The Nature Conservancy, with partners and private landowners celebrate restoring Shortleaf Pine Forests
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Over the past decade, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and partners have restored or enhanced more than 1.58 million acres of shortleaf pine forest in Arkansas, largely through prescribed fire, sustainable timber management and targeted tree planting.
After decades of decline, shortleaf pine forests across Arkansas are making a comeback, thanks to ten years of sustained collaboration and active management. While restoration has occurred in both the Upper West Gulf Coastal Plain and the Interior Highlands, much of the success has occurred in the Interior Highlands, a region spanning Arkansas, southern Missouri and eastern Oklahoma. This landscape, home to the Ouachita and Ozark Mountains, offers resilient landscapes and some of the greatest opportunities for lasting forest recovery.
“Restoring shortleaf pine forests takes the right tools, the right places and strong partnerships,” says Clint Harris, TNC’s manager of resilient forests. “This progress shows what’s possible when conservation organizations, agencies, foresters and landowners commit to working together over the long term.”
Shortleaf pine forests have declined due to fire suppression, lack of active management and competition from faster-growing species. Today, only an estimated 10% of their historic U.S. range remains, making restoration critical for forest health, wildlife habitat and resilience to wildfire and extreme weather.
In conjunction with shortleaf pine restoration progress and encouraging broader participation across state lines, TNC recently launched an updated Reforestation Hub, a free, interactive map that helps landowners and practitioners identify where trees could be planted to deliver the greatest benefits. The Reforestation Hub uses the latest science to show reforestation potential, reflects the full reforestation supply chain by showing the locations of nurseries and timber mills, and empowers users to move from interest to action, prioritizing restoration efforts that strengthen forests, communities and climate resilience.
To learn more about shortleaf pine restoration in Arkansas and the Reforestation Hub, visit nature.org/arshortleafpine.
###
About TNC:
The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more resilient. The Nature Conservancy is working to make a lasting difference around the world in 83 countries and territories (39 by direct conservation impact and 44 through partners) through a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners.
For more news, visit our newsroom or follow The Nature Conservancy on LinkedIn.
