Family Forests Vital to Longleaf Pine Restoration
As part of this initiative, Administration representatives are participating in a series of Listening Tours across the country.
Private woodlands in America are key to protecting America’s landscapes, account for more than land than public forests, and are essential to a healthy outdoor strategy. On Monday, June 28, a session was held in Charleston, South Carolina and at least four members of the American Tree Farm System, (ATFS) participated in the event. Jon Spearman, 2004 Southern Regional Tree Farmer of the Year, was a panelist.
The event focused on the restoration of the longleaf pine ecosystem. The 4.4 million forest owners in the South are essential to southern longleaf pine restoration. Once covering more than 90 million acres, the longleaf pine is one of the most threatened ecosystems, with only three million acres remaining. This however, is twice the amount that existed 15 years ago, in large part because of the restoration efforts of family forest owners in the South.
Ken Arney, Deputy Regional Forester for State and Private Forestry at the U.S. Forest Service said that, “We won’t reach our goals for longleaf pine restoration without family forests. We appreciate the commitment and input of ATFS members who are helping to restore this vital southern ecosystem.”
“When you consider that the longleaf pine was once the prominent tree from Southern Virginia to eastern Texas, there was a reason for that, said John Spearman. “I told Secretary Vilsack that I’ve learned over time -- through hurricanes and pest problems -- that longleaf is a stronger tree. When other trees were splintered and on the ground after a hurricane, up and down the coast there stood the long leaf. The restoration effort of this sturdy tree is really important,” added Spearman.
He also pointed out that the panel talked about the threat of fragmentation and urban sprawl on the forest landscape. “This is the biggest problem at this point. Once you lose the forest, we also lose the benefits that go with it – clean air, clean water, wildlife habitat, recreation. All that is lost too,” said Spearman.
In a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Vilsack, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, and the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, Nancy Sutley, ATFS members, Skeet Burris, Walt McPhail and Salem Saloom noted that, “Each of us has a story to share about our passion and commitment to sustainable land management. We demonstrate this commitment every day – our forests are certified by the ATFS, the nation’s largest and oldest forest certification program,” they wrote. “More forest owners would participate in restoration efforts and commit to sustainable management if better long-term policies and incentives were put in place.”
The writers went on to thank the Obama Administration for the longleaf pine restoration program and encouraged the administration to “consider a broad range of market-based tools, tax-incentives and conservation investments to truly conserve America’s family forests – which make up one-third of the America’s forested great outdoors.”
Several key points were made during the panel discussion and break out sessions that reinforced AFF’s policy agenda including the need for robust markets and improving tax policies to reduce the burden on family forest owners and working forests. It was also noted how important partnerships are with local groups and nonprofits such as the American Forest Foundation that provide on- the- ground support.
