Two hundred years ago, the “piney woods” of folk songs referred to a vast forest sweeping across 90 million acres from Virginia to Texas. The longleaf pine tree dominated the American South, sheltering white-top pitcher plants and red-cockaded woodpeckers in the open, park-like spaces beneath its branches. Settlers favored the longleaf pine’s fire-resistant wood for cabins, and the new national navy sailed under its solid timber and resinous pitch.

Today, longleaf pine survives in fragmented patches across its former range. Less than 3% of the unique forest remains — providing mulch for gardeners, a playground for nature enthusiasts and a barrier against devastating fires exacerbated by climate change. The shrinking stands of trees still contain one of the most diverse conglomerations of animals and plants found outside the tropical rainforest, including 29 threatened and endangered species.

In 2009, The Conservation Fund joined more than 20 nonprofits and government agencies in support of America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative to rebuild this vibrant landscape across the Southeast. At the start of a 15-year plan to nearly triple the longleaf pine’s reach, from 3.4 million acres to 8 million acres, TFC is providing answers to one critical question:

Where to Begin?

Using 21st-century mapmaking tools, we helped draft the first maps showing where substantial acres of longleaf pine survive. The maps, tracing the outlines of the forest’s historical range, reveal where the best bets for longleaf expansion may lie.

“If the plan is to add another 5 million acres of longleaf over the next 20 years, a good map helps us know where the money should get invested to do that 5 million acres’ worth of work,” says Will Allen, TCF’s director of strategic conservation. “Until now, we only had a rough sense of where those investments should go.”

The maps give an overall idea of total acreage. Now, The Conservation Fund wants to know exactly where existing acres of longleaf are and whether they are good stands. With detailed maps, conservationists can home in on priority stands for preservation, identify stands that can be sustainably logged and pursue other opportunities for economic investment.

With history in hand, Allen was struck by how few longleaf pines remain. “If every now and then you see stands of longleaf pine, you don’t get a sense of how much we’ve lost,” he says. But this initiative strikes a hopeful note for the future. The Department of Defense provides a good model for preserving longleaf pine habitat, particularly around military installations in the Southeast. If other partners follow suit, longleaf habitat — and the entire region — will benefit.

Learn More

• America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative
• Longleaf Pine Map Gallery