The Importance of the Longleaf Pine Savanna
Written by Dalton Morris | Edited by Julia Service
Image by Brian Henderson from Flickr
The longleaf pine savanna is an economic and biological asset to the U.S. The severe degradation of the ecosystem has led to restoration efforts to return it to a functionally, sustainable level.
The longleaf pine (Pinus Palustris) is the foundational species of the longleaf pine savanna. Longleaf pine savannas are home to a tremendous diversity of mammal, amphibian, reptile, bird, and plant species. This extraordinary ecosystem was foundational to the building of American biodiversity, America’s Navy, and America’s economy. Due to overexploitation, this diverse, rich ecosystem is fading and on the brink of collapse, but several state- and nation-wide initiatives are resurrecting this phoenix forest one acre at a time.
The longleaf pine savanna
The endangered longleaf pine savanna is characterized by shrubs and tall grasses that dominate the understory, with longleaf pine as the dominant tree species (1, 2). This savanna is maintained by frequent fires, every two to five years (3). In this case, fire is not a destructive force; it’s a recycling center that quickly overturns minerals and nutrients back into the soil. The native flora and fauna have even coevolved alongside frequent fires and need them to germinate. Annual burns in Longleaf pine savannas lead to increased reptile, mammalian, and plant species (4).
Fires also remove underbrush, which quickly builds and serves as a carbon and nitrogen store that is recycled by fire. If fires don’t occur, the underbrush chokes out native species and seeds. This buildup also depletes the soil of available nutrients, furthering the importance of frequent fires. Frequent fires remove shrubs, underbrush, and tall grasses, unlocking their seeds and opening space and nutrients for the next generation to germinate. Frequent fires are responsible for longleaf savanna ecosystem health.
Image by ChattOconeeNF from Flickr
Ecosystem biodiversity
The longleaf pine savanna ecosystem is home to tremendous biodiversity, which can be traced to the last ice age 20,000 years ago. During the last glaciation period, glaciers did not extend to the southern United States. This preserved native species that are endemic to the area.
This island of biodiversity is also due to the mosaic nature of the longleaf savanna ecosystem, with bogs, hardwoods like oak, tall grasses, and longleaf pine, which allow for a high number of niches to be filled (5). The longleaf pine ecosystem is home to 29 threatened or endangered species and houses over 900 unique plant and animal species (6).
Endangerment
The longleaf pine used to range from Maryland to Texas and colonized over 90 million acres. Human encroachment, logging, naval construction, forest conversion, fire suppression, invasive species, and housing development have reduced the once great longleaf pine to a mere 3.4 million acres, 3% of its historic range (7). And only 12,000 of those acres are old-growth forests that are established and unperverted (6).
One of the major factors in the longleaf decline came from the amazing properties of the wood itself. The longleaf pine is a straight and sturdy wood, which is easily made into boards. Most homes erected prior to the 20th century were made of longleaf pine boards. The longleaf pine was also instrumental in the creation of America’s Navy (5). Pre-modern ships used large amounts of tar, pitch, and terpenes, and the longleaf pine is chock-full of it. Harvesting of these substances was another major contributor to the decline of the longleaf pine.
Another significant factor in the longleaf’s decline is forest conversion. Loblolly and slash pine are favored for their quick growth in dense plantings. The vast majority of pine plantation owners go by the motto “plant ‘em thick and cut ‘em quick” (5). Invasive species such as cogon grass, privet, and kudzu are disrupting the longleaf savanna ecosystem by outcompeting the native species.
Conservation Efforts
A growing coalition of researchers, governmental organizations, nonprofit and for-profit corporations, and private land-owners have recognized the importance of the conservation of the longleaf pine. Restoring these forests will improve critical wildlife habitat, water quality, and resistance to insect and disease infestation. At Reboot Reforestation, we aim to provide technological innovations to combat environmental degradation. We use aerial seeding techniques to deliver “seed balls,” balls composed of clay, soil, ash, and seeds, to deforested areas. We focus on restoring the longleaf pine and have planted 1.5 acres of longleaf pine.
Citations
1. Sharma, Ajay, et al. "Effects of reproduction methods and overstory species composition on understory light availability in longleaf pine–slash pine ecosystems." Forest ecology and management 284 (2012): 23-33.
2. “Longleaf Pine.” UNC Red List. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/39068/2886222#assessment-information
3. Walbert, David. “Naval Stores and the Longleaf Pine.” Learn NC. 2008.
4. Darracq, Andrea K., Wesley W. Boone IV, and Robert A. McCleery. "Burn regime matters: a review of the effects of prescribed fire on vertebrates in the longleaf pine ecosystem." Forest Ecology and Management 378 (2016): 214-221.
5. “Longleaf for the Long Run.” Youtube, 11 Dec. 2019, <www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1nSoktY3UY>.
6. “The Long Road to Recovery for the Longleaf Pine.” American Forest Magazine. 13 Sept. 2013, <https://www.americanforests.org/magazine/article/the-long-road-to-recovery-for-the-longleaf-pine/>
7. Sharma, Ajay, et al. "Structural diversity of the longleaf pine ecosystem." Forest Ecology and Management 462 (2020): 117987.
