoke at Wofford College, Moncks Corner, Georgetown, Hobcaw Barony, and Hartsville’s Kalmia Gardens, all in South Carolina. On the same trip, I made presentations and signed books in Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Durham, and Southern Pines, North Carolina.

After one night at home, I was on the road again, signing books in Thomasville, GA in conjunction with the Plantation Arts Festival. The excitement over the book is indicative of the interest and enthusiasm building among natural resource lovers and the general public at large for longleaf forests and their restoration.

The book makes a great addition to anyone’s bookshelf or coffee table as well as a wonderful

Christmas gift. It can be purchased in bookstores across the region, from Amazon.com, from Beth at Kingfisher Editions, or from any of the authors. Orders may also be e-mailed to The Longleaf Alliance (Vickie@longleafalliance.org) or to me at Rhett@longlefalliance.org and I will be glad to personalize and sign them if desired. The suggested retail price is a very reasonable $35.00 and we add a small shipping and handling cost to the total. Books should arrive within 4 or 5 days of our receiving an order.

Did I mention that they make great Christmas gifts?

Additional Gift

Giving Idea!

Our NEW

Landowner Signs

$25 + S&H

Contact Vickie

Today!

334.427.1029 Vickie@longleafalliance.org

Landowners Jim Currie in

Mississippi (photo to the left) and Salem Saloom in Alabama (photo to the right) showing off their new

LLA signs.

Editor’s Note: Carol, LLA’s Understory Coordinator, will spotlight one understory plant per edition. To nominate a plant

for consideration, email Carol at: Carol@longleafalliance.org

Deer Tongue or Vanillaleaf

Carphephorus odoratissimus (J.F.Gmel.)H.Hebert.

This plant spotlight focuses on a plant that is found in flatwoods habitats within the longleaf pine range. Carphephorus odoratissimus or Deer Tongue is one of the many composite species that blooms in the fall. It responds especially well to fire. In the fall after a burn, you will see hundreds of flowering heads in sites where this plant is growing.

Carphephorus odoratissimus gets its common name Deer Tongue from the strap shape of its basal leaves. Its other name, Vanillaleaf, comes from the presence of a heavy concentration of coumarin in the leaves of this species. Coumarin has a distinctive vanilla fragrance. The leaves of this plant give off this pleasant odor as they wilt and dry. As a result, Deer tongue extracts have been used to flavor tobacco and give fragrance to cosmetics and soaps. Because of the medicinal properties of this chemical, Deer Tongue has historically been harvested to treat a variety of

health conditions.

Plant Description:

This herbaceous perennial generally reaches a height of approximately 4ft when flowering. The stems and leaves are smooth. Basal leaves can measure up to 10

inches long and are much larger than the leaves occurring on the stem. The purple discoid flowers appear from late July-October and the seeds ripen from September-November.

Distribution & Habitat:

Deer Tongue can be found growing in pine flatwoods, savannahs and sandy woods in the coastal plain from North Carolina south to Florida and west to Louisiana.

Wildlife Benefit:

Like many of the composite species, this plant is especially attractive for butterflies and bees.

Other Common Species:

Other species of Carphephorus that can be found within the longleaf ecosystem include Sandhill Chaffhead (Carphephorus bellidifolius), Panicled Chaffhead (C. paniculatus), and Coastal Plain Chaffhead (C. corymbosus).

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.

Sorrie, B.A. 2011. A Field Guide to Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region. The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC. 378pp.

USDA, NRCS. 2012. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 6 December 2012). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.

Understory Plant Spotlight by Carol Denhof

Page 14 The Longleaf Leader

Photo top left showing whole plant (photo by Carol

Denhof). Photo top right shows close up of the purple discoid flowers (photo by JJ Bachant-Brown).

Distribution Map from

the USDA / NRCS Plants Database. Shows the range of Deer

Tongue.

In late November, the Chattahoochee Fall Line Conservation Partnership (CFLCP) recruited volunteers to plant native grasses as part of a local longleaf pine understory restoration project. Thirty-one enthusiastic volunteers contributed time to install 4000 plugs of little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and lopsided Indiangrass (Sorghastrum secundum) on the Juniper East Conservation Area, a property owned by The Nature Conservancy, in Marion County, GA. The site being restored is a location where non-native sand pine (Pinus clausa) was removed and where longleaf seedlings were planted earlier this year.

