USDA Agencies Acquire 2M Acres of Forestland to Increase Population of the Longleaf Pine

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and US Forest Service have joined forces with other partners with the goal of increasing the acreage of longleaf pine in Louisiana.

The majestic pine once covered 90 million acres of the South’s forestlands. However, today that has been reduced to about 5 million acres.

Through the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership, the two USDA agencies are restoring landscapes, reducing wildfire threats to communities and landowners, protecting water quality, and enhancing wildlife habitats.

Eleven new projects are being launched this year. Those projects will expand the acreage of forestland actively managed for longleaf pine ecosystem in the Kisatchie National Forest, Fort Polk, and adjacent private lands.

KLAX ABC 31 News 6/2/16