ALRI Illustrates Substantial Gains in 2019 Range-wide Accomplishment Report

Each year, America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative summarizes the previous year’s achievements into one comprehensive and detailed summary, the Range-wide Accomplishment Report.  Over 1.7 million acres of accomplishments were recorded in 2019, including restoration and conservation activities such as prescribed fire, land protection, and new longleaf establishment.  This year is particularly special as it marks the 10-year anniversary of the federal Memorandum of Understanding between the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, and the Interior that helped establish ALRI, one of the most successful large landscape restoration partnerships in the country!

As ALRI quickly approaches the 15 year/8 million acres goal by 2025, partners are redoubling their commitment to restoring longleaf pine on public and private lands and planning for the future beyond 2025.  “Indeed, the 2025 target date, established in the original ALRI Range-wide Conservation Plan for Longleaf Pine, is quickly approaching, but that will certainly not be the end of our initiative.  We are all very pleased that the longleaf community and ALRI have never been stronger, and we hope that you will see that expressed in this report,” says Gary Burger, 2019 Longleaf Partnership Council Chair.

In 2019, over 133,000 acres of new longleaf pine were planted and nearly 40,000 acres were protected through acquisitions and easements, an increase over the last several years.  Prescribed burning was performed on over 1.4 million acres across both public and private lands.  Conversion of existing forest lands to longleaf-dominant stands occurred on over 10,897 acres through silvicultural activities.  These much needed conservation efforts continue to positively impact rural economies, national defense, imperiled species, recreate, and forest resiliency year after year.

“While there is still much to do, this report continues to highlight substantial gains towards our goal every year,” says Burger.

The full findings, outcomes, and accomplishments of 2019 can be found here.

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