Longleaf Threats
Today, longleaf pine forests are a mere remnant of their former majesty. Less than three percent or an estimated 3.4 million acres remain.
Fragmentation, conversion to other land uses and vegetative types, invasive species, and exclusion of natural fire regimes have cumulatively resulted in alarming declines in the extent, condition, and future sustainability of these systems. The loss of 97 percent of the longleaf forests is a stunning change in the landscape, even compared to the highly publicized loss of the world’s tropical rainforests or the Southeast’s wetlands.
