Wide variety of old-growth ecosystems across the US makes their conservation a complex challenge

In an old-growth longleaf pine savanna, the absurdly long pine needles sing in the wind. Once considered forests, these landscapes in the southeastern U.S. coastal plain are open-canopied and sunny, more grassland than forest, with underbrush kept clear by frequent fires.

Longleaf pines – their needles can be up to 18 inches long – are among the longest-lived trees in eastern North America, surpassing…

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