The Shortleaf Pine Initiative

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/

11/30/2025

While walking my Picnic Pocket Prairie watching the sun rise on these two shortleaf pines this week, it reminded me that in my younger, single, Thoreauback days I used to dabble in poetry. The only one that stuck in my mind was this one from a sunrise trip to work in Cherokee County:
Sunlight makes the garden shine,
crowns a king the tallest pine.
Like golden strands the heavens threw,
to meet the morn and kiss the dew.
Greg Grant, 1996

11/30/2025

You can see the difference between the three shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) on the right and the one taller lobolly pine (Pinus taeda) on the left. Unfortunately, the two pines on the left will be lost to a bridge replacement/road curve adjustment/power line movement project. Hopefully the two shortleaf on the right which are in my Picnic Pocket Prairie will be spared. Shortleaf pine is a fire adapted species which occurs in the eastern United State from East Texas and the Ozarks to the East Coast and was historically the dominant pine species in Northeast Texas. Sadly due to harvesting, fire suppression, mesophication, and being replaced with loblolly pine, 50- 90% of the historic range of shortleaf pine is now gone. In 2002 NatureServe declared shortleaf pine-bluestem woodlands as globally imperiled. The fire dependent shortleaf and longleaf pine savanna ecosystems full of native grasses, wildflowers, and wildlife were very similar with the shorter needles, smaller cones, and more upright habit of shortleaf pines more adapted to snow and ice. For more information on shortleaf pine history and restoration visit:

11/26/2025

Day 2 of the 6th Biennial Shortleaf Pine Conference was spent in the field--and it was a magical day with even better weather!

We toured Little River Canyon, exploring fire-adapted landscapes and rare plant communities, and visited Woodville, AL to see practical shortleaf management and fire restoration in action.

See someone you know? @ them in the comments!

11/25/2025

We’re excited to begin sharing photos from the recent 6th Biennial Shortleaf Pine Conference over the next few days!
What an incredible group and an unforgettable week.

Feel free to tag yourself, your colleagues, or your organization in any of the photos. Today's post is mostly of speakers from our two day sessions. More images, highlights, and resources are on the way—stay tuned!

Thank you again to everyone who helped make this year’s conference such a success.