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The Ecosystem

HomeWhat is Longleaf?The EcosystemBuilt by Fire

Built by Fire

Frequent, low intensity, and often large scale, surface fires were the dominant factor in shaping the longleaf pine ecosystems across the historical range. This frequent fire regime, over generations, selected for longleaf pine’s fire-resistant attributes.

Fire prepares the seed bed for increased chance of survival for longleaf pine germinants. Photo by Sarah Crate.
Fire prepares the seed bed for increased chance of survival for longleaf pine germinants. Photo by Sarah Crate.
New needle growth on grass stage longleaf after being scorched in a fire. Photo by Randy Tate.
New needle growth on grass stage longleaf after being scorched in a fire. Photo by Randy Tate.
Thick plates of bark protect inner wood from surface fires. Charred bark is a sign  of a previous fire. Photo by Robert Abernethy.
Thick plates of bark protect inner wood from surface fires. Charred bark is a sign of a previous fire. Photo by Robert Abernethy.

Seeds & Seedlings

Fire consumes litter on the forest floor, creating optimal conditions for germination. While longleaf seeds can germinate almost anywhere (on rocks, logs, forest mulch), they survive best on mineral soil. New germinants are susceptible to fire, however, until reaching the grass stage.

Grass Stage

Grass stage longleaf focus their growth underground in their roots while their long, dense needles protect the growth bud above ground. When a fire occurs, any burned or scorched needles will be quickly replaced with new growth. During the grass stage, longleaf pine seedlings are very resistant to fire damage.

“Rocket” Stage

Once longleaf initiates height growth, it grows rapidly in a short period of time, securing an advantageous position to gather sunlight. As it grows, newly emerged ‘candles’ may be vulnerable to damage until new (and protective) needles develop or the growing tip moves above typical flame heights. During the rocket stage, longleaf pine trees are also slightly more vulnerable to fire until its bark thickens for sufficient insulation.

Fire Resistant, Not Fire-Proof

After longleaf reaches 8 feet in height and about 2 inches in diameter at ground level, it becomes very robust and resistant to fire damage. On mature trees, thick plates of bark protect the inner wood from surface fires. Lower pine limbs are thermally pruned, keeping the canopy above most flame heights. Once established, longleaf needle litter promotes subsequent fires by providing fine fuels to carry fire across the forest floor. Of course, no tree is fire-proof, and longleaf pines are susceptible to fire injury during certain life-stages and when stressed by other environmental conditions (like drought, pests, or disease).

A Fire Forest

Longleaf pines are just one species in southeastern ecosystems adapted to frequent, low-intensity fires. Plants and wildlife alike utilize different strategies to survive and thrive in regularly burned habitats. See this response in action in the Perennial Forest Story - a visual journey of one forest following a prescribed fire.

BROWSE THIS SECTION

  • The Tree
    • Life Stages
    • The Economics
    • The History
    • The Misconceptions
  • The Ecosystem
    • Built by Fire
    • Habitats
    • Species Diversity
  • Restoration & Management
    • Groundcover Restoration
    • Herbicides
    • Longleaf Regeneration
    • Prescribed Fire
  • Photo Gallery

From our feed

The Longleaf Alliance is excited to introduce our The Longleaf Alliance is excited to introduce our new field team assisting the reticulated flatwoods salamander project on Escribano Point Widllife Management Area in Florida 🎉🥳🎉The Ambystoma bishopi (AMBBIS) Restoration Team, or A.R.T. for short, will be part of the greater AMBBIS team and primarily work on wetland restoration goals for the reticulated flatwoods salamander.This full-time team consists of all returning staff: Haley Welshoff, ART crew lead, and biological restoration technicians Abe Huang, Kameron Burgess, and Sean Seid. These veteran team members have certainly gotten wetland restoration down to an ART-formMore at https://longleafalliance.org/welcome-art/#WorldWetlandsDay #RestoreWetlands #longleafalliance
Last week, The Longleaf Alliance and @nationalwild Last week, The Longleaf Alliance and @nationalwildlife introduced a new Academy type – Longleaf & the Landowner.We were thrilled to work with the 2022 Gjerstad/Johnston Landowner of the Year award winner, Herbert Hodges and the Willie Hodges Estate Family Farm, who opened the doors to the farm that has been in the family since the 1890s to hold the 3-day event.The course was designed with underserved landowners and land stewards in mind.  The ~40 attendees learned about site preparation, longleaf and fire, planting techniques, managing for wildlife habitat, a historical perspective on black land loss and retention in the South, heirs property concerns, and connecting with resources to guide a landowner through the myriad of cost-share programs and other types of assistance and guidance available. Academy graduates completed the week with palpable enthusiasm to continue learning, and we look forward to working with partners around the range to bring this program, and ones like it, to additional communities in the longleaf range!We couldn’t have done this without the expertise provided by our partners: the U.S. Forest Service - @gatrees - @georgiawildlife - Natural Resources Conservation Service - Georgia Heirs Property Law Center - Center for Heirs’ Property Preservation - @thetrcp - @mcintoshseed - and the Longleaf for All working group under America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative. Read more about the Hodges > https://longleaf.info/Hodges#LongleafAcademy #LongleafForAll #LongleafLandowner #restorelongleaf
We are pumped to share that there are even MORE op We are pumped to share that there are even MORE opportunities to learn about and see prescribed fire in action coming up in Georgia. Sign for one (or mulitple events!!!!) that work for your location and schedule.🔥 Swainsboro, GA | Week of Feb 7th > https://longleaf.info/Swainsboro🔥 Milford, GA | Feb 25th, rain date March 4th > https://longleaf.info/Milford🔥 Baxley, GA | March 3rd, rain date March 10th > https://longleaf.info/events🔥 Waynesboro, GA | March 17th, rain date March 24th > https://longleaf.info/events
In 2018, The Alliance's Wetland Ecosystem Support In 2018, The Alliance's Wetland Ecosystem Support Team (WEST) formed to restore isolated wetlands in the Gulf Coastal Plain Ecosystem Partnership (GCPEP). Since then we've had 15+ team members improve wetlands with mechanical/chemical treatments and prescribed fire, working through very demanding weather and habitat conditions.December 2022 marked a milestone as WEST completed their final multi-year Florida State Wildlife Grant, far exceeding grant deliverables in all areas. WEST's work benefitted many wildlife species, but especially the reticulated flatwoods salamander and the Florida bog frog. From 2018-2022, WEST was the under direction of The Alliance's Natural Resource Supervisor Kaiden Spurlock with many staff playing a role over the years, including team leads Jessica Sandoval, Ed O'Daniels, Nicole Barys and Kameron Burgess.Thank you WEST for your hard work and lasting impact on the GCPEP landscape. 👏👏👏Check out more WEST photos through the years at longleafalliance.org > news (link in bio) P.S. Stay tuned for more TLA field team news this week!#longleafalliance #prescribedburn #goodfire #prescribedfire #restorelongleaf #restorewetlands
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