Gift Trees Planting Project – Louisiana

Project Description

This Gifted Tree Planting Project is in the area around Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana which is a natural treasure on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain north of New Orleans. The refuge has over 18,000 acres of freshwater and brackish marsh, bald cypress-tupelo forest, bayous, hardwood forest hammocks, and pine savannah. The refuge’s marshes provide habitat for shorebirds and waterfowl, are critical spawning and nursery habitat for a number of fresh and saltwater species of fish and help buffer local communities from storm surge.

The overall goal of the project is to restore the longleaf pine ecosystem that was prevalent in this area and the dominant tree species in the southeastern United States. Over the last hundreds of years, the longleaf pine’s abundance decreased due to non-sustainable timber harvest, clearing of the land for agriculture and development, and fire. Your project will help promote restorative management practices that can help the forest thrive in the years to come.

The longleaf pine ecosystem is well-known for the incredible diversity of plant and animal species that it supports, many which are endemic only to this habitat such as rare species like the red-cockaded woodpecker and the gopher tortoise. In addition to wildlife, the ecological benefits include protecting the water sources that feed nearby cities.