The Owen Fellowship of The Longleaf Alliance Awards $20,000 Scholarship to Ian Warr for Advanced Studies in the Longleaf Pine Ecosystem
March 15, 2024
Now in its second round, The Owen Fellowship of The Longleaf Alliance (TLA) is a program that makes a direct impact on the development of the next generation of longleaf pine restoration professionals and researchers.
We are proud to announce that this year’s award will be given to Ian Warr, Graduate Student in Forestry & Natural Resources at the University of Georgia, in the amount of $20,000.
Ian's research aims to unravel poorly understood physiological processes in longleaf pine, specifically the role of belowground non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) reserves in its early life history stages.
In addition to establishing baseline belowground NSC concentrations across grass, bolting, sapling, and mature longleaf pine trees, this study will capture reductions in NSC reserves during bolting, construct an annual carbon budget, and assess the impact on estimated biomass.
“The selection committee is unanimous in our decision to offer Ian this year’s Fellowship. We were all so impressed with Ian and are excited about his project and what this work will contribute to longleaf restoration and management. Supporting this type of applied research is important to The Longleaf Alliance and we look forward to working with him,” said TLA’s President Carol Denhof.
About The Owen Fellowship
The Owen Fellowship of The Longleaf Alliance aims to advance longleaf pine research through a $20,000 scholarship award for graduate students. The Fellowship also includes participation in the 15th Biennial Longleaf Conference, formal presentation at the 16th Biennial Longleaf Conference, and contribution to The Longleaf Leader magazine.
Dr. William ‘Bill’ Owen is a professional musician, educator, and landowner in Virginia. Through his work on the Board of Directors of The Longleaf Alliance, he was inspired to endow a fellowship for advanced studies and research in the South’s great forest.
Bill hopes The Owen Fellowship will encourage the next generation of longleaf leaders. “I’m obviously passionate about longleaf pine but I am also passionate about education. I decided to combine these two with a bequest to The Longleaf Alliance to endow a scholarship for advanced studies in the longleaf ecosystem," said Bill Owen.
About The Longleaf Alliance
The Longleaf Alliance, based in Andalusia, Alabama, was established in 1995 to promote retention, management, and restoration of longleaf throughout its historic range, serve as a clearinghouse of information on all things longleaf, provide technical assistance to landowners and managers, provide education and training to natural resource professionals, and facilitate partnerships among the numerous public and private interests vital to the future of the longleaf forest. The mission of The Longleaf Alliance is to ensure a sustainable future for the longleaf pine ecosystem through partnerships, landowner assistance and science-based education and outreach.
Contact
Lynnsey Basala, Vice President for Development, The Longleaf Alliance
Lynnsey@longleafalliance.org or (314) 288-5654