Plants, Wildlife and the Longleaf Pine

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Gopher Tortoise, whose burrows provide important homes for many other species.

 

A healthy longleaf pine forest is a lively place. Birds and mammals feed on the pine’s seeds, foliage and bark; rich communities of insects and wildflowers flourish on the longleaf forest floor. More than 30 threatened and endangered species make the longleaf pine forest their home.

 Some of the plants and animals that live in or benefit from longleaf pines include:

• Red-cockaded woodpeckers, which are federally listed as endangered
• Gopher Tortoise
• Indigo snakes
• Bobwhite quail
• Fox squirrels and other small woodland mammals
• More than 68 species of migratory and resident birds, such as wild turkeys, brown thrashers, blue jays and red-winged blackbirds
• Whitetail deer
• Several species of reptiles and amphibians, many of which aren’t found in other ecosystems
• Native butterflies
• Nearly 900 plant species found nowhere else

From the deer that browse on the forest floor to the woodpeckers who carve their homes into the mature trees, a broad range of flora and fauna rely on the high-quality habitat that longleaf pines provide. And as a woodland owner, you can help protect that habitat—and reap significant personal and financial rewards in the process.