Carol Denhof and The Longleaf Alliance worked closely with CFLCP to collect grass seed locally during 2011. The seed was grown into plugs by International Forest Company (Moultrie, GA) and then returned to the Fall Line for planting. As the grass plants mature, the Juniper East site will be used as a seed source for other regional

understory restoration projects. In addition, the grass plugs were planted at varying densities (# plugs/acre) across the tract to study what planting density might

be most desirable for future restoration projects. Volunteers participating in the project included: Extension Service Master Gardeners, local landowners, retired military personnel, Columbus State University biology students, Chattahoochee Valley Land Trust staff, Trees Columbus members, Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance members and a Columbus High student. The volunteers certainly came away with a much greater understanding and appreciation of the longleaf pine ecosystem. Also, neighbors living close to the restoration site stopped to ask us, “What on earth were we doing out there?” providing a great opportunity to share the longleaf story with them. This project was made possible through multiple funding sources including the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Longleaf Legacy Grant. For more information about the project please contact LuAnn Craighton (email: CFLCP2012@aol.com or phone: 706-412-7075).

landowners. The structure of the course is designed to appeal to all groups.

In order to fully restore the longleaf pine ecosystem, focus must be placed on not only putting trees in the ground but also reestablishing or managing to enhance the understory component. The ground cover of the longleaf forest provides habitat for wildlife, pollinator food sources, and the fine fuels necessary for the fires that drive the ecosystem. This important aspect of longleaf restoration can sometimes be frustrating and

The Longleaf Alliance has successfully completed its second season of Understory 201 Academy Courses. All four courses that have been offered over the past two years have been well attended. A total of 75 students from a variety of backgrounds have graduated from this 201 course and the demand for this type of instruction continues to rise. The majority of attendees have been state agency employees but we have also had representatives from federal agencies and non-governmental organizations as well as private

difficult for many landowners. The purpose of the Understory 201 Academy is to demystify this process by helping landowners and restoration practitioners to familiarize themselves with some of the plants that occur on the forest floor and the processes that maximize understory diversity.

We feel that this course provides some essential information about the diverse longleaf understory. In a group setting, attendees learn how to identify common plant species that are found within the

(Continued on page 16)

Volunteers Plant Native Grasses in Georgia’s Fall Line Sandhills by LuAnn Craighton

Successful Understory 201 Academy Season by Carol Denhof

Page 15 Volume V, Issue IV

Columbus State University volunteer,

Amanda Snow, plants native grasses. Photo by LuAnn Craighton. LuAnn is the Outreach Director for the Chattahoochee

Fall Line Conservation Partnership.

longleaf ecosystem. Emphasis is placed on native warm season grasses, composites and legumes, since they represent the three largest plant families found in this community. Main topics included in the curriculum are plant identification, native plant wildlife usage, seed production operations, understory restoration techniques, and management methods. This 2-day course consists of both classroom lectures and hands-on field exercises.

Plans are being made to take this course to other areas within the longleaf range in 2013. Please contact Carol Denhof (carol@longleafalliance.org) or JJ Bachant-Brown (jj@longleafalliance.org) if you have questions about the course or are interested in hosting it in your area.

Understory 201 continued...

Rhett’s Visit to Wofford College by George Tyson

disciplinary, formed as a collaboration of over twenty faculty members from the humanities, sciences, and social sciences. The program director, Kaye Savage, is a Stanford PhD whose research is devoted to seeking an understanding of trace elements as they move through soil, sediment, and streams and to defining the relationship between their molecular form and their macro behavior at the interface with water. The director of the Goodall Environmental Center, John Lane, holds a joint appointment in English and is one

of the best known Southern environmental writers of our time, focusing generally on topics relating to water.

Wofford students have been involved with the development of the program since its inception, including the restoration of a nineteenth century textile mill office into the first platinum certified LEED (Leadership in Energy &

Environmental Design) building in South Carolina . This structure, ten minutes

from campus on the Lawson Fork branch of the Pacolet River, anchors the Goodall Center and serves as the primary site for the ES Program activities.

