He said North Carolina is known as the “Tar Heel State” because of the tar from its longleaf pines, which stick to the bottom of your shoes when you step on them, leading to the nickname “Tar Heel” for North Carolinians.
“Every day we are immersed in what we might call a cultural history that originates in the longleaf pine forests, so I would say that has a huge impact on our identity in the South, and particularly in North Carolina,” Wimberly said.
After the British began using these pines, other industries discovered their usefulness, and over the next few centuries, longleaf pine trees suffered severe deforestation. Before the Alliance’s conservation efforts, only 3 million acres of longleaf pine remained in the southeastern United States.
Still, local conservation and restoration efforts have restored about 5.2 million acres of pine forests, Crate said.
“We have further opportunities to continue to advance this goal,” she said, “and promote forests that are sustainable for both the people and the plants and animals that live there.”
For the last month, the Arboretum’s programming has focused on the hidden treasures of the longleaf pine forests, including once-forgotten North Carolina folklore and oral history, as well as the many unseen creatures that benefit from the pine trees.
North Carolina musician Abigail Dowd performed several longleaf pine-inspired songs at the “Gone with the Wind: Sherman’s March Through the Longleaf Pine Forests of North Carolina” event. She said that much of North Carolina’s history is thanks to its pine ecosystem, and that there are countless stories that can be told because of this history.
After living in Maine for a few years, Dowd returned to Southern Pines, North Carolina, home to the oldest known longleaf pines on public land, and says he felt like the pine trees were speaking to him, and he was able to express them through song.
“Music has real power,” Dowd said, “which is why we use music in rituals in many cultures, because it’s a gateway and it transports us to a place, to the past.”
The program’s final seminar will be presented by Julie Moore, an endangered species biologist with professional and personal ties to the longleaf pine ecosystem. Her event will be held on June 27 at 6:30 p.m. and will have virtual and in-person participation options, with registration available on the North Carolina Botanical Garden’s website.
Moore said his final seminar will share his personal journey with the longleaf pine forests he grew up on an Air Force base surrounded by them, as well as his academic pursuits in graduate school at the University of North Carolina.
“We want to recognize how many people have contributed and continue to contribute to Longleaf,” she said, “and there are different ways we can address that.”
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Joanna Massey Lelekax, the garden’s director of learning and community engagement, said the “Save Savannah” program will be an educational exhibit that community members can visit in person through December.
“I think there’s a lot of value in teaching stories and reminding people of different things about the longleaf pine ecosystem,” Lelekacs said.
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