Longleaf pine forests increasing across Georgia and the Southeast

A stand of longleaf pine trees, with golden wiregrass understory and tall dark pine trees silhouetted against the sky
A stand of longleaf pine forest rests in Coastal Georgia. (Emily Jones/WABE)

This coverage is made possible through a partnership between WABE and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.

The number of longleaf pines is increasing across the Southeast, with some of the biggest improvements in Georgia, according to a new study from the U.S. Forest Service.

Some 57 million acres of longleaf pine forest once stretched across the southeast from Virginia to Texas. But much of it was clear-cut for timber by the early 20th century.