For the Love of the Longleaf Pine

Open Canopy, Vibrant Understory

Longleaf forests have a unique appearance. 他们的加拿大28回水木长得很远，加拿大28回水木之间的空间里长满了草和野花.

这些开阔的草地森林里充满了地球上其他地方找不到的数千种物种. Roughly 1,000 different plants grow within them, including orchids, meadowbeauties, sundews, and venus flytraps. Animals also thrive among the longleaf pines. Prehistoric gopher tortoises, tiny flatwoods salamanders, red-cockaded woodpeckers, and countless other rare wildlife all live in harmony in these forests. And there are plenty of everyday species that call the forest home, too — like fox squirrels, bobwhite quail, butterflies, and deer.

“It’s one of the most biodiverse systems in North America. Just in the ground cover of really high-quality longleaf sites, you can have over 100 species within a quarter acre,” says Carol Denhof, president of The Longleaf Alliance, 一个致力于长叶松生态系统恢复的非营利组织.

With such a high level of biodiversity, it’s no wonder there’s a collective movement to replant these pines.

Close relationship with fire

Fire is a necessity for longleaf pine forests to thrive. Not the uncontained, destructive wildfires that regularly make headlines. 这些森林需要的是低强度的可控燃烧，以帮助恢复景观的活力.

As a critical part of ongoing forest management, controlled fires are typically planned every two to five years, depending on the landscape. And the outcome is drastically different than wildfire. 健康的加拿大28回水木对火的耐受性较好，林下植被对火的适应性强，效益大.

“You run a fire through one of these forests, and within just a few days, you see green sprouts coming up from the grasses. It’s like rebirth, in a way,” Denhof notes.

这些定期的火灾也有助于防止失控的火灾发生，因为它们减少了燃料——草的堆积, shrubs, downed trees, leaves, and needles that burn readily.

“Fire is a really important part of wildfire reduction,” says Lisa Lord, the Conservation Programs Director with The Longleaf Alliance. “We want to burn on our terms, 当闪电击中一棵加拿大28回水，然后突然整个加拿大28回水都燃烧起来，因为你没有做任何规定的烧伤.”

Suprisingly, plants aren’t the only ones adapted to low-intensity fire. 实际上，许多动物都在洞穴中寻找庇护 gopher tortoises that make their home among the longleaf pines.

A Pivital Point In History

As European settlers moved into this region, longleaf pines provided two different key resources: pine pitch and wood. 沥青被制成焦油和松节油，在殖民时期用于防水船. 收获的木材被用于建造房屋、轮船和铁路. 该地区现代生活的基础在很大程度上依赖于这些加拿大28回水木.

目力所及之处都是长叶松林，资源似乎是取之不尽的.

Unfortunately, it was not.

随着加拿大28回水木被砍伐，土地往往变成农田或城市空间. 一些被砍伐的长叶林被其他松加拿大28回水取代或重新种植，如斜杠松加拿大28回水和火炬松, 特别是在新定居的土地上，火被积极地扑灭了.

虽然这里的大部分景观已经消失，但人们正在努力拯救它. The Arbor Day Foundation has identified the American Southeast as an area in great need of reforestation efforts. The latest science and data point to this region as a priority, where tree planting can make the biggest impact. 这就是为什么基金会正在与东南地区的组织合作，包括 The Longleaf Alliance 种植数百万棵新幼苗，帮助恢复长叶松的生态系统.

Resilience In The Face Of An Uncertain Future

As climate change, water shortages, and other crises continue to challenge our natural world, longleaf pines are standing strong — ensuring that people can thrive. “We’re restoring this iconic ecosystem, 这给人类和自然带来了各种各样的好处,” explains Lord.

其中一个好处是清洁的水，包括数百万居民的饮用水. “健康的森林系统有助于过滤含水层和地下水中的水. It prevents water loss from runoff,” says Denhof. “你想让水渗入地下，而不是像停车场一样滚下来. 即使是牧场也不能像原生地被覆盖的森林那样吸收那么多的水.”

另一个好处是碳捕获有助于减少气候变化的影响. Longleaf pines live an average of 250 years. 这意味着它们能够在更长的时间内储存更多的碳, bettering the environment for us all.

此外，它还能抵御火灾、干旱和飓风. 随着气候变化，自然灾害加剧，它们有可能破坏景观. But longleaf pines remain rooted to the ground, 它们的适应性使它们能够经受住这些极端天气，确保森林的未来.

As a shared passion for this tree continues to grow, 越来越多的土地所有者参与到恢复长叶松林的努力中来. 当洛德第一次与对种植这些加拿大28回水感兴趣的人一起工作时，她亲眼看到了这一点.

“They’re entranced by the mystique of the longleaf fo rests, all the cool wildlife that are part of it, and the fire. They love the story,” she says. And really, how could they not?