Featured Success - Longleaf Pine Initiative

Featured Success: Longleaf Pine Initiative
Program: EQIP, WHIP
Partners: NRCS, LA Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries,
National Wild Turkey Federation, LSU, SWCD
Customer Success: George Melancon
Field Office: DeRidder, Chris Coreil, DC
Date: March 2008

Restoring Louisiana’s Historic Longleaf Pine Forest
The Longleaf Pine Initiative

At one time, Louisiana boasted its landscape with about seven million acres of longleaf pine habitat. These vast flatwood and savannah forests were once habitat rich areas that traversed sizable areas of southwestern, southeastern and central Louisiana. Now, the longleaf pine forest has quickly disappeared over the past century to only five percent of what it once was. Currently, about 250,000 acres of longleaf pine habitat can be found in Louisiana, with most of that on Kisatchie National Forest.

The longleaf pine grows to provide light overstory and open midstory. On the open forested floor, vegetation flourishes with native grasses and forbs. The important ecosystem of the longleaf pine forest provides valuable habitat to numerous animal, plant and insect species – many of which are now on the state’s list of Species of Conservation Concern. The federally listed red-cockaded woodpecker and the gopher tortoises also depend upon longleaf pine habitat for survival. The plant and animal species diversity found in longleaf pine and grassland habitat is more extensive than what is found in rainforests.

The Longleaf Pine Initiative was fostered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to help restore, sustain and protect Louisiana’s longleaf pine habitat. Through a cooperative conservation partnership among NRCS, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the National Wild Turkey Federation, financial and technical assistance became available to re-establish longleaf pine habitat. Through this initiative, we are planting seedlings, native grasses and forbs to help bring back habitat. Along with planting, land management practices are strategic in sustaining longleaf pine habitat. Practices such as prescribed burning is skillfully and professionally managed to help maintain longleaf pine habitat.

Natural disturbance, such as fire, supports the perseverance of longleaf pine forests. Burning provides a means for longleaf pine to become dominate. In most longleaf forests where burning has not occurred, the most competitive species are loblolly and slash pine and native hardwoods. Burning fights substantial growth of woody invasive species that can choke-out necessary forested growth and crowd the midstory, which causes thinning of the understory. Conversely, native plant species in these savannahs will flourish with periodic fire exposure. Also, new growth provides protein-rich forage and seeds for animals.

Considering the decline of longleaf habitat and its incalculable importance in the support of animal and plant life within the state, restoring longleaf forest acreage will buttress native biodiversity.

The Longleaf Pine Initiative helps landowners work in a cooperative conservation partnership effort to restore, protect and sustain habitat.

An example of this growing effort can be seen in the work of Mr. George Melancon. Mr. Melancon, participant in Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP), and a National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) contract holder, recently completed his site preparation and longleaf planting activities on a 70-acre tract in Beauregard Parish. For almost a year, Mr. Melancon has been working with the DeRidder Field Office to restore this tract of cutover to habitat rich longleaf pine forest. When Mr. George Melancon approached NRCS, he was unsure what to do with his property. The cost of planting longleaf pine was cost prohibitive, but it was something he felt should be done.

“The longleaf pine ecosystem historically dominated this area prior to the late 1800’s. Since that time much of the ecosystem has been lost due to a change in timber management. I’d like to help restore this ecosystem and the associated plant and animal communities associated with it,” said Mr. Melancon.

“Being a new landowner on a fixed budget, without the availability of these Farm Bill programs, I would not be able to afford the cost of replanting timber.”

Receiving technical and cost share assistance from NRCS, Mr. Melancon is committed to new land management practices and planting trees, native grasses, and forbs.

“I like working with NRCS because they provide assistance, advice, and recommendations to landowners attempting to manage their properties to improve natural resources. And just as important, this service is provided at a local level with hands on assistance,” said Mr. Melancon.

Chris Coreil, district conservationist in the DeRidder field office, assisted Mr. Melancon on his longleaf pine journey.

“I believe the financial help provided by NRCS and the National Wild Turkey Federation was the deciding factor for Mr. Melancon,” said Chris. “Now Mr. Melancon will be able to not only grow a diminished native tree species, but will be able to properly manage this land. Utilizing prescribed burns, Mr. Melancon will be recreating a natural phenomenon that was responsible for both encouraging the growth of native plants as well as reducing the risk of wildfires.”

But there is more to be done to help restore longleaf pine forest and habitat.

“Mr. Melancon is part of a movement, spurred on by the Soil and Water Conservation Districts, NRCS, LSU Cooperative Extension Service, National Wild Turkey Federation, and other like-minded organizations,” said Chris. “Through years of education, I believe more and more people have realized that there are long-term consequences to their actions, and that environmental stewardship is necessary to maintain the fertility of their land.”

What is the future of Louisiana’s longleaf forest and habitat? It will require a cooperative conservation effort to protect and restore the forest.

“The Long Leaf Pine Initiative is an example of how outreach, conservation planning, federal and private funds, and the landowner's will to conserve natural resources all come together in a cooperative conservation effort to help people help the land,” said Chris. “This effort and joint efforts such as this benefits people in the community and also soil, water, animals, plants, and the air quality.”