Richmond County is one of six North Carolina counties that make up the region called the Sandhills. The Sandhills ecosystem is a harsh yet beautiful environment, representing an ancient dune system dividing the Piedmont from the Coastal Plain region of the state.
The Sandhills region is made up of deep, sandy soils that are nutrient-poor, with little water-holding capacity. Plants and animals in this ecosystem evolved to be dependent on the frequent natural fires that occurred here. I often receive calls from people interested in knowing what they can grow on their land to make it “pay” — or at least offset some of the property taxes.
Farming in the Sandhills is extremely challenging because of the unforgiving growing conditions. For many people, with limited time and money for tractors, irrigation systems and other farming equipment, growing longleaf pine may be the best option for managing their land productively.
Longleaf pine is a slow-growing, native pine tree that is highly adapted to the Sandhills’ harsh conditions. Longleaf pine timber is stronger and in many ways superior to loblolly pine, and the tree produces what can be a secondary source of income in pinestraw. Longleaf pine also provides critical infrastructure in one of the most unique environments in the world, one with an amazing diversity of plants and animals when properly managed.
The Sandhills Area Land Trust, or SALT, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and N.C. Cooperative Extension have partnered on a new project called the Sandhills Longleaf Pine Project to help restore, improve and expand the longleaf pine forests that make the Sandhills so special.
Thanks to a $150,000 grant from National Fish and Wildlife, the team is working together to assist private landowners in achieving their forestry goals around establishment of longleaf pine.
The project is part of an initiative in the southeastern U.S. to re-establish longleaf pine to its original range from Virginia to Texas. Today’s roughly 3 million acres of longleaf pine forests is a fraction of the 90 million acres that spanned the region 150 years ago. The ancient longleaf pine forests were devastated during the 1800s from the demand for turpentine production, ship building and construction, in a period when this country was experiencing tremendous growth.
In recent years, forests continue to be lost due to urban development, unsustainable forestry practices, invasive species and lack of managed fire on the landscape, without which the longleaf pine ecosystem cannot survive.
In 2007, the America’s Longleaf Initiative was formed, and published America’s Longleaf Range-Wide Conservation Plan. This plan targets the North Carolina Sandhills as one of the “significant geographic areas” for longleaf pine conservation. This plan also acknowledges one of the biggest challenges to restoring an expansive longleaf pine ecosystem is that 50 percent of the potential acreage for longleaf pine recovery exists on private lands, much of which is not being actively managed for longleaf.
The Sandhills Longleaf Pine Project combines the talents and resources of the three differing agencies. Working together, SALT, the NRCS and the Cooperative Extension provide landowners with the tools they need to restore longleaf pine to the region.
One of the major barriers landowners face is accessing resources and support for implementing longleaf pine management practices. These needs include preparing forest management plans, applying for cost-share programs and conducting prescribed burns.
The pine project will provide landowners with technical assistance, training and help accessing resources where they are available. Over the past month, a series of landowner meetings at extension offices gave participants individual face time with agency personnel involved in longleaf pine. Agencies in attendance included the NRCS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, National Wild Turkey Federation and the N.C. Forest Service, among others.
For those landowners who are interested in hands-on management, field days and workshops led by N.C. State University Extension Forestry will enable landowners to develop the skills to implement their own management practices, such as doing their own prescribed burning. These events will also provide opportunities for landowners to network with both forestry professionals as well as other experienced landowners for mentorship and peer-based information sharing.
Longleaf pine represents an opportunity for landowners to grow a family legacy with real financial benefits, while restoring the environmental heritage of the region. Contact me at the Cooperative Extension office with questions or for more information about the Sandhills Longleaf Pine Project.
Paige Burns in assistant horticulture agent for the N.C. Cooperative Extension’s Richmond County Center.
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Contributed photo Longleaf pine is a slow-growing, native pine tree that is highly adapted to the Sandhills’ harsh conditions.
http://yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/web1_longleaf-forest1.jpg
Contributed photo Longleaf pine is a slow-growing, native pine tree that is highly adapted to the Sandhills’ harsh conditions.
Paige Burns
Extension At Your Service