Efforts Underway to Restore Longleaf Pine at Fort Valley State University

Fort Valley State University (FVSU) is launching a new project with the National Wildlife Federation's Southeast Forestry team in Georgia to conduct longleaf pine ecosystem restoration. This initiative is one of many to promote forest management and stewardship in partnership with collegiate entities within the Southeast forested landscape.

This past September, the FVSU project team came together to kick off the project alongside Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC), paving the way for restoration efforts like prescribed burning, herbicide application, and sapling planting to begin in the years to come.

The longleaf pine ecosystem-once spanning 90 million acres stretching from Virginia to Texas-is crucial to the Southeast, but human activity has caused a drastic decline in acreage. The Southeast Forestry program aims to reverse this damage, improving forest health, climate conditions, water quality and quantity, and decreasing wildfire risk. The FVSU restoration project will restore approximately 90 acres of campus property to longleaf pine, aiding in the recovery of native species around the university and serving as an educational forest for both students and landowners.

"Our forest restoration program has found a strong partner with Fort Valley State University for longleaf pine restoration, management and educational opportunities in the Southeast," said Tiffany Woods, Senior Director of Southeast Forestry at the National Wildlife Federation. "This project will not only provide an outdoor classroom for students, but also cultivate a deeper connection between students and our invaluable forests, fostering a sense of stewardship and connection to the natural world."

Collegiate interest in longleaf pine ecosystems

To support the project, the National Wildlife Federation welcomes FVSU senior Bryan Hallman as the Southeast Forestry Collegiate Outreach Intern. Hallman will assist the Southeast Forestry program by monitoring the effects of forest management activities, documenting restoration events, and garnering interest in the project through establishing a collegiate interest focused on prescribed burning education.

Longleaf Pine Straw Demonstration Research Plot at Fort Valley State University in Fort Valley, Georgia. Credit: Shelby Diehl

The restoration area is anticipated to become a high-value educational site that will provide opportunities to host outreach and learning events and workshops for local landowners, forestry professionals and FVSU students. By combining academic knowledge with field experience, this partnership will benefit higher education while contributing to broader conservation goals.

"FVSU is a leader in undergraduate education, research and outreach programs, and we are excited to restore 90 acres of our campus property to longleaf pine," said Dr. Cedric Ogden, Extension Engineer Specialist, Assistant Professor at FVSU. "These acres will be an important teaching ground to serve our students, faculty, extension, and community of landowners. We are deeply connected to our community, providing services and programs that address local needs of landowners."

The National Wildlife Federation and Fort Valley State University will collaborate with the GFC, on an updated forest management plan and partner with The Longleaf Alliance, Georgia Forestry Commission, Georgia Wildlife Federation, Tall Timbers and partners from America's Longleaf Restoration Initiative for implementation and to conduct outreach for the project. The restoration project is funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Longleaf Landscape Stewardship Fund and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resource Conservation Service Georgia Division.

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