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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Emmy Award Winning Farmer and Historian Earl L. Ijames explores the origins of the term 'Tar Heel' and asks you to join efforts to save our treasured longleaf pine forests.

Longleaf pine forests once covered over 90 million acres of the Southeast, but they have been reduced to less than 5 million acres today. Restoring longleaf pine ecosystems is a challenging but rewarding endeavor that requires patience, knowledge, and passion. In this talk, a current forest manager and landowner will share his experience and insights on restoring his family’s land with longleaf pine, and how he has benefited from its superior timber quality, pine straw income, and wildlife habitat. He will also discuss the current and future economic value of longleaf pine forests, and how they can help landowners diversify their income streams, reduce risks, and enhance environmental quality. This talk is intended for a general public audience who wants to learn more about longleaf pine restoration, including its economic benefits to the landowner, from a boots-on-the-ground perspective.

Ninety percent of North Carolina’s land is in private ownership. The role of private landowners in longleaf pine restoration is extremely important, not only for the ecosystem itself, but for the landowners and their families. In this talk, John Ann Shearer will demonstrate how private landowners have played a significant role in longleaf pine restoration in North Carolina over the last 25 years. The NC Longleaf Coalition’s Longleaf Honor Roll recognizes model landowners. John Ann will share the goals, criteria, and nomination process for the Honor Roll as well as examples of landowners who have been recognized for their excellent land stewardship.

Register Here with Colette DeGarady, Longleaf Pine Whole System Director, The Nature Conservancy Date: Thursday, May 16, 2024 Time: 12:00 PM-1:00 PM ET Location: Virtual and in Reeves Auditorium Fee:...

The longleaf pine ecosystem is one of the most biologically diverse in North America, and the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker is one of its most iconic species. In the 1990s, populations of this woodpecker in the NC Sandhills were critically low. The largest population was on Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg), but the Army did not want to alter training or land management. Private landowners mistrusted government agencies and were cutting their longleaf rather than see an endangered bird move in. It had the makings of a classic environmental conflict, until some forward-thinking people decided they had more to gain from solving the underlying problem than fighting each other. What resulted was the invention of several key programs that are now used nation-wide, the recovery of the Sandhills population, and a partnership that became a model for how to do collaborative conservation. This talk will discuss longleaf conservation efforts in NC and across the range and will explore how the lessons learned from the Sandhills can be applied to other environmental conflicts. This talk is part of the Saving our Savannas: Stories of the Longleaf Pine exhibition, which explores the history, ecology, and culture of the longleaf pine ecosystem.