Covering 92 million acres from Virginia to Texas, the longleaf pine ecosystem was, in its prime, one of the most extensive and biologically diverse ecosystems in North America. Today, these magnificent forests have declined to a fraction of their original extent, threatening such species as the gopher tortoise, the red-cockaded woodpecker, and the Venus flytrap. Conservationists have proclaimed longleaf restoration a major goal, but has it come too late?

In his book Looking For Longleaf: The Fall and Rise of an American Forest, Lawrence S. Earley explores the history of these forests and the astonishing biodiversity of the longleaf ecosystem, drawing on extensive research and telling the story through first-person travel accounts and interviews with foresters, ecologists, biologists, botanists, and landowners.

On this episode of UNC-TV’s literary series North Carolina Bookwatch, premiering Sunday, July 31, at 5 PM, Early sits down with series host DG Martin to demonstrate how, in the twentieth century, forest managers and ecologists struggled to understand the special demands of longleaf and how to halt its overall decline.

“Part of the story is that we used to have millions of acres of longleaf pine in North Carolina. It was a vast system,” says Earley. “I think there are several different things that had a detrimental effect on the forests. Two of them were exploitation [of the trees] through turpentine production and logging; but also forest mismanagement in the early part of the last century when we were actually trying to save the forest.”

The compelling story Earley tells in his latest offering gives hope that with continued human commitment, the longleaf pine might not just survive, but once again thrive.

“If I had written this book twenty years ago, it would have instead been called ‘The Rise and Fall of the Longleaf Pine,’ because twenty years ago that was the sense of the forest,” admits Earley. “Today, there is a move afoot to restore the longleaf pine and it is happening on both private and public lands….and many of these places are wonderful managers of longleaf.”

Lawrence S. Earley, a former editor of Wildlife in North Carolina magazine, is a freelance writer and photographer living in Raleigh, North Carolina.

During this season of North Carolina Bookwatch, guests also include: Shannon Ravenel (New Stories from the South, 2005), Emily Herring Wilson (No One Gardens Alone), Randall Kenan (Walking On Water), Ann B. Ross (Miss Julia’s School Of Beauty), Peter Perret (A Well Tempered Mind: Using Music to Help Children Listen and Learn), Timothy Tyson (Blood Done Sign My Name), Moreton Neal (Remembering Bill Neal: Favorite Recipes from A Life in Cooking), Quinn Dalton (Bulletproof Girl), Henry Petroski (Pushing the Limits: New Adventures in Engineering), Bill Morris (Saltwater Cowboys), Amy Tiemann (Mojo Mom), Robert F. Irwin (Robert F. Irwin 40 Years), Tommy Hays (The Pleasure Was Mine), Mary Kay Andrews (Hissy Fit), Jerry Shinn (Loonis! Celebrating a Lyrical Life), Michael Parker (If You Want Me to Stay), Lawrence Naumoff (A Southern Tragedy, in Crimson and Yellow), Martha Witt (Broken As Things Are) and Gerhard Weinberg (Visions of Victory: The Hopes of Eight World War II Leader).

Funding for North Carolina Bookwatch is provided by UNC-TV members and by Quail Ridge Books and Music, Raleigh’s independent, full service bookstore, bringing readers and writers together since 1984.

North Carolina Bookwatch is part of UNC-TV’s ongoing commitment to produce programs for and about North Carolina. UNC-TV is the statewide 11-station broadcast network of the University of North Carolina. For more information, please visit [ http://www.unctv.org/ncbookwatch ]www.unctv.org/ncbookwatch.

For more information about North Carolina Bookwatch and UNC-TV’s other local productions, please visit our website at [ http://www.unctv.org ]www.unctv.org.

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