I grew up with one of the co-founders of People’s Forest Foundation (PFF), Dylan Maras. He still lives in his childhood home in Talisheek, Louisiana. On the drive down Highway 435 to his house, we always passed this notable forest. It was notable because of its inordinate openness, looking as if it would be perfect for a leisurely stroll. You see, many forests I played in within Louisiana as a child were always so thick with vegetation that I would have to bushwack to move through it. However, this forest’s openness felt as if it was inviting me to get lost in it. I didn’t take up the invitation until many years later. I was a senior in college when I first started learning about the longleaf pine ecosystem. A declining and forgotten forest type that persists only in small refuges across its southeastern range. I wanted to see this rare forest with my own eyes so I drove to the nearest refuge. I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived at that same forest I always passed as a child on Highway 435. The invitation to explore a longleaf pine forest was being advertised way before I was even interested in it. I took my shoes off and immersed myself in the pines. I meandered into meadows underneath trees. My feet were interlocked with wildflowers, grasses, and forbs. I looked ahead through the forest and was reminded of an ocean horizon. Although, instead of endless waves it was longleaf pines, as far as the eye could see. In fact, this forest once spanned infinitely farther than my eyesight. These pines spread across a whopping 90 million acres along the southeast coast from Eastern Texas to Maryland. Folks would say that you could walk from the outskirts of New Orleans to Tallahassee for 500 miles and never leave the shade of longleaf pine. In 1867, Colonel Samuel Lockett served in the Confederate army in St. Tammany parish and wrote, “We saw a herd of deer grazing half a mile away through the grassy pine forest.” In “Longleaf, Far as the Eye Can See” author Bill Finch, et al. put it as so, “This isn't a forest, nor is it a meadow. It is one of the few ecosystems in the world and perhaps the only one that can so fully claim to be both.” As one strolls through these woods, you may begin to ponder, 

“Who is managing this forest to make it so open and visible?” 

Well, that is a brilliant observation, and yes, these forests are being managed. However, not by humans but by fire.

Fire is one of the most ancient forms of forest management. It has been taking care of southern forests for more than 25 million years. The primary way a wildfire ignites is through lightning. The southeast coastal plain has the highest amount of lightning strikes in North America. Here in Louisiana, a forest fire would naturally occur from late spring through the summer. A thunderstorm would roll in and a loud burst of lightning strikes a pine tree. In fact, some hypothesize that longleaf actually attracts lightning to strike its crown; however, this is difficult to prove. There are abundant amounts of resin (commonly referred to as sap) within the trunk of the tree. The high resin content allows the lightning-struck tree to turn into a candle that can smolder for months. As the tree burns, it showers the forest floor in hot embers that come in contact with dry pine needles that have been accumulating for two years. The needles carry the flames across the forest floor and that fire incinerates just about everything in its path. However, longleaf has evolved with fire for millions of years, so it has adapted to the heat. The bark is thick & flaky which allows it to flick the flames away from that life-sustaining inner bark. Even longleaf saplings have evolved resistance to fire. A sapling looks more like a bundle of grass, which is what we call its grass stage. When it comes in contact with flames, the grass-like structure dissipates that heat away from the inner core which is where the tree grows from. Additionally, the grassy needles of longleaf are so juicy with moisture that they dissipate the flames by literally steaming them away. This grass-like structure is fascinating because it is only found in two handfuls of pine species across the world, all enduring regular forest fires. The meadow plants on the forest floor have deep root systems and once burned quickly begin to grow back with verdant vigor. Longleaf needs to be burned- in fact, they crave it. Without a forest fire every two to three years, shrubs and hardwoods would begin to grow between the pine poles. When this happens, longleaf succumbs to the competition of encroaching tree species of oaks or invasives. It has been said that “longleaf pine needs fire, just as much as a rainforest needs water.”

These forests are one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the United States. One could throw a hula hoop on the forest floor and count 40-60 species of plants within it! Over 925 plant species are endemic to this ecosystem such as wiregrass, orchids, carnivorous plants, and wildflowers. A six-inch elevation gain in a moist longleaf pine forest can result in as much species diversity change as climbing 1,000 feet in the Blue Ridge mountains. Many of these plant species are endemic which means that they can only be found within longleaf pine forests. Fire plays a vital role in longleaf biodiversity by creating open and sunny spaces between the pines for different plant species to grow. 

