Mississippians know the strength of longleaf pines. These native
trees braved Hurricane Katrina 48 percent better than their
loblolly cousins. Even so, the ancient longleaf pine forests of
the South are a threatened ecosystem. These forests once
dominated the region, spanning 90 million acres. Now, they cover
just 3 million acres. As longleaf habitat disappears, so do many
important and endangered species, like the gopher tortoise,
which rely on it. The gopher tortoise is considered a keystone
species in longleaf pine habitat, with more than 300 different
vertebrate and invertebrate species relying on burrows dug by
the reptiles for their homes. Longleaf pine forests are home to
at least 122 endangered or threatened plant and animal species.
In addition, they can contain as many as 300 different species
of groundcover plants per acre, and about 60 percent of the
amphibian and reptile species found in the Southeast. USDA’s
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) wants to restore
longleaf forests to their