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I have a question, I plan on burning my five acres here in Alabama but it really needs to be thinned out of trees and I was wondering should I burn and then cut down the excess trees or should I cut down the trees and then burn the property?

Long live the long leaf 💚 ban commercial forest!

Fantastic video!!! I live in south central Florida, surrounded by the beauty of these trees.

Wonderful!

Nice video. Longleaf forests are probably under appreciated vs other biomes. Glad to see restoration efforts are underway. You might fact check the diversity vs rainforests and nitrogen available to plants after a burn comments.

Fire also plays an important role in the other hardwoods that dominated the area, like cypress and oaks. All our native hardwoods suffer from fire suppression and the introduction of invasives.

I definitely didn't cry a few times while watching this. I definitely don't get emotional over restoring longleaf pine forests or constantly bring it up in conversation. I want to visit Buttercup Flats at DeSoto National Forest so much. It's like a supersized version of the Crosby Arboretum here in Picayune. And maybe one day I can become prescribed burn certified and actually help out in maintaining and restoring more land in South Mississippi.

This should be played in schools across the south. Nobody ever talks about the longleaf pine forests of the old days being radically different than the hardwood forests that took their place.

I am 79 I grew up in Middle and south Georgia. My Dad was a share cropper and also worked in the timber industry. Daddy would scrape the bark off long leaf pine to harvest the rosin which would be distilled into turpentine. From the time I first roamed the Longleaf pine forest as a boy it has always been my favorite tree. I now live out side Macon and discovered a few Longleaf pines close to where i live. I dug up a seedling and transplanted it to my front yard about 15 years ago. Was teased about planting a pine tree instead of some flowering tree but people just don't understand the memories that just seeing that lone pine bring to mind. There is something special about standing in a Longleaf pine forest.

nothing like a stroll through sandy hollow wma

This is an absolutely incredible video, fantastic job! And thank you to everyone in the video for all of your hard work and dedication to this amazing ecosystem.

Awesome. Thank you for trying to save these forest.

I spent a lot of time at Itchaway Notchaway plantation in SW Georgia when i was in college. There was a stand of virgin Longleaf there. They were said to be 400 years old. It was an amazing place.

Great video, just PLEASE, in future videos, leave onscreen text long enough to read….VeRy frustrating in an otherwise very informative video.

I would love to be a steward of these forests

The pine oil from Long Leaf Pine trees is very medicinal as well...I use some called astyptodene.

I’m adding a few volunteer pines and potting them up for propagation purposes. I’m going to look into using the long leafs when fresh in an fpj mixture and see if i can test for acidity and if that could be low input organic fertilizer for blueberries. Thanks for the research and connecting with nature to find out the beauty we see around us!! 🤙😊

One thing they fail to mention to everyone is about WHEN they are doing these fires and the harm it is doing to the wetlands because of the timing. Here in N FL, they burn the Apalachicola NF mainly in the winter months when it is much colder and wet. After decades of doing this, it has resulted in ruining the ephemeral ponds and wetlands since those rarely get burned anymore. Many of these ponds now are so overgrown and so thick of vegetation that species like salamanders and frogs don't use them anymore when they are vital for breeding. The protected Frosted Flatwoods Salamander has severely declined because of these improper burning practices. And the Apalachicola NF for example has plots burned on an every other year rotation while some are burned yearly. Lots of smaller reptiles have suffered as a result and the burns happening so often do not allow those populations of animals to bounce back. Many of those smaller reptiles that used to be commonly seen in the 80s and 90s are not seen often anymore. And whenever a natural fire occurs in the summer months like they have always done, forestry workers immediately put it out. Winter burns may work fine for uplands/sandhills but its horrible for Pine flatwoods and lowlands that often have standing water in the winter months. I've been amazed to see them when they're burning and the workers starting the fires actually think an area full of water will burn. Of course it doesn't. But they'll tell you how these people know everything about how to manage our lands when they don't even realize areas of water do not burn. It's been sad to see these ephemeral ponds ruined over the years by improper burning. At least some with FWC are manually clearing some of these ponds by hand but it will do no good in maintaining those ponds if burns are not done properly. Fires naturally occur in the late Spring/Summer months during storms. We need to urge our land managers to burn at these times when it's proper to do so.

Being Native American myself, Creek, we have always known how to manage long leaf pine forests. Too bad Europeans didn't realize nor respect our ways, because these forests would not be disappearing all around the South.

Wonderful video. I have a small property here in North Florida with several large, mature Longleafs on it, and I always feel at peace when I'm there. They remind me of columns in a cathedral. A truly sacred space.

I would also love to be about of this task. Where do we sign-up!

Excellent video! Thank you for your work!

I have a tale or wow to tell, my grandfather went to De Funiak Springs FLA. In the early 1900’s ,set up a saw mill and got to the business of logging the long leaf. If not for the depression and his death by tuberculosis, he would have continued to murder this beautiful forest. I apologize for my families blind capitalistic exploitation of this treasured resource.

How cool, Thanks to all involved for protecting such a wonderful habitat and all its species!! Great video

Love the video's. Would love to be part of the team.

Very enjoyable video. Love our trying to save this eco-system.

Thank you very much for all your work.

Disappointed that you make no mention of the founding of the Longleaf Alliance at Auburn University's Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center by Rhett Johnson and Dean Gjerstad of the Auburn School of Forestry .

My favorite ecosystem!

Excellent. Many thanks.

🤙

You guys should submit a video of a prescribed burn to daily dose of internet to help spread awareness that forest fires can be a good thing

I own 13 acres in the sandhills. I haven't began improvements on my property but I was hoping to create a homestead with a strong orchard and gardens. Is that possible? I constantly hear folks saying the Sandhill soils are infertile

Plant a few Red and white oaks and a few hickories while your at it. Nature is not in the game of monocropping.

Night burning is a pretty sight

Long-leaf is heavier

This is such a niche conversation but it shouldn't be. Animal impact on fire maintained coastal habitat produces such a natural and beautiful landscape that once you see it you know it's the way it is supposed to be.

Down here in South Georgia we have a plant the old-timers called " Bear grass "

Thank you for this. It's very informative

💚💚💚

Merry Christmas to you all. Moses Benjamin Bhooshi from Two Properties in Rivertrace & One in Glenwood East, Lee, Madison County FL.🙏🏼🏡

When are we going to get donor sites rolling for restoration efforts on private properties? I’ve volunteered my 307 acres to be used as a donor site if I can receive help establishing more wiregrass or anything else y’all maybe interested in propagating.

Guessing the first burn would be the most difficult to control because everything needs to be established. Wondering how costly it is to get assistance and why this isn’t discussed in greater detail.

Emma, at 13:40 you mentioned a 12 foot height for the grass, did you mean 12 inch height? Thanks

When I lived in Wilmington, N.C. , I noticed a lot of the Longleaf pines turning yellow, saplings as well as mature trees. What would be the cause of this?

Awesome video. Thanks!

Gravy!

Fire is life 🔥

i kept pine snakes as pets many years ago, and it was through that hobby that i learned about the longleaf pine ecosystem and the necessity for periodic burns. keep up the good work!

There is a lot of discussion on whether or not prescribed fires help or hurt the Bobwhite and the Turkey population. Basically saying that the fires destroy active nesting sites, kill lots of insects that these birds need especially when they are young, and give the poults less cover to hide from predators in. I know you speak of the benefits and I believe in this as well... but wouldn't fall burning be a better choice? Can you speak to this issue here, please?