Trees Atlanta Speaker Series: Restoration of Old Growth Montane Longleaf Pine Forest at Berry College - Progress and Challenges

Speaker Series: Restoration of Old Growth Montane Longleaf Pine Forest at Berry College - Progress and Challenges

The old growth montane Longleaf pine forests at Berry College campus represent one of the last remaining locations for this habitat and one of the precious few where prescribed burning has been used to help restore and maintain the ecosystem. This talk will focus on Berry College's 20+ year project. Formerly found throughout the upper Piedmont and Ridge and Valley provinces of northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama, montane (mountain) Longleaf pine forests were nearly driven to extinction by land conversion, silviculture focused on other tree species, and fire exclusion. This latter factor will be a main focus of the talk, since decades of fire exclusion has resulted in the loss of this habitat and its characteristic species even in completely protected areas, such as those found on the college’s 27,000 acre campus. Challenges faced, progress made, and future hopes for the continuation of the project will be presented. Lessons learned are informing on-going efforts to restore montane Longleaf pine forests throughout its native range.

About the Speaker

Dr. Martin L. Cipollini is the Dana Professor of Biology at Berry College, Mount Berry, Georgia, where he teaches undergraduate courses such as General Ecology, Forest Ecology, Field Botany, and Tropical Ecology (Costa Rica/Cuba). He received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Biology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and a PhD. in Ecology from Rutgers University. A faculty member at Berry College since 1995, his current research activities revolve around the college’s Longleaf Pine and America Chestnut projects. He annually leads large groups of students in service-learning projects on and off campus, and directed the blight-resistance breeding program for the Georgia Chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation for ~16 years. He has helped establish numerous chestnut orchards across Georgia, including the backcross orchard at Berry College which was the first such orchard to be established in the state. Since 2002, he has directed the Berry College Longleaf Pine project and works with the Talladega/Mountain Longleaf Pine Conservation Partnership on projects geared toward regional restoration of montane longleaf pine habitats. He has authored 50 peer-reviewed papers and ~150 professional presentations in addition to giving numerous public talks, field tours, and workshops.

Additional Information

• Doors open at 6:30 pm.
• Parking: Limited number of spaces are available behind the Kendeda Center, along our driveway, and street parking on Chester Avenue, Fulton Terrace, and Pearl Street. Follow city parking guidelines for street parking. We encourage you to carpool or bike. Our facility is conveniently located near the BeltLine; there is a bike rack available for use at the front of our building. 
• Safety: Learn more about our current Safety Protocols for In-Person Education Events
• Cancellation Policy: Inclement Weather and Cancellation Policy for Programs and Events.
• Questions: If you have any questions or comments regarding this event, please email education@treesatlanta.org.