The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced Tuesday it will grant $2.88 million to seven southern states in an effort to re-plant the longleaf pine over thousands of acres across the South.
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The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced Tuesday it will grant $2.88 million to seven southern states in an effort to re-plant the longleaf pine over thousands of acres across the South.
The longleaf pine ecosystem once covered more than 90 million acres across nine states, from Virginia to Texas. Today, only 3 percent of the original acreage remains, with 29 threatened and endangered species depending on the shrinking habitat, including the red-cockaded woodpecker, the gopher tortoise and the indigo (pine) snake, according to the NFWF. With the grants, foresters will work to restore the tree in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.
The NFWF is a tax-exempt nonprofit chartered by Congress in 1984. The grants are part of the NFWF Longleaf Stewardship Fund, a public-private partnership that includes the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Forest Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and energy maker Southern Company. Recently, the NFWF was in the news as the recipient of a $50,000 community service payment from Gibson Guitar as part of the guitar maker's criminal enforcement agreement entered into with the U.S. Department of Justice for violating the Lacey Act.
The NFWF made the announcement at Florida's Blackwater River State Forest. There, the Florida Forest Service plans to establish 900 new acres of native longleaf pine and enhance more than 59,000 acres of the longleaf pine ecosystem. Also, the Florida Forest Service will provide technical assistance to private landowners and plant 500,000 longleaf seedlings on private lands around the Osceola National Forest.
The 16 projects selected to receive support will expand and enhance the longleaf ecosystem on public and private lands across its historic range. They include nine "significant geographic areas" identified for their great potential to restore large, connected landscapes of longleaf pine forest. These targeted areas are anchored by Department of Defense military bases, national forests, Fish and Wildlife Service refuges and state protected lands.
It is anticipated that through these projects, more than 11,000 acres of longleaf pine habitat will be restored and an additional 122,000 acres will be enhanced, benefitting an incredible diversity of species native to the longleaf ecosystem.
"During a decade of working with NFWF and others to conserve longleaf pine forests, we have learned very clearly that strong, diverse partnerships are the key to achieving meaningful results," said Chris Hobson, Southern Company chief environmental officer. "These new projects, and the increased resources of our new partners, will expand and accelerate critical habitat restoration and engage the public in our growing region."