Saving Our Savannas Kickoff Lecture – Fire and Life: Longleaf Pine Natural Areas and Their Conservation

North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, United States

Join us for the kickoff of our 6-month long exhibition - Saving Our Savannas: Stories of the Longleaf Pine. We will introduce the exhibition and share about upcoming series of programs. Our kickoff speaker is William (Bill) Owen, a private landowner who has restored his own longleaf pine forest at Raccoon Creek Pinelands. Bill will provide an overview of the pre-settlement condition of the longleaf pine in the United States, its near demise, and the current efforts to restore not only the tree but the ecosystem. He will also share his personal journey of restoration and offer some recommendations for the future of this vital natural resource.

Hybrid Lunchbox Talk: A Virtual Field Trip of Longleaf Pine Communities of the Southeastern United States

North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, United States

Longleaf pine natural areas are one of the most diverse and endangered ecosystems in North America. Join Alan Weakley, Director of the UNC Herbarium, at the North Carolina Botanical Garden as he takes you on a virtual field trip of these amazing habitats. You will learn about the history, ecology, and conservation of longleaf pines and their associated plants and animals. You will also see some of the beautiful and rare species that live in these fire-adapted communities. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore the longleaf pine forests of the Southeastern United States!

Hybrid Lunchbox Talk – Land of the Longleaf Pine: One Tree for Many Communities

North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, United States

Did you know that longleaf pine habitats are home to thousands of other living things? The longleaf pine landscape supports vast groundcover plants which in turn hosts hundreds of insects, birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Beyond its iconic biodiversity, fire-maintained longleaf pine forests provide numerous benefits to our communities. Join us to learn more about why longleaf pine conservation and restoration is critical for the future of the Southeast.

Hybrid Lunchbox Talk: The Red-Cockaded Woodpecker: A Fire Specialist in Peril

North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, United States

This lecture will explore the ecology and conservation of the red-cockaded woodpecker, a federally endangered species that depends on mature, open longleaf pine communities. You will learn about the threats facing this unique bird and how fire management can help maintain and restore their preferred habitat. You will also hear about the success stories and challenges of red-cockaded woodpecker recovery efforts across the southeastern United States and key partnerships essential to these projects.

Hybrid Lunchbox Talk – Boardwalks and Burns: Stories of the NCBG Habitat Gardens

North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, United States

Join former NCBG Assistant Director Ken Moore and current Habitat Gardens Curator Chris Liloia for tales of these iconic collections. You’ll learn what prompted the concept of habitat gardens and the important role fire has played and continues to play at NCBG and in plant communities across the southeastern United States.

Virtual Lunchbox Talk – Fire suppression and reintroduction in longleaf pine-wiregrass ecosystems in Georgia

Virtual

Longleaf pine-wiregrass ecosystems of the southeastern United States are adapted to frequent low-intensity fires, which maintain open, savanna-like
landscapes and foster high species richness within the ground cover plant community. Using data from long-term vegetation monitoring plots, we document that fire suppression results in a precipitous decline in species richness after only a couple of missed fire-return intervals. Following 15 years of fire suppression, we reintroduced fire to a subset of plots. Four fires and five years later, we are starting to see evidence of recovery toward pre-fire suppression conditions. Factors influencing recovery include site history, soil moisture, and plot spatial scale as well as midstory basal area, oak leaf litterfall, and ground cover biomass.

Hybrid Lunchbox Talk: Biocultural Diversity Conservation for our Collective Future

North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, United States

Biocultural diversity conservation is an approach to conservation that centers the deep relationships between human cultures and the natural world. Contained within the world’s diversity of languages, systems of medicine, ritual traditions, and artistic expressions is culturally-specific knowledge about the natural world and its stewardship. Many cultural practices are dependent upon a diversity of biological species, and the continued practice or revitalization of practices maintains the cultural value of nature, and promotes the conservation of biological diversity. A global shift toward a biocultural approach to conservation is vital for biological and cultural diversity, and the health of both humans and ecosystems.

Virtual Webinar – Pine Tree Pharmacy

North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, United States

During this talk, Mr. Arvis Boughman will discuss plants and herbal remedies, including those of the longleaf pine ecosystem, that members of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina have used for centuries in the coastal plain of North Carolina and continue to use today.

Hybrid Lunchbox Talk: The Longleaf Pine as a Source of Food, Medicine, and Craft for Tribal Nations of the Southeast

North Carolina Botanical Garden 100 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC, United States

This talk will explore how the longleaf pine, a native tree of the Southeast, provides food, medicine, and craft materials for various tribes such as the Lumbee, the Waccamaw Siouan, and the Coharie. Nancy Fields will share examples of how the longleaf pine was historically used and continues to be used today in various aspects of tribal life, culture, and history.