Catálogo de publicaciones - libros

In this chapter, we discuss reintroduction, via translocation, of native fauna into longleaf pine forests.

Trees of the genus have been dominant species in the southeastern Coastal Plain (SECP) landscape since the Pleistocene (c. 2 million years). When Spanish conquistadors arrived 500 years ago, longleaf pine () forest covered millions of hectares, and was the dominant land cover type throughout the SECP from southeastern Virginia to eastern Texas.

Public preference for native forest ecosystems is on the rise throughout the world because of their valuable market outputs, i.e., timber and nontimber products, and nonmarket outputs such as biodiversity, ecological services, and aesthetics. As a result, restoration of native forest ecosystems has become an important component of sustainable forest management (Stainback and Alavalapati 2004). Longleaf pine () forests are one of the most biologically diverse native ecosystems in North America, supporting hundreds of plant and animal species. When Europeans first colonized North America, forests dominated by longleaf pine covered vast areas of the southeastern Coastal Plain. At that time longleaf pine forests may have existed on close to 36 million hectares (Landers et al. 1995). Due to landscape changes brought on by colonization, agricultural expansion, and population growth over the past several centuries, longleaf pine today covers only a small fraction of its historical range.

With today’s increasing challenges in restoring the longleaf pine ecosystem, land managers, both public and private, need innovative management solutions. Since most challenges are shared across the landscape and desired end results are similar for land managers, one innovative approach that is proving effective is working in partnership with multiple organizations, agencies, and stakeholders. Within a partnership, members share the risks and the challenges of managing the longleaf pine ecosystem, as well as the benefits, such as healthier, more functional ecosystems. Focus and emphasis on collaboration, cooperation, and consensual goals provide the foundation for positive and productive partnership actions, which usually result in successful attainment of partnership and member goals and objectives.