Longleaf Forever

[@NotesNNotes]

The more I learn about these forests the more attached I am to their restoration. I live in Seattle but my in laws all live in Alabama, so if we end up there I will be eager to participate in this very important restoration project ❤

[@jenkins2162]

I spent a lot of time at Itchaway Notchaway plantation in SW Georgia when i was in college. There was a stand of virgin Longleaf there. They were said to be 400 years old. It was an amazing place.

[@DanielKerby]

How cool, Thanks to all involved for protecting such a wonderful habitat and all its species!! Great video

[@ADVENTURESOFBZ]

Fantastic video!!! I live in south central Florida, surrounded by the beauty of these trees.

[@SockyNoob]

I definitely didn't cry a few times while watching this. I definitely don't get emotional over restoring longleaf pine forests or constantly bring it up in conversation. I want to visit Buttercup Flats at DeSoto National Forest so much. It's like a supersized version of the Crosby Arboretum here in Picayune. And maybe one day I can become prescribed burn certified and actually help out in maintaining and restoring more land in South Mississippi.

[@TheLongleafAlliance]

We definitely can't relate to this comment at all.

[@doyleevans-q2x]

I am 79 I grew up in Middle and south Georgia. My Dad was a share cropper and also worked in the timber industry. Daddy would scrape the bark off long leaf pine to harvest the rosin which would be distilled into turpentine. From the time I first roamed the Longleaf pine forest as a boy it has always been my favorite tree. I now live out side Macon and discovered a few Longleaf pines close to where i live. I dug up a seedling and transplanted it to my front yard about 15 years ago. Was teased about planting a pine tree instead of some flowering tree but people just don't understand the memories that just seeing that lone pine bring to mind. There is something special about standing in a Longleaf pine forest.

[@TB-zw7dt]

May its pollen find a mate. Seriously.

[@KarlKarsnark]

Wonderful video. I have a small property here in North Florida with several large, mature Longleafs on it, and I always feel at peace when I'm there. They remind me of columns in a cathedral. A truly sacred space.

[@lanettejensen5765]

Thank you very much for all your work.

[@jerryblake3196]

Wonderful!

[@clayallen388]

Very enjoyable video. Love our trying to save this eco-system.

[@lestatler9551]

Excellent. Many thanks.

[@mlindsay527]

Nice video. Longleaf forests are probably under appreciated vs other biomes. Glad to see restoration efforts are underway. You might fact check the diversity vs rainforests and nitrogen available to plants after a burn comments.

[@a.herden9960]

My favorite ecosystem!

[@wildnc]

This is an absolutely incredible video, fantastic job! And thank you to everyone in the video for all of your hard work and dedication to this amazing ecosystem.

[@jamesblake7338]

Excellent video! Thank you for your work!

[@hanahoeo7073]

Awesome. Thank you for trying to save these forest.

[@ByMySelfGardening]

I’m adding a few volunteer pines and potting them up for propagation purposes. I’m going to look into using the long leafs when fresh in an fpj mixture and see if i can test for acidity and if that could be low input organic fertilizer for blueberries. Thanks for the research and connecting with nature to find out the beauty we see around us!! 🤙😊

[@SockyNoob]

This should be played in schools across the south. Nobody ever talks about the longleaf pine forests of the old days being radically different than the hardwood forests that took their place.

[@magickumquatproductions]

Thank you for saying that!

[@Hayyyward]

One thing they fail to mention to everyone is about WHEN they are doing these fires and the harm it is doing to the wetlands because of the timing. Here in N FL, they burn the Apalachicola NF mainly in the winter months when it is much colder and wet. After decades of doing this, it has resulted in ruining the ephemeral ponds and wetlands since those rarely get burned anymore. Many of these ponds now are so overgrown and so thick of vegetation that species like salamanders and frogs don't use them anymore when they are vital for breeding. The protected Frosted Flatwoods Salamander has severely declined because of these improper burning practices. And the Apalachicola NF for example has plots burned on an every other year rotation while some are burned yearly. Lots of smaller reptiles have suffered as a result and the burns happening so often do not allow those populations of animals to bounce back. Many of those smaller reptiles that used to be commonly seen in the 80s and 90s are not seen often anymore. And whenever a natural fire occurs in the summer months like they have always done, forestry workers immediately put it out. Winter burns may work fine for uplands/sandhills but its horrible for Pine flatwoods and lowlands that often have standing water in the winter months. I've been amazed to see them when they're burning and the workers starting the fires actually think an area full of water will burn. Of course it doesn't. But they'll tell you how these people know everything about how to manage our lands when they don't even realize areas of water do not burn. It's been sad to see these ephemeral ponds ruined over the years by improper burning. At least some with FWC are manually clearing some of these ponds by hand but it will do no good in maintaining those ponds if burns are not done properly. Fires naturally occur in the late Spring/Summer months during storms. We need to urge our land managers to burn at these times when it's proper to do so.

[@mrs.rogers7582]

They burn here too in NW Arkansas. Acres and acres at a time. It is so upsetting to me because it is not natural. We live on a large acreage and have an ephemeral pond. It's on our land, protected and no one but us goes there. What a magical place that supports salamanders, snakes, frogs and toads. Truly precious.

[@Hayyyward]

@@mrs.rogers7582 Burning is needed and beneficial to our forests but our land management is not honest about their practices. Especially when it comes to the destructive results of improperly timed burns in the winter months when fires historically do not occur.

[@SockyNoob]

Fire also plays an important role in the other hardwoods that dominated the area, like cypress and oaks. All our native hardwoods suffer from fire suppression and the introduction of invasives.

[@CormacHolland]

I would love to be a steward of these forests

[@lalahaha5313]

The pine oil from Long Leaf Pine trees is very medicinal as well...I use some called astyptodene.

[@michaelg8642]

nothing like a stroll through sandy hollow wma

[@brandonbowers4539]

Love the video's. Would love to be part of the team.

[@Ben-qq6uh]

I would also love to be about of this task. Where do we sign-up!

[@hughjaass3787]

Being Native American myself, Creek, we have always known how to manage long leaf pine forests. Too bad Europeans didn't realize nor respect our ways, because these forests would not be disappearing all around the South.

[@autonomous_collective]

🤙

[@towzone]

Great video, just PLEASE, in future videos, leave onscreen text long enough to read….VeRy frustrating in an otherwise very informative video.

[@SockyNoob]

Agreed.

[@richrogers2157]

I have a tale or wow to tell, my grandfather went to De Funiak Springs FLA. In the early 1900’s ,set up a saw mill and got to the business of logging the long leaf. If not for the depression and his death by tuberculosis, he would have continued to murder this beautiful forest. I apologize for my families blind capitalistic exploitation of this treasured resource.

[@greetthemind]

I’ve heard monoculture like these pines is a bad thing though?

[@johnvick8873]

Disappointed that you make no mention of the founding of the Longleaf Alliance at Auburn University's Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center by Rhett Johnson and Dean Gjerstad of the Auburn School of Forestry .

[@TheLongleafAlliance]

We are very thankful for Rhett and Dean. While our organization was not the focus of this video, we look forward to celebrating our 30th anniversary in 2025!

[@johnvick8873]

@@TheLongleafAlliance Thanks. I just think the founding of the LA should always be mentioned because some people seeing your video don't know that - sort of an introductory for newcomers. Maybe it adds one minute or less to any video you produce. My wife and I have been supporters of the LA site its beginning.

[@Ben-qq6uh]

Thank you for bringing this forward.