Fall 2020 Longleaf Partnership Council Meeting

On October 1, 2020, the Longleaf Partnership Council (LPC) met virtually for a Fall meeting to discuss ongoing activities in support of longleaf pine restoration to reach the eight million acre goal called for in The Range-wide Conservation Plan for Longleaf Pine as well as attend to the business needs of the LPC.  Moving forward, the LPC will meet virtually once per quarter until in-person meetings are able to resume.  Making the most of the virtual opportunity, the Fall 2020 LPC meeting was open to anyone interested in joining.  This open invitation gave the greater longleaf conservation community the opportunity to catch up and share ongoing work.

The meeting’s agenda brought LPC members up to speed about ongoing projects and informed about new initiatives taking place.  Attendees were treated to presentations on the following topics:

• A guest presentation from Mavis Gragg of the Sustainable African American Land Retention Program (SFLR) on ways ALRI and SFLR can open doors for partners and landowners across the Southeast throughout the longleaf range;
• The proposed downlisting of the Red-cockaded woodpecker from endangered to threatened by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service;
• Discussion regarding best practices for successful local implementation teams;
• Updates from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation on the 2021 Longleaf Stewardship Fund, funding for the growth & yield model for longleaf pine, and funding from FEMA for longleaf restoration in counties affected by Hurricane Michael;
• Updates to the LPC roster and the welcoming of incoming members; and
• Federal coordinating committee updates from U.S. Forest Service, Department of Defense Natural Resources Program and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA Farm Service Agency, National Park Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Attendees also spent time discussing COVID-19 updates and responses including the H2B status update allowing an exemption for H2B forestry workers and an update on the southern yellow pine market from Mike Powell of Forest2Market.  Additionally, attendees participated in a breakout group session to discuss impacts and new challenges/opportunities six months into the COVID-19 pandemic. 

At the conclusion of the meeting, Tiffany Woods officially handed the reins over to Chris Erwin of the American Forest Foundation as the next LPC Chair!  Tiffany will transition to Past-Chair and Colette DeGarady of The Nature Conservancy was unanimously confirmed as Chair-Elect for 2021.

The next LPC meeting to be held virtually in January 2021.

Archive