The Shortleaf Pine Initiative

Home
United States
Huntsville, AL
The Shortleaf Pine Initiative

Directions Website

The mission of the Shortleaf Pine Initiative is to restore, protect, and promote healthy shortleaf pine ecosystems across its native range.

Launched in the spring of 2013, the Shortleaf Pine Initiative (SPI) is a collaborative, strategic and energetic response to the dramatic decline of shortleaf pine forests and associated habitats that once covered a vast area from eastern Texas to Florida and up the eastern seaboard to New Jersey. Over the last 30 years more than 50% of these forested acres have been lost with the most significant declines taking place east of the Mississippi River. While efforts to reverse these disturbing trends have been made in the past, now is the time for a more robust and concerted effort involving stakeholders across the range. At stake is an extraordinary diversity of cultural, ecological and economic values centered on wildlife and recreation, water quality and a high value wood products industry. With millions of people depending on the benefits of this imperiled ecosystem, the need to develop a range-wide conservation strategy is more compelling than ever.

06/15/2026

https://4sciencesake.com/forestry-forward/

This is a unique format for a forestry conference. Please consider attending. Attendee engagement and participation is a big part of this event. This is a chance to have your voice and thoughts included in moving southern forestry forward.

Forestry Forward 2026 A Century-Forward Summit for the Southern Forests Weaving the next 100 years of Southern forests: biodiversity, resilience, and shared

04/10/2026

03/20/2026

https://youtu.be/X6RWm3Hbngg

We’re excited to highlight this new partnership video: "Restoring Shortleaf Pine: A Legacy of Stewardship and Renewal.”

This story beautifully captures the essence of shortleaf pine restoration—stewardship, resilience, and a long-term commitment to the land. We’re especially proud to see our very own board member, Clint Harris, and his family featured in this effort. Their work exemplifies what it means to faithfully care for and restore this remarkable ecosystem.

A special thank you to Jason Milks, Director of the U.S. Reforestation Program at The Nature Conservancy, and Dan Lambe, CEO of Arbor Day Foundation, for their leadership and partnership in educating, inspiring, and advancing shortleaf pine restoration across its range.

Once a dominant species across the Ozarks, the shortleaf pine has faced decades of decline due to land‑use changes, wildfire suppression, and habitat loss. T...

01/29/2026

Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 7th from 2 to 4 PM when SGI's Dwayne Estes will be joining a panel discussing the culture and ecology of Alabama’s Black Belt Prairie at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts. The featured artist is good friend of SGI Philip Juras, who will be showcasing paintings of the Black Belt Prairie at the event. 🌾 🎨

This Land Then & Now is a panel presentation exploring the Black Belt from three distinct perspectives: visual artist Philip Juras reimagines Southern grasslands, inviting viewers to look beyond the natural world; Dwayne Estes, the “Prairie Preacher,” will root us in the ecology, history, and biodiversity of Southeastern Grasslands; and Jasmyn Story will inform the audience of how they can support Native land stewardship through case studies of their work with the movement called Life Comes From It. Moderated by Mark Wilson, the Director of the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities, this event will forge the connections between land, history, and culture.

Click the following link to learn more! This event is free and open to the public. https://mmfa.org/event/this-land-then-now-conversations-about-the-culture-and-ecology-of-the-black-belt/

01/27/2026

There’s something special about a sunset framed by shortleaf pines. This one was shared with us tonight by a friend in Huntsville, AL.
Do you have a favorite sunset tree photo?

12/19/2025

On this day in 1907, the Ouachita National Forest, originally called the Arkansas National Forest, was created through an executive order issued by President Theodore Roosevelt. Forest Service Chief Gifford Pinchot remarked at the time that this national forest was the only major shortleaf pine forest under the federal government’s protection. In January 1908, the Arkansas Sentinel newspaper reprinted an article from Forestry and Irrigation Magazine that praised the hearty spirit of cooperation manifested by Arkansas’s people and spoke of benefits to be gained by the conservation of timber supplies. Read more here: https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/ouachita-national-forest-3148/

Address

Huntsville, AL
35801

Website

http://shortleafpine.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Shortleaf Pine Initiative posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want your organization to be the top-listed non profit organization in Huntsville?