Fall 2017 Longleaf Partnership Council Meeting

The Longleaf Partnership Council completed another successful meeting! Members and friends of America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative assembled in the Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve in Southern Pines, North Carolina, on October 23-25, 2017. Weymouth Woods, the first natural area in the North Carolina state parks system and home to some rare and intriguing plant and animal species, served as the perfect backdrop to demonstrate what the LPC and ALRI hope to achieve with The Range-wide Conservation Plan for Longleaf Pine.

These meetings of the LPC happen twice a year to promote broader understanding, coordination of, and participation in ongoing activities for longleaf pine restoration, all in support of achieving the “8 Million Acres by 2025” goal. During this latest gathering, partners discussed a variety of topics. A few examples discussed during the meeting included the development of the new National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) Longleaf Business Plan, the recent analysis of the Forest Inventory Analysis (FIA) and what the data says about the loss of Longleaf, and updates about Farm Bill, Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability (SERPPAS), and the Longleaf Implementation Team (LIT) Summit held in August.  Additional discussion included the progress of the Public Lands Task Force, which met for the first time this past April, and how the damage from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma may impact Longleaf, as well as how the LPC could respond.

On the last night, meeting attendees joined together with those attending the SERPPAS Fire Workshop for BBQ and a good time at the property of a local landowner. To close out the meeting, a field trip was taken in and around Ft. Bragg to tour multiple longleaf sites, including to see the oldest longleaf pine tree in North Carolina, which dates back to 1548 and resides on the Weymouth Woods property.

 The LPC looks forward to meeting again in May 2018 for another productive meeting.

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