The number of longleaf pine trees growing across Northwest Florida is set to increase, thanks to new partnerships aimed at protecting the iconic trees.
Representatives from federal, state and local organizations gathered Tuesday afternoon at a picnic pavilion at Bear Lake in the Blackwater River State Forest to bestow a $2.88 million grant to forestry officials.
“This really is a landmark day for the longleaf pine system,” said Stan Connally, president and CEO of Gulf Power, which has been funding local restoration of the trees for about eight years. “It’s time to have more partners. We can make this bigger.”
The grant, which was presented by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, is the first piece of a plan designed to restore 400,000 acres worth of longleaf pine ecosystems over the next 12 years, according to David O’Neill, the director of the foundation’s Eastern Partnership Office.
States that will benefit from the grant include: North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
From The NWF Daily News: https://www.nwfdailynews.com/articles/forest-52134–.html