The longleaf pine forests of the southeast: requiem or renaissance?

Abstract

Longleaf pine once may have occupied as much as 92 million acres throughout the southeastern United States, making it the most extensive forest ecosystem in North America dominated by a single species. Probably less than 3 million acres now remain, and the survival of this once vast ecosystem is in doubt.Longleaf pine has many favorable attributes that suit it to a broad range of management goals and silvicultural methods.It is a high quality timber tree that, once established, is a low risk species to manage.It is resistant to fire and the more serious insects and diseases that afflict other southern pines.There are many reasons to restore longleaf pine to a part of the range it formerly occupied.Diverse and productive longleaf forests growing large, high value products under relatively long rotations will preserve environmental values that are an important part of the natural heritage of the southern landscape.

Citation

Landers, J. Larry; van Lear, David H.; Boyer, William D. 1995. The longleaf pine forests of the southeast: requiem or renaissance?. Journal of Forestry 93(11): 39-44.