Virginia Department
of Forestry

Conservation and restoration of rare or at-risk species is a high-priority for Virginia Department of Forestry. American chestnut was nearly eliminated from our forests over a hundred years ago by an imported fungus. Longleaf pine has declined across its range but in Virginia specifically it has been reduced to a population of just a few hundred remaining mature native trees. And shortleaf pine has declined in occurrence nearly 10-fold in less than a century. DOFconducts research to help reverse these trends. We continue to work in collaboration with the American Chestnut Foundation, Longleaf Alliance, and Shortleaf Initiative on these complex projects.

What Have We Learned

After 40 years of breeding and selection for blight resistance and American chestnut traits, our hybrid chestnut orchards are producing trees that withstand the disease, and we are working with the American Chestnut Foundation to learn the genetic basis for resistance. Our longleaf pine conservation and restoration efforts have enabled us to preserve grafted duplicates of many of our remaining native trees in an orchard that now produces seedlings for restoration efforts in the Commonwealth. And our shortleaf pine work has guided our efforts to successfully re-plant this long-ignored species on the sites where it will be able to thrive.

Ongoing Projects

Our ongoing studies include breeding for blight resistance and identifying re-establishment methods for American chestnut, geographic seed sources and optimum planting densities for longleaf pine, and establishment methods and planting spacing for shortleaf. In addition, our work supports breeding and seed production orchards for all three species.

Additional Resources

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Image	Title	ID	Description	Content Type	View
	America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative 2020 Range-Wide Accomplishment		DOF is part of the Longleaf Cooperators of Virginia working together to conserve and restore longleaf pine in its native range of southeast United States. Report summarizes the 2020 range-wide accomplishments of America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative.	Publication	View
	Forest Research Review 2006-08		Research reports and updates from ongoing DOF studies. In this issue: longleaf pine establishment methods, shortleaf pine establishment methods, American chestnut backcross breeding, white pine seedling handling and competition control methods, loblolly pine release tank mixes and surfactants, epicormic branching of white oak, and northern red oak planting.	Publication	View
	Forest Research Review 2007-03		Research reports and updates from ongoing DOF studies. In this issue: the loblolly pine tree improvement program, competition control for shortleaf pine establishment, competition control for white pine establishment, pruning methods for urban trees, white oak crop tree release, tree-of-heaven control methods, yellow-poplar thinning response, and northern red oak planting.	Publication	View
	Forest Research Review 2008-04		Research reports and updates from ongoing DOF studies. In this issue: row orientation in loblolly pine growth, fertilizer x planting density effects on loblolly pine growth, varietal vs. open-pollinated loblolly pine, North Carolina and South Carolina families of loblolly pine in VA, longleaf pine establishment methods, longleaf pine provenances, biosolids for fertilizing loblolly pine, interplanting loblolly pine, and southern red oak crop tree release and fertilization.	Publication	View
	Forest Research Review 2008-10		Research reports and updates from ongoing DOF studies. In this issue: loblolly pine seed orchard management strategies, advances in pine plantation silviculture, longleaf pine grafting methods, competition control for shortleaf pine establishment, tip moth control methods for loblolly pine, tree-of-heaven control methods, and northern red oak planting.	Publication	View

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A variety of financial assistance programs are available through DOF and partner agencies for forest management activities.

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