I am a Wofford alumnus as are two of our daughters. The entire family had become increasingly involved with the college; so it was natural for us to offer our property as a laboratory for the ES program. As this relationship evolved, we established the Tyson Family Lecture, an annual series devoted to issues related to the

(Continued on page 17)

Two physicians and one of the premier liberal arts colleges in the South combined to create an event in late October which brought welcome attention to longleaf restoration. I am a retired cardiothoracic surgeon, and my wife, Anne, is a practicing psychiatrist. We own 1600 acres of timberland on the Little Pee Dee River in Dillon County, SC. We are developing a hundred year master plan to restore this land entirely to longleaf. Anne’s interest resulted from a life-long commitment to the environment. As an avid quail hunter, mine began with the recognition of the need to preserve and restore wildlife habitat. Both of us were inspired by our experiences at the Longleaf Academy in Tifton, GA.

Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC is a widely renowned liberal arts college of approximately 1600 students. There is no forestry department; but there is a relatively new and innovative Environmental Studies (ES) Program which is truly multi-

Page 16 The Longleaf Leader

Heather Brasell (on left) and Karla

Gaskins (on right) help each other identify grasses during the Understory 201 course in Tifton, GA. Photo by JJ

Bachant-Brown

Rhett Johnson at the podium presenting Longleaf in the

Long Run. Photo credit: Wofford College Communications.

preservation, restoration, and sustainability of Southern ecosystems. The intent was to feature each year someone from outside the Wofford community. Rhett Johnson was selected as the inaugural speaker.

Rhett spent two days on campus and one day in the field. His talents as a teacher were immediately apparent to everyone as he participated in classes and seminars. The keynote address, Longleaf in the Long Run, was presented to a standing room only audience. Both the current and former Presidents of Wofford, Bernie Dunlap and Joe Lesesne were present. In addition to the Wofford audience many visitors from the larger community attended. Rhett has friends everywhere, and they came from all over the upstate area and from down in Georgia: foresters, landowners, and simply friends of Rhett. The environmental community was well represented, particularly by Upstate Forever, a group that has been very effective in restoring the Lawson’s Fork, and by Ben Gregg, executive director of the South Carolina Wildlife Federation.

In his address Rhett detailed the history and reasons for the decline of the primeval Southern forest, and then outlined the rationale for restoration with an overview of the science involved. Aspects of history, sociology, economics, politics, as well as botany, biology, and forestry were woven through the narrative, demonstrating the intrinsic multi-disciplinary nature of this topic.

On Saturday Rhett led a field exercise down in Dillon County. The students saw longleaf of varying ages--from new seedlings

to candlestick stage--in an area of self-regeneration, the effect of a program of regular burning begun six years earlier. Proving the

point that “longleaf is not just about a tree”, Rhett spent a great deal of time talking about the wildlife and plant species dependent on the fire-based longleaf ecosystem. After he commented on the understory grasses present, one student was amazed, saying, “He gave the life cycle of everything we saw based on a handful of dead grasses.” After lunch on the bank of the Little Pee Dee, a stand of longleaf being raked for straw was explored. Then, on a neighboring property we saw 86,600 longleaf seedlings row-planted in a hundred acre agricultural field. Finally, various areas of existing loblolly were examined for their suitability for transitioning to longleaf.

This multi-day event was very successful in every way, primarily because of the expertise and teaching abilities of Rhett Johnson. His enthusiasm and the warmth of his personality was an incredible asset; in every group the audience was drawn to his message. Longleaf restoration gained new support, especially among younger people. One of

the students, Marella Angello, wrote “Learning about the habitat of the longleaf forest and the longleaf trees went from a simple

extra credit assignment to a life experience I will never forget. Rhett Johnson, a soft spoken but passionate speaker, shared his knowledge of the forest and made me rediscover my own love for nature.” Another student has decided to do his senior “Capstone” project on longleaf restoration.

As always, unintended consequences occur and

several interesting things have resulted from Rhett’s visit to Wofford. First, at the initiation

of President Dunlap and Dean of the College, David Wood, plans are underway to have Rhett return in his “retirement” to teach an occasional course at Wofford. The first tentatively will be “The Ethics of Endangered Species Preservation”. Second, John Lane will travel to Andalusia to visit Rhett, The Longleaf Alliance, and the Solon Dixon Center. He plans to devote a chapter in his next book to this trip and longleaf. Third, a stand of montane longleaf will be planted at the Goodall Center to commemorate this event and Wofford’s commitment to longleaf restoration. Rhett is searching for seedlings with historical importance and he will return for the planting. Finally, we learned that Rhett’s successor at the Dixon Center, Joel Martin, is a Wofford graduate. This demonstrated to the students that graduates of a liberal arts institution, with appropriate graduate studies, can succeed in virtually any field. Editor’s Note: George and Anne Tyson

are supporters of LLA and are recent LL 101 graduates. They live in Lakeland, FL.

