NFWF Announces Record $18 Million in Conservation Grants to Restore Iconic Longleaf Pine Ecosystem

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced $18 million in new conservation grants to restore, enhance and protect longleaf pine forests in nine southern states. This year’s Longleaf Landscape Stewardship Fund (LLSF) grant slate, the largest in the program’s history, will leverage more than $14.7 million in matching contributions to generate a total conservation impact of $32.7 million.

Longleaf pine forests are some of the most biodiverse in the world, providing habitat for 29 species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act, while also providing clean water, outdoor recreational opportunities, forest jobs, and even supporting our national defense by buffering military installations from encroaching development.

Grantees from this year’s slate of awards will advance and enhance longleaf habitat on public and private lands through a variety of management and outreach activities including new longleaf planting, prescribed fire, invasive species removal, increased seedling production, and one-on-one technical assistance, trainings, and workshops for a diversity of private landowners.

"The National Fish & Wildlife Foundation and the Landscape Stewardship Fund have been instrumental in the effort to conserve and restore longleaf pine ecosystems," said Regional Forester Ken Arney with the USDA Forest Service, Southern Region. "Through America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative, we have managed more than 20 million acres to advance this ecosystem on public and private lands in the Southeast, including planting more than 1.6 million acres of longleaf. This is proof that public-private partnerships are highly effective when structured properly and can greatly accelerate desired outcomes on the landscape."

Established in 2012, the LLSF is a public-private partnership that exemplifies the power of collaboration, bringing together 11 different funders to support landscape-scale conservation.  It is guided by and provides key financial support for on-the-ground partners working to implement projects that contribute to the larger America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative (ALRI). This year’s record-breaking funding level is due in part to a major contribution from the Bezos Earth Fund, which is helping to scale-up longleaf restoration and enhancement activities that contribute to the ALRI goals, while also enabling NFWF and partners to pursue additional game-changing strategies.

Thank you to NFWF and their partners for the incredible support of longleaf pine restoration!  Click here to read the official announcement from NFWF and here to read the full slate of 2023 grants.

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