RESEARCH NOTES

By Ad Platt, The Longleaf Alliance

Participants from private, state, and federal perspectives, as well as all three university cooperatives, met to improve both the quantity and the quality of seed for future longleaf restoration. Left to right: Austin Heine (NCSU TIP), Dr. Gary Peter (UF-CFGRP), Andrew Sims (UF-CFGRP), Dana Nelson (USFS-SRS), Dr. Fred Rahle (TAMU-WGTIP), Nick Muir (IFCO), Eric Howell (FFS), Brian Camposano (FFS), Carol Denhof (TLA), Reese Thompson (Landowner), Colin Jackson (ArborGen), Dr. Steve McKeand (NCSU-TIP), Bobby Smith (NCFS), Kevin McIntyre (Jones Center), Ad Platt (TLA), Jeff Fields (GFC), Carla Castro (SCFC), Lisa Lord (TLA). Virtually attending: David Barker (Rayonier), and Stephen Goodfellow (PRT). Not shown: Ben Hinson (Southern Seed Co.). Photo by Casey White.

SOLVING LONGLEAF’S NEXT CHALLENGE –IMPROVING THE QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF SEED

Most landowners only get a few chances in life to start the next forest. When we have this opportunity, it behooves us to choose the best planting stock available that is appropriate for our site. Quality matters even more when planning for premium products or ecosystem benefits. Higher quality stands are more likely and more economically feasible to be retained for longer rotations and can better realize all the associated environmental benefits, from water quality to wildlife to carbon retention, that come with time.

In addition to providing an array of ecosystem services, longleaf pine stands can be well-suited to produce premium, durable wood products, rather than maximizing fiber, if they are of sufficient quality. For both uneven-aged management objectives as well as more conventional even-aged forest management, we should strive to deploy the best quality of seed we can obtain, matched to that specific site. When we do, we make a strong tree even better. Investing in longleaf is important and worthy for both public and private landowners. Longleaf provides natural climate solutions now, and future selection work may become even more crucial as our environment continues to change.

Interest, demand, and even funding for longleaf pine restoration continue to increase while longleaf tree improvement efforts lost momentum. Of the roughly 100 million longleaf seedlings produced annually, only about one-quarter have any degree of genetic improvement. Essentially, all loblolly and slash pine planted today are genetically improved, with 4th and 5th cycle selections available. Some important initial selection and testing work with longleaf occurred in the 1970s through the early 2000s, but as the forest industry consolidated and membership in cooperatives declined, much of the longleaf efforts stalled.

Longleaf Cone Crop Productions 1966-2022 After four successive years of generally poor longleaf seed crops, the remaining seed inventories are low. Yields this fall are forecast to be good to fair in several identified localities, presuming they complete ripening without storm damage. We need a successful harvesting season to replenish our seed inventory and maintain and hopefully expand longleaf restoration.

Willis, J.L and D. G. Brockway. 2022. Longleaf Pine Cone Prospects for 2022. USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station. https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/longleaf/research/silviculture/longleaf-pine-2021-report.pdf

Variation within a family row plot provides an example of opportunities to make selections. Photo by Ad Platt, from the Florida Forest Service's Munson Seed Orchard.

I routinely field questions about longleaf tree improvement and how we can restart this research. With a strong interest in doing just that, The Longleaf Alliance gathered partners from across the range for a summit meeting at the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center in July 2022. Without an industry led cooperative behind us pushing, longleaf is well-suited to open-source collaboration from a wide range of supporters. Experts from federal, state, and private perspectives, as well as the leaders of each of the three university-led cooperatives (North Carolina State University, University of Florida, and Texas A&M University), came together for the purpose of improving the quantity and the quality of longleaf seed deployed in the restoration of this species. All understand that this is a long-term process requiring commitment, continued investment, and follow-through, but the efforts can yield a solid return on investment.

At this meeting, participants reviewed the history of longleaf tree improvement thus far. We began and will continue to gather an assessment of existing orchards and seed production areas, their size, condition, and age for federal, state, or private ownership. From these discussions, it became apparent that there is an urgency to restart these efforts, as some of the existing seed sources are older, declining in health, not being maintained, or in some cases, lost to recent storms. Staffing of many of the partner organizations is critically low, limiting current work.

The group gathered input to guide selection for desired traits. Clearly, longleaf is naturally a tree with many strengths, but the variation and heritability of traits point to where choices can matter. Testing and selection for traits like growth, form, and disease resistance can be simultaneous. For example, selections resulting in a genetic gain for volume of 15% means the site should yield 15% more wood volume at harvest than an unimproved variety. That wood volume can also improve quality for other selected traits: more wood, stronger wood, and more interest in restoration for a broader range of benefits.

The summit ended with discussions about the proposed path forward: safeguarding the excellent progress achieved through clone banking work, pulling the many separate efforts and a vast amount of test data into an efficient database, and characterizing breeding values of selections to provide material for cooperators to use when expanding or establishing new seed orchards.

Through this gathering, all participants were energized, not daunted by the significant challenges, and all support going forward to gather, guide, and share in the improvement of seed for the future of longleaf restoration.