ALRI Announces Longleaf for All Initiative

In 2020, America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative (ALRI) launched a new working group, Longleaf for All, as an ongoing commitment to be an advocate and partner for minority and unserved landowners, as well as minority professionals in the field of forestry and longleaf restoration. Land ownership comes with an array of challenges; however, for minority and under-resourced landowners, additional barriers exist that have resulted, and continue to result, in a cycle of perpetual land loss in the Southeast. Longleaf for All is currently working to identify and address these specific challenges that face underrepresented landowners such as access to resources, legal counsel, markets, and outreach. Using ALRI’s network and platform, Longleaf for All’s overarching goal is to increase minority participation in forestry related programs, practices, and activities and to help landowners reap the economic, ecological, and cultural benefits of owning forested land. To accomplish this, a working group/committee of diverse partners are providing recommendations to ALRI’s Longleaf Partnership Council that will enable ALRI to more effectively build relationships, share information and resources, and provide guidance on how ALRI and partners can enact long-term strategies for inclusion and opportunities.

Longleaf for All Committee Members:

• Ryan Bollinger, The Longleaf Alliance
• Sam Cook, North Carolina State University
• Freddie Davis, Federation of Southern Cooperatives
• Jacqueline Davis-Slay, USDA, Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement
• Colette DeGarady, The Nature Conservancy
• Amadou Diop, USDA Forest Service Southern Region
• Amelia Dortch, USDA NRCS
• Chris Erwin, American Forest Foundation
• Jennifer Fawcett, North Carolina State University
• Mavis Gragg, Sustainable Forestry and African American Land Retention (SFLR) Program
• Stephanie Hertz, Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute
• Kyle Jones, USDA Forest Service
• Luther Jones
• Laurel Kays, North Carolina State University
• Jessica McGuire, Quail Forever
• Lexie Rue-Harris, USDA Forest Service Southern Region
• Jon Scott, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
• John Ann Shearer, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
• Hannah Sodolak, Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute
• Matthew Vandersande, USDA NRCS
• Jesse Wimberley, NC Sandhills Prescribed Burn Association Coordinator
• Tiffany Woods, National Wildlife Federation

For additional questions regarding Longleaf for All, please contact one of the committee co-leads – Tiffany Woods (WoodsT@nwf.org) or Luther Jones (Luther.jones60@gmail.com).

Archive