NFWF Announces $3.38 Million in Grants to Restore Longleaf Ecosystem

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), Washington, D.C., USA, has announced $3.38 million in grants to further restore the longleaf pine ecosystem as part of a five-year anniversary celebration for America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative (ALRI). Fifteen projects across eight states have been selected to receive this funding for projects that will restore more than 11,800 acres and enhance 116,000-plus additional acres of longleaf pine habitat in the southeastern U.S. 

The grants are administered by NFWF’s Longleaf Stewardship Fund, a landmark public-private partnership supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Department of Defense (DoD), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and private funding from Southern Company and International Paper’s Forestland Stewards Initiative.

"Today we are celebrating the power of partnership to bring resources, vision, and commitment together to achieve substantial conservation impacts for this important forest ecosystem," said David O’Neill, VP of Conservation Programs at NFWF. "The $3.38 million in Longleaf Stewardship Fund grants announced today will continue the significant progress we have made toward the recovery of the longleaf pine ecosystem and its multitude of benefits in strategic areas across the Southeast." 

The longleaf pine ecosystem once encompassed more than 90 million acres. Unique to the southeastern U.S., it contains a stunning diversity of plants and animals and provides a range of additional benefits, including supporting forest dependent economies and military readiness. With many agencies, non-profits, private landowners, and businesses committing to longleaf pine restoration in recent years, the acreage of longleaf pine forest has seen a net increase of 8% over the past decade to an estimated 4.4 million acres, halting and reversing a century-long decline.

NFWF protects and restores the nation's fish, wildlife, plants, and habitats. Working with federal, corporate and individual partners, NFWF has funded more than 4,000 organizations and committed more than $2.3 billion to conservation projects.