Tuesday, July 28, 2026
Science

How fire, people and history shaped the South's iconic longleaf pine forests

For thousands of years, one tree species defined the cultural and ecological identity of what is now the American South: the longleaf pine. The forest once stretched across 92 million acres from Virginia to Texas, but about 5% of that original forest remains. It was one of North America's richest ec...

How fire, people and history shaped the South's iconic longleaf pine forests
Image: Phys.org
For thousands of years, one tree species defined the cultural and ecological identity of what is now the American South: the longleaf pine. The forest once stretched across 92 million acres from Virginia to Texas, but about 5% of that original forest remains. It was one of North America's richest ecosystems, and it nearly disappeared.

Originally published at Phys.org

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