Wofford Visit continued...

Page 17 Volume V, Issue IV

Wofford students look on intently as Rhett - partially

hidden - points out certain characteristics of longleaf. Photo by Anne Tyson.

Long a land protection priority for the State of Florida, many partners have worked for years toward protecting Escribano Point. The 1,541 acre purchase completes the protection of almost all of the western side of Eglin Air Force Base to the bay and protects the remainder of the land around Choctaw Field, an important military training area. Outstanding examples of pine flatwoods exist on the parcel and include both longleaf and slash pine.

The State of Florida received $10 million in the form of land acquisitions and stormwater management projects under a June 18 Consent Decree between MOEX Offshore 2007 LLC and the U.S. Department of Justice. "I am proud that this recovery maximizes the environmental benefits to Florida after the oil spill. MOEX Offshore did the right thing by stepping forward and providing money to protect the Gulf," said Attorney General Pam Bondi. “We are thrilled this money will be used to purchase environmentally sensitive lands and implement stormwater retrofit projects in the Panhandle. These types of projects provide many environmental benefits, ranging from improved water quality to restoring inland habitats,” said DEP Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard Jr. “The land

acquisition projects are beneficial to both our local base communities and Florida’s fragile wildlife habitats and ecosystems.” “The Trust for Public Land is proud to have partnered with the Governor’s office and the Department to facilitate the first Deepwater Horizon land acquisition mitigation project within Florida,” said Chris Kay, Chief Operating Officer for The Trust for Public Land. “Escribano Point has been a top priority project for the State for many years and the protection of this property is a key safeguard for the Gulf’s ecosystem.” Along with other lands protected by the State of Florida, Escribano Point provides recreation opportunities and natural resource protection for 10.4 miles of shoreline along East Bay and Blackwater Bay. The land will be managed by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. Thanks to all of the partners who have worked on this over the years – Florida Department of Environmental Protection, The Nature Conservancy, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, Northwest Florida Water Management District,

Department of Defense, and others who worked to support the effort through attendance at meetings and writing of support letters. Santa Rosa County also provided strong support for this protection effort. A special thanks to The Trust for Public Land for the lead role they played with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to complete this important purchase.

Escribano Point Protected in Florida by Vernon Compton

And the Winners Are...by JJ Bachant-Brown

Page 18 The Longleaf Leader

The results for the 2nd Longleaf Pine Cone and Longleaf Pine Needle contest are:

Longleaf Needle: Robert Carter, Andy Parris, and Daniel Wright from Jacksonville State University. The 20 ¾ - inch needles were collected during the conference field trip on Simon Winston’s property in Texas. Tallest Pine Cone: Jack Chappell, with a cone from Swainsboro, GA measuring 11 1/16 inches. Widest Cone: Also Jack Chappell, again with a cone from Swainsboro, GA measuring 6 inches.

New at this year’s conference was the Wiregrass Seed Contest. The goal was to guess the number of wiregrass seeds in a mason jar without going over. The winner of this contest was Yvonne Abernethy.

During the next conference in 2014, these winners are not eligible to enter in their winning category (except for the Wiregrass Seed Contest). You have until 2014 to be on the lookout for long needles and tall and fat longleaf cones. You too could earn the bragging rights that this group of winners has earned.

Thanks to all who entered and good luck next time!

Photo Essay of the 9th Biennial Regional Conference by JJ Bachant-Brown

Page 19 Volume V, Issue IV

They say that a picture is worth a 1000 words, so here is my 18,000 word essay! Photos from the LLA Staff.

1,242 middle and high school students in Bay County, Florida have a whole new appreciation for longleaf pine and the longleaf ecosystem.

The Bay County, Florida public school system covered all expenses for presentations centered on Roger Reid’s books: Longleaf, Space, and Time. Roger chose to focus on his first novel, Longleaf, and invited me to assist in presentations to public schools in and around Panama City, Florida. Meals and transportation were covered from November 2 through November 9. Lodging for the duration was graciously provided by LaQuinta Inns & Suites on Panama City Beach (http://www.laquintapcb.com/). Christy Williamson with the school system did a remarkable job of organizing the visits and keeping everything running on schedule.

