Longleaf pine is the second most planted forestry species in the southern United States, yet the majority of seed is wild collected and lacks chain of custody. To ensure landowners have access to adapted seedlings with known diversity and less inbreeding, this project provides the genetic material for grafting new seed orchards. The project is funded 2024-2028 by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through a grant administered by The Longleaf Alliance.

Scion material for the project is sourced from progeny tests established by multiple organizations, including the TIP, North Carolina Forest Service, Virginia Department of Forestry, Texas A&M Forest Service, Georgia Forestry Commission, and the United States Forest Service.

Seed orchards securing this material have been established by Rayonier, The Langdale Company, North Carolina Forest Service, PRT Growing Services, and ArborGen.

A seed deployment webtool documents the progress of the project. We are seeking funding for genomic characterization of the grafted material to ensure the landscape diversity has been sufficiently captured. In the long term, we would like to see progeny testing and breeding of the material to give landowners access to options when planting longleaf.