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The Longleaf Alliance

The Longleaf Alliance. T oday and the Future. Longleaf Alliance history…. Organized in 1995 and held first regional conference that year in Mobile, Alabama

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The Longleaf Alliance

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  1. The Longleaf Alliance Today and the Future

  2. Longleaf Alliance history… • Organized in 1995 and held first regional conference that year in Mobile, Alabama • Our mission is to ensure a sustainable future for the longleaf pine ecosystem through partnerships, landowner assistance and science-based education and outreach • Our approach isto emphasize both the ecological and the economic values of longleaf forests, with particular attention to private lands

  3. Creation of The Longleaf Alliance, Inc. • Incorporated in 2007 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation to support longleaf restoration • Primary functions are to support longleaf restoration efforts, interact with policy makers at local, state and federal levels, and assist withrestoration efforts among partners across the region.

  4. Staff • Robert Abernethy, President • Anne Rilling, VP for Business • Mark Hainds, Research Coordinator • Carol Denhof, Understory Coordinator • Vernon Compton, GCPEP Director • Randy Tate, Ft. Stewart Director • Ad Platt, Technical Assistance Specialist • Bob Wilken, Fire Specialist • Steve Bennett, Ecosystem Support Team (EST) Leader • Karen Zilliox, EST Project Leader • Donna Vassallo, EST member • Brian Schumann, EST member • VP For Operations, Vacant • VP For Development, Vacant • Director of Outreach, Vacant • Administrative Assistant, Vacant

  5. Headquarters for The Longleaf Alliance The Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center near Andalusia, Alabama and in the heart of longleaf country. The staff there provides essential support to the Alliance.

  6. Methods & Accomplishments • Outreach & Technical Assistance • Communications • Education • Applied Research • Advocacy & Policy • Longleaf Landscapes

  7. Outreach & Technical Assistance • Over 1000 workshops, seminars, and presentations to professionals, land managers, and land owners in all nine states of the longleaf range • Hosted 9 major regional conferences, 4 Montane longleaf conferences, and 4 nursery / understory conferences • Memberof the Longleaf Partnership Council working toward implementation of the Range-wide Conservation Plan for Longleaf Pine

  8. Outreach & Technical Assistance continued… • Collaborate with public and private partners to share knowledge and resources to further the longleaf cause • Make hundreds of site visits with interested landowners and managers to answer longleaf questions

  9. Outreach & Technical Assistance continued… • Developed Longleaf Academy program in 2008 with Longleaf 101. • Longleaf 201 courses started in 2011 with Understory Restoration • Added Herbicides and Longleaf 201 in 2012. • Conducted 31 Longleaf Academy courses to date; 9 Academies and 3 Workshops planned in 2013 • 675 graduates trained to date • Webinars and online courses added in 2011.

  10. Communications • Maintain website as a clearinghouse for longleaf information • Produce quarterly newsletter The Longleaf Leader • Develop and disseminate technical information through various media • Respond to telephone and email requests for information • Maintain a Facebook page

  11. Education • Developed elementary and grade school curriculum, “Teaching Kids the Longleaf Story” and conducted teacher workshops in its use • Distribute the longleaf ecosystem poster set • Conducted dozens of classroom sessions using those materials and the novel “Longleaf” to increase awareness and appreciation of longleaf forests among the next generation of land owners, mangers and citizens

  12. Applied Research • Develop field demonstration sites across the range • Conduct or support applied research on: • Artificial regeneration and seedling quality • Herbicides and longleaf management • Prescribed fire and longleaf management • Understory restoration efforts • Longleaf Growth and Yield models • Comparative growth on xeric site • Partridge pea control on CRP sites • Longleaf inventory and mapping efforts • Gopher tortoise mitigation system(s)

  13. Advocacy & Policy • Provided recommendations for site prep, planting methods, planting depth, and release for longleaf in the CRP program • Advocated for longleaf to be included in WHIP and EQUIP programs • Promoted the use of native herbaceous species in CRP programs • Working to develop mitigation policies for endangered species that would reward private landowners for good stewardship • Advocate increased use of prescribed fire • Advocate stand conversion of loblolly and slash to longleaf in high risk areas (hurricane prone areas, diseases and insects) • Advocate longer rotations for multiple objectives

  14. Longleaf Landscapes • Longleaf forests we are currently working directly with to protect and manage • Gulf Coastal Plain (GCPEP), NW FL / South Al • Ft. Stewart Area, GA • Wade Tract, GA • Big Woods, GA • Hobcaw Plantation, SC • Brosnan Forest, SC • Hitchcock Woods, SC

  15. Funding • The Alliance operates with donations and gifts from sponsors and supporters and grants from State and Federal agencies and other non-profits.

  16. Current Grants & Projects (16) • NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) to establish Understory Restoration Coordinator Position • NRCS Alabama Workshops • Home Depot Longleaf Restoration Project • Conecuh National Forest Challenge Cost Share Agreement • Georgia Forestry Commission Academy Grant • NC/SC/VA Forest Service Academy Grant • Alabama Forestry Commission Longleaf Restoration

  17. Current Grants & Projects continued… • NFWF/GCPEP – Landscape level restoration and conservation coordination • NFWF Ft. Stewart Landscape Level Restoration • NFWF Understory Grant • NFWF Technical Service Provider (AL, FL) • NFWF Power of Flight • USFWS Education and Outreach • USFWS Georgia Partners for Wildlife • USFWS Texas Partners for Wildlife • USFWS Range-wide Conservation Plan Implementation

  18. On the Horizon • Fill the vacant positions of VP for Operations, VP for Development, Director of Outreach and Administrative Assistant. • Expand our ability to bring Academies to all the states while looking for additional grants to reduce the cost to the participant. • Expand Prescribed Fire Insurance for the Landowner. • Expand work on our National Forests through Challenge Cost Share Agreements and Stewardship Contracting. • Expand grants and partnerships to put more Longleaf in the ground and more smoke in the air. • Expand the 24 page quarterly newsletter to a 40 page full color glossy magazine with updates of research, projects and implementation reports from across the range, December 2013.

  19. The Big Goal • 8 million acres of Longleaf by 2023 • The Longleaf Alliance is here to: • Further the education effort through workshops, Academies, the Longleaf Leader, the website and publications. • Develop and lead implementation teams where needed • Collaborate with all partners to achieve our common goal of Longleaf, Far as the Eye Can See

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