A mighty forest dominated by longleaf pine once covered an estimated 90 million acres of uplands ranging from southeast Virginia down the Atlantic Coast and across the Gulf Coast to East Texas.  Today, less than 3 million acres remains.  Longleaf pine is superior to other southern pines in the production of high value wood products and it is among the most biodiverse of all forest systems.  However, because of the decline of longleaf acreage, over 30 plant and animal species associated with the ecosystem are threatened or endangered.

The Longleaf Alliance is a partnership of agencies and individuals that promotes the ecological and economic values of longleaf ecosystems and encourages management practices focused on reversing the decline of longleaf forests.

The Longleaf Alliance membership numbers more than 700 including private landowners, forest industries, state and federal agencies, conservation groups, researchers, and other enthusiasts interested in managing and restoring longleaf pine forests for their ecological and economic benefits.

Since the establishment of the Longleaf alliance 600 million longleaf pine seedlings have been planted on 1 million acres. This renewed interest has been stimulated through numerous workshops and presentations hosted by the Longleaf Alliance including 11 major regional symposia and conferences.  Additionally the Alliance has hosted or presented at over 450 smaller workshops focusing on specific topics or for specific interest groups.  The Alliance has contributed to the publication of four books, participated in the production of or produced 6 videos, developed several non-refereed publications, a number of “in-house” publications aimed at landowners and management practitioners, and dozens of publications in scientific journals.