North Carolina Sandhills Conservation Partnership

North Carolina Sandhills Conservation Partnership Update

By Stephanie Wagner, Sandhills Area Land Trust

Private landowner outreach has been going strong in the North Carolina Sandhills through the new year.  Late fall 2017, project partners held a series of meetings attended by approximately 100 private landowners from our six-county region.  Attendees met with the agencies and natural resource professionals that are available to help individuals and families achieve their longleaf stewardship goals.  

This project’s Sandhills Prescribed Burn Association (PBA) initiative has recently facilitated several private landowner burns.  One burn had a different approach, with a contractor leading a two day burn on sixty acres of private longleaf woodlands.  PBA participants came to assist, ranging from landowners who are experienced burners to landowners who are considering using prescribed fire on their land.  We will continue this collaborative model - bringing professional burners together with the PBA gets burns accomplished and provides supervised experience.

In April, our Partnership held the annual Party for the Pine.  This event celebrates the birthday of the oldest known longleaf pine tree (protected on state park land).  This year the old tree turned 470!  This festival is an important outreach tool used to teach our community about our special longleaf pine ecosystem and the importance of prescribed fire.  Read more at www.PartyForThePine.org.

IMAGE CAPTION:

Image 1:  Group meeting before contractor-led burn.  Photo by Stephanie Wagner.

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