 This unusually high diversity in plants invites a myriad of animals too. Grey foxes, gopher frogs, eastern indigo snakes, screech owls, Bachman sparrows, flatwood salamanders, and Bachman fox squirrels are just a few of the creatures that call longleaf their home. This biodiversity can be attributed to certain species within longleaf pine that create habitat for others. In ecology, we would call those animals a keystone species. For example, gopher tortoises, a longleaf local, dig deep burrows into the earth that over 350 species use for shelter. I once worked on a monitoring effort to see how many gopher tortoises are in Louisiana. We would siphon long, noodle-like cameras down their burrows to see who was home. While descending into various burrows I found frogs, toads, rodents, opossumus, insects, snakes, skinks and at the end of the tunnel, a gopher tortoise. It was an animal hotel, a safe haven for all creatures. Another keystone species, red-cockaded woodpeckers, excavate nest cavities in longleaf pines that create homes for other birds, insects, and bats. There is an abundance of insect species within longleaf as well. One may think that insects would wreak havoc on all the plant life, however, with high species diversity always comes increased competition for resources. It is theorized that this competition keeps each insect population in check, with no insect species becoming more overabundant than another. The health of a longleaf pine forest may be attributed to its extraordinary biodiversity.

People are another species that has reaped the benefits of longleaf pine. Cherokee, Choctaw, Seminole, and Creek indigenous tribes would burn pine forests to create quality wildlife habitat used for hunting. Game species such as white-tail deer, turkey, and bob-white quail are attracted to longleaf pine forests due to the high diversity of plants to forage. Tribes would use longleaf wood for canoes and tools, the resin for adhesives and antiseptic medicine, and the pine needles for weaving baskets and thatching roofs. The impeccable quality of longleaf pine lumber has been recognized since humans started using it. The British Society of Chemical Industry stated in 1892 that, “Longleaf lumber is superior to other wood in its strength and durability. Its cross-breaking strength rivals oak, requiring 10,000 Ibs per square inch to break it. Its tensile strength is approaching or surpassing cast iron. In stiffness, it is superior to oak from 50-100%.” The Great Southern Lumber Company in Bogalusa, Louisiana was the largest mill in the country at one point. The superior longleaf pine lumber produced was sent to build homes and businesses in New Orleans, however, the exportation of longleaf lumber spanned much farther than just the south. The walls and floor of Queen Victoria's castle in Scotland were made from longleaf lumber. Many of the old mines in Ireland were supported with the poles of longleaf due to their high strength and rot resistance. Longleaf pines have an inordinate ability to resist fungi, insect, and disease infestations as well as survive regular hurricanes and wildfires. This natural insurance is invaluable for those who decide to grow longleaf for timber. In the mid-19th century, citizens of New Orleans would take a boat across Lake Pontchartrain to the North Shore to escape the swampy heat and retreat into the pines around Abita Springs. Longleaf grow on sandy soils that drain water deep into the earth. These well-drained soils reduce humidity so a summer night’s temperature in a longleaf pine forest can be a pleasant 60-70 degrees. 

 This forest was once ubiquitous in the southeast. It was just as much a part of southern culture as gumbo and live oaks. However, everything changed when European settlers arrived in the South. The virgin longleaf pine forests in Louisiana were all cut between 1880-1930. Due to extensive logging, land conversion, and fire suppression 87 million acres of longleaf were lost with only 3% of that original forest remaining. Smokey the Bear inaccurately educated people across America that fire was bad and needed to be prevented. Fire suppression allowed competing vegetation to grow and it smothered longleaf pine forests across its range. Since the absence of fire, Louisiana’s forest species have changed and have now been taken over by non-native & invasive plant species. The forests of St. Tammany parish are not as open and easy to move through as Colonel Samuel Lockett described in 1837. Today, one would need to bushwack with a machete to move across a Louisiana forest. Species such as red-cockaded woodpecker and gopher tortoises are intertwined with longleaf and too have declined because of habitat loss. I have asked many people if they have heard of longleaf pine, and many say, “No, what's that?”. It is truly a forgotten forest even though longleaf played a significant role in the rise of the south.

Here at PFF, our mission is to educate our community about their southern natural heritage as well as to restore longleaf pine to the Northshore where it once thrived. We believe that our home can still be a place where people can retreat into the pines and restore their spirits in the magical landscape of longleaf. Longleaf embraces us with open arms through its park-like openness. Everyone deserves to retreat and be held by their local forest. Nature bounces back when we give it the chance to thrive, and it is our duty as a community to come together to restore what has been lost. In “Longleaf, Far as the Eye Can See” author Bill Finch, et al. wrote “We hover on the edge of a longleaf pine forest looking in. The creatures who don't deserve a tree like Longleaf, the species that almost destroyed it, the only species that has the power to put it all back together again. Find yourself a place in it: this forest will not be restored until longleaf welcomes its last long-lost species home.”

If you are interested in learning more, PFF offers free guided nature walks through our local longleaf pine forest outside of Abita Springs, Louisiana. 

Additionally, there are a handful of organizations (listed below) that financially support landowners to restore this unique ecosystem. If you are interested in restoring longleaf pine on your land or supporting the initiative, we would love to help you! 

You can contact us at peoplesforestfoundation@gmail.com.

Links to organizations:

NRCS: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs-initiatives/longleaf-pine-initiative

Longleaf Alliance: https://longleafalliance.org/ 

Book Recommendations:

Longleaf, Far as the Eye Can See: A New Vision of North America's Richest Forest by Bill Finch, et al.