How fire, people and history shaped the South’s iconic longleaf pine forests

One of North America’s richest ecosystems, sustained and shaped by Native peoples before European contact, nearly disappeared. A recovery is underway.

By: Andrea De Stefano, Mississippi State University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: January 27, 2026

Words: 1,262

Last Updated: 21 hours, 39 minutes ago

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By Andrea De Stefano, Mississippi State University

For thousands of years, one tree species defined the cultural and ecological identity of what is now the American South: the longleaf pine. The forest once stretched across 92 million acres from Virginia to Texas, but about 5% of that original forest remains. It was one of North America’s richest ecosystems, and it nearly disappeared.

As part of my job with the Mississippi State University forestry extension, …

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