Presentations began on November 2, but I was tied up collecting seed from multiple locations on private and public land in Mississippi. Roger secured the able assistance of Matt Greene a biologist and friend of the longleaf pine. Matt was in the process of transitioning from a

job with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection back to The Nature Conservancy and he was able to visit two schools with Roger that Friday.

Soon after returning from Mississippi, I hit the road again, making it to Panama City on Sunday evening. I was able to collect more seed while driving from Alabama south into the Florida Panhandle. On Monday, Roger and I quickly fell into a routine that included five presentations a day to groups of 30-100 students at a time. Roger discussed his books, the characters, being an author and a TV producer. I covered the science and magic of the longleaf pine ecosystem.

Previous to this trip, Roger and I have taken Longleaf into classrooms in Louisiana, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. Thousands upon thousands of students have discovered the wonder of an ecosystem they were not even aware existed. Roger or I often point out, while stealing the title from the recently published book by Finch, Young, Johnson, and Hall; “If you could look out that window, back in time 100 or 200

years, the view would be, ‘longleaf, far as the eye can see’.”

Some of the school campuses had remnant, mature, large diameter longleaf pine trees. Most schools were devoid of longleaf and one facility had gone so far to plant a handful of sweetgum trees as the only tree on their property! (At least it wasn’t loblolly.) Thanks to a donation to The Longleaf Alliance by Bennett Whitfield of Whitfield Container Pines (912-682-4948), we were able to offer free longleaf seedlings to the schools we visited. Bennett also sponsored Roger and me in visiting public schools in Emmanuel County, Georgia in 2011.

Sponsorships from many altruists have taken Roger and me into schools across longleaf country, and we, as Roger says, “Always leave with hands in the air.” It’s true! We always have more questions than we have time to answer. Students and teachers alike get caught up in the joy of discovering the magic of a tree and its environs that are so much a part of their own local history and heritage.

organizations attended the meeting and many opportunities for better coordination and targeted training were identified. Of note, Glenn Hughes with the Mississippi State Forestry Extension Service, Tamera Campbell with Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Park, and I strongly advocated additional training and educational efforts aimed at professionals. We feel, as do many others, that many

I attended a longleaf pine planning meeting in Pearl, Mississippi on December 4. The meeting was organized by Jim Hancock of the Mississippi Forestry Commission as was billed as a “Roundtable discussion about LLP restoration implementation, pooling resources, efforts, funding, regularly scheduled team meetings, and the likes.”

Representatives from numerous, state, federal, and nonprofit

professional foresters and biologists would benefit from attending our Longleaf 101 & 201 Academies.

Leaving with Hands in the Air by Mark Hainds

Longleaf Planning Meeting in Pearl, Mississippi by Mark Hainds

Page 20 The Longleaf Leader

2013 is shaping up to be

another busy and

productive year, but we are

still in the process of putting

the final touches on dates

and activities. Check back

at our website as plans are

developing rapidly!

For Those in the Grass Stage by Anne Rilling

Page 21 Volume V, Issue IV

“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 Six: A Family of Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers Makes a Home in a Mature Longleaf Pine Tree. While most woodpeckers make their homes in dead trees where the wood is rotten and soft, the red-cockaded woodpecker is the only bird in North America that makes its cavities in living trees. In the southeastern United States, the longleaf pine was a favorite tree for the red-cockaded woodpeckers to make its home. Use Lesson Six found on our website (www.longleafalliance.org/nextgeneration) to fill in the blanks and find the answers in the crossword puzzle. Answers can be found below the picture.

Red-cockaded woodpeckers ___________________ their cavities in living pine trees.

A fungus call ___ _______ ________ causes the inner heartwood of the pine tree to rot and become soft.

A group of woodpeckers is called a ______________. There is only one ___________________ pair per group.

Red-cockaded woodpeckers prefer an open park-like forest and _______________ fires help maintain this forest condition.

__________ _____________ are primary predators of the red-cockaded woodpecker.

Woodpeckers chip small holes called resin wells that ooze _______________ down the face of the tree.

In the seventies, red-cockaded woodpeckers were list as _____________________ due to loss of habitat.

Red-cockaded woodpeckers were once found as far north as _________________ and as far west as _____________.

It can take up to ________________ years for a woodpecker to excavate a cavity.

The word _______________ comes from the bunch of red feathers patriots wore during the American

Revolution. The red ___________________ on these woodpeckers can be found on the side of the male

bird’s head.

