Restoring a Longleaf Forest for the Future
Terence Hassan’s grandfather purchased his family’s property in Williamsburg County, South Carolina in 1904. As a young child, Terence spent his Sunday afternoons on the property when it was a tobacco farm, visiting relatives. When Terence was seven years old, he moved to the Upstate of South Carolina and didn’t set foot on the property again until he was around forty.
Terence Hassan
When he did, he immediately felt a spiritual attachment to this piece of land, especially after learning of his family’s history in this area. He did not like seeing the land in the condition that it was in when he returned in 2016. So, knowing very little about land conservation he reached out to the USDA. This land has been in his family for generations, but with the help of the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and their partners he began the process of restoring his longleaf pine forest.
Partnership in Action to Assist Landowners
In 2016, Terence walked into the local NRCS office looking for resources to better manage his land. Little did he know, his 47 acres would bring together partners from other organizations and agencies including the Center for Heirs Property Preservation (CHPP), the South Carolina Forestry Commission (SCFC), the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and The Longleaf Alliance (TLA) to assist with the conservation of his family’s land. NRCS staff and their partners provide landowner technical assistance in Williamsburg County through Farm Bill programs to provide non-industrial forest landowners and farmers with financial assistance through voluntary programs that help conserve their natural resources.
Hassan property at the beginning of the project
The Longleaf Pine Initiative
Longleaf pine forests are one of the most diverse ecosystems in North America, with most of the diversity found in the ground layer. There are many endangered, threatened or at-risk species of wildlife that use longleaf pine forests in Williamsburg County including federally endangered Red-cockaded woodpeckers . The groundcover also provides ideal habitat for grassland birds and Northern Bobwhite quail.
A female Northern Bobwhite quail foraging (credit: Brady Beck)
USFWS’s Threatened and Endangered Species records revealed that a very unique species, American Chaffseed (Schwalbea americana), had once been observed in the planning area. This federally protected plant species depends on frequent prescribed fire to create the conditions it requires to persist in the landscape. The discovery of this species pivoted the project into an exciting direction – the restoration of its native ecosystem – a longleaf pine savanna. Kelli Coleman, NRCS District Conservationist in Williamsburg County, South Carolina shared “Partners are often key components to the success of our projects. Foresters from CHPP and SCFC along with biologists from USFWS, NRCS and TLA came together to develop the Longleaf habitat restoration plan for Mr. Hassan.”
Wildlife Biologist, Sudie Thomas, and Mr. Hassan look at remnant groundcover plants.
An array of plants that are indicators of a historic longleaf pine savanna have been identified on Terence’s property, including three species of carnivorous plants, like the pitcher plants and sundew pictured above.
Restoration Underway
Kelli Coleman has been working with Terence since 2018 to develop a plan to restore the natural resources of the property through the Farm Bill Program. The first step to addressing any resource concern is to write a Conservation Plan which helps to define the resource concerns. This plan is the landowner’s road map. It lays out a plan for the project and provides the information landowners need to implement effective practices. Kelli then collaborated with CHPP and SCFC to develop a long-term Forest Management Plan which identifies a landowner's goals and objectives, describes the management activities, and a timeline for implementing those activities. A Forest Management Plan is an important organizational tool and can help save resources and money when followed.
Planning starts with a resource inventory that includes soils, water, plants and animals. Not all properties will be suitable for longleaf but NRCS along with your State Forestry Agency can guide you in the right direction to achieve your goals on your property.
Kelli Coleman and Terence Hassan
“Mr. Hassan has a true passion for conservation; every step of the way, Terence has been open and engaged to the discoveries and changes to his conservation plan. This project went from a simple loblolly reforestation project to a complex, exciting longleaf savanna habitat restoration project.”
The primary program used to support longleaf restoration through the Longleaf Pine Initiative is the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) which provides landowners with financial assistance of 50% to 90% of the cost to implement practices to conserve and restore their land. By enrolling in EQIP, Terence used cost-share to mechanically prepare the site and replant 30 acres in longleaf pine.
Mechanical site preparation completed in the winter of 2020 (left) and longleaf seedlings planted in the winter of 2021 (right).
Terence will also use NRCS funding to eradicate several invasive plant species that are growing on the old home-site area of the property. Coleman states, “Our goal is to prepare the site for the longleaf pine planting with minimal impact to the native seed bank on site, especially the American Chaffseed. Chemical treatments will be very targeted in only a few spots to minimize impact to the diverse plant community present on site.”
One important conservation practice that can be funded through EQIP is prescribed fire . Prescribed fire helps to restore forest health by reducing the woody midstory, invasive species, and competition for the growing longleaf seedlings and returning nutrients to the soil. Mr. Hassan will be installing fire breaks and conducting frequent prescribed burns to re-create the native longleaf pine savanna and the habitat American Chaffseed needs to thrive.
Young, planted longleaf during a prescribed burn.
Terence says “NRCS was a ‘Slam Dunk’ for me. The services and level of expertise they provided are all-encompassing. I have learned so much through reading the information they have provided and consulting with their conservationists and subject matter experts. They make themselves available and take a lot of the “red tape” out of the funding process. My experience has been nothing less than superb.”
Other conservation practices eligible to be funded through EQIP include invasive species treatments, mechanical or chemical treatments to remove unwanted brush, firebreak installation, planting, and even planting pollinator habitat or native grasses to restore the groundcover.
A gopher tortoise near its burrow entrance in a recently burned longleaf forest.
Working Lands for Wildlife Gopher Tortoise Initiative , is a separate but complimentary NRCS program and eligible landowners can use this program to create, restore or enhance gopher tortoise habitat and increase habitat connectivity. EQIP is also the primary program used to support WLFW.
Conservation Programs for Your Land
In addition to EQIP, a program that provides funding under the Longleaf Pine Initiative for landowners looking to restore their land through the Farm Bill is the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is the largest conservation program in the country. This program helps landowners maintain and continue the good conservation work they are doing by providing landowners with assistance to enhance their current practices. Some enhancements for the Longleaf Pine Initiative in CSP include invasive species removal, prescribed burning, understory management and pollinator habitat development.
Sudie Thomas, Wildlife Biologist, and Kelli Coleman, District Conservationist, with NRCS bird watching with Terence Hassan on his property.
Many resources are available through NRCS for landowners interested in restoring their longleaf pine forests. NRCS offers conservation planning, technical assistance, and financial assistance to help landowners achieve their goals through the Longleaf Pine Initiative and funding programs such as EQIP and CSP.
To apply, check in with your local USDA Service Center or go to: www.nrcs.usda.gov/getstarted
Resources
This material is based upon work supported by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, ore recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
