LongLeaf Pine - The Tree that Built the South: A Florida Master Naturalist Lecture

Vast swaths of old-growth virgin forest - from American Chestnut to Long-leaf Pine once covered America east of the Mississippi.

Historically, Long-leaf Pine was the pine of the Southern United States. The ecosystem once dominated the Southern landscape from southeast Virginia, extending down through Florida, and west to Texas. Early settlers and naturalists marveled at the majestic landscape helmed by the Long-leaf Pine. According to the Longleaf Alliance, the Long-leaf Pine “was literally the tree that built the South.” But over 150 years of human settlement, activity, and exploitation, the longleaf pine ecosystem fragmented and waned. Today less than 1% of the South’s natural stands remain, representing one of the world's most severe cases of habitat loss.

Join Florida Master Naturalist, Kate Borduas as she discusses the environmental history and the importance of ecological conservation.