Answers: CONSTRUCT, RED HEART DISEASE,

CLUSTER, BREEDING, FREQUENT, RAT SNAKES, GUM, ENDANGERED, NEW JERSEY, TEXAS, COCKADE, FEATHERS

Page 22 The Longleaf Leader

On behalf of The Longleaf Alliance staff, we wish you and yours Happy

Holidays and a

Joyous New Year!

Rhett’s words on his pending retirement:

“The only way they’ll get me out of here is to

drive a stake through my heart and

drag...DANG!”

Photo by JJ Bachant-Brown, but in her defense it

was Rhett’s idea!

Seriously, Rhett you will be missed and we wish

you and Kathy all the best in your well deserved

retirement. You have had such a positive and

lasting impact on The Longleaf Alliance family

and on the longleaf community overall. Longleaf

is on the road to recovery, as far as the eye can

see, due in large part to your vision, leadership,

and tireless efforts. We cannot thank you

enough.

Page 23 Volume V, Issue IV

Our Supporters!

Bonnie Stine

Bobi Stiles

Mary Snieckus

Jason Singhurst Doyle Shook

Clifford Shackelford

John Settlocker Tina Sanchez

Johanna Pate

Darryl Outlaw

John Matel Herb Markgraf

Peter Lindley

Kay Jenkins Ron Jacobson

Dave Holdermann

John Herron Daniel Gualtieri

Jared Goodman

Troy Ettel

Jason Ellis Colin Donohue

John Dondero

Barton Davis Bruce Cunningham

Jimmy Bullock

Jay Boykin

Julie Ballenger Sarah Ashton

Tim Albritton

Maragret Scarborough Simon Winston

Boon Chesson

Christopher Baker Scott Stein

Terri Cook

Michael & Mary Ann Huston

Robert Abernethy Dylan Longino

Gene Gabrielli

Enoch Timothy Sr. Longbranch Crossing, LLC

Kathleen Ward

Russell McCutchen

Tim Schinke The National Network of Forest Practitioners

Joy Lorens

Reggie Thackston

We are sorry to announce that bobwhite quail enthusiast, longleaf restoration advocate and

Alliance supporter Henry Faison of Charlotte,

NC and Mt. Pleasant Plantation, SC passed away

unexpectedly on November 30, 2012. His interest and efforts will be missed by all of us in

the natural resources arena in the region.

A Look Back at 2012

A list of our accomplishments in no particular order:

Hosted 9 longleaf workshops throughout the range plus spoke and/or exhibited at various meetings, conferences and field days Conducted 7 Longleaf Academy courses Presented 6 webinars Added 4 new Board members Produced 4 The Longleaf Leader newsletters Produced Non-timber Income Sources for Private Longleaf Pine Owners brochure Unveiled the book Longleaf: Far as the Eye Can See Continued improvements on website Maintained Facebook page Held 9th Biennial Regional Longleaf Conference Secured 4 grants / agreements totaling just over half a million dollars Talked to over 2000 students in FL, AL and GA Held a teacher’s workshop in GA Hired 5 full-time employees, 1 seasonal employee and 3 interns EST Burn Acreage to date in 2012 - over 16,000 acres Staff conducted numerous landowner visits across the region Copious amounts of phone calls and email responses to longleaf inquires Supervised Trees for a Greener GA program Staff served on numerous pertinent Boards and committees across the region Understory seed collected for propagation Developed a Longleaf Economics on-line course Supported numerous partnerships aimed at longleaf Developed 4 applied research projects Hosted 11 fire training courses Developed working pilot program for Sandhills Habitat Crediting Project Understory production plot established

Just to list a few; we might have missed one or two items!

Welcome to our Newest Supporters since the last newsletter:

Natalia Ritter

Jackson Steele

Mary Socci Rusty Wood

Billy Whitworth

George Weick Clay Ware

Kathleen Ward

Aaron Valenta Theron Terhune

Keith Tassin

If you are already a supporter of The Longleaf Alliance, THANK YOU; please consider passing this form on to a friend or colleague. If you are not a supporter, please join us and help The Longleaf Alliance keep this forest type as part of the southern landscape.

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The Longleaf Alliance is a non-profit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. All contributions are tax deductible when made payable to:

The Longleaf Alliance, 12130 Dixon Center Road, Andalusia, AL 36420

The Longleaf Alliance

12130 Dixon Center Road

Andalusia, AL 36420