Econfina Creek: a decade later, a Global ReLeaf forest is thriving.

As I descended a sandy hill of open piney woods, two deer crashed into the thick hardwood forest before me, almost seeming to escort me to Econfina Creek.

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I heard the swift Florida Panhandle stream before I saw it. Numerous rapids, log strainers and hairpin turns mark this upper section, making it louder than most small Florida rivers and streams. For a canoeist or kayaker, the unique Econfina, especially the upper portion, is a roller-coaster ride suitable only for experienced paddlers. The creek races through the clay, sandhill and limestone canyons it has carved over time, but can't seem to escape. But I came to hike part of the cross-state Florida National Scenic Trail that hugs the tall banks. On shore there was a calmer feeling, one of enchantment.

Walking along the copper-colored stream, I was awed by giant beech and magnolia trees. There were also spruce pine, red oak and white oak, hickory, and the twisted reddish trunks of sparkleberry.

Pausing frequently, I was fascinated by numerous swirls and eddies created by the current. The river's sweet song alternately faded or grew louder depending on the shape and width of a particular section. The banks became higher and steeper, often festooned with green moss and cascades of ferns. Tiny feeder streams also made music as they dropped into the main river channel. Some formed exquisite narrow waterfalls.

I passed more giant beech trees; carved initials were refreshingly absent. It was as wild and remote a hiking trail as one can find in Florida, and I was heartened by the fact that most of the surrounding land will remain undeveloped as part of the Northwest Florida Water Management District's 41,000-acre Econfina Creek Water Management Area (WMA).

Driving the project's strong preservation and conservation measures is the fact that the Econfina provides the lion's share of water to Deer Point Lake Reservoir, the primary drinking-water source for the Gulf Coast town of Panama City and surrounding environs. It is also an important freshwater source for St. Andrew Bay, a vital nursery for marine life.

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But it wasn't enough to simply protect the Econfina Creek corridor. Hydrologic testing found that almost 29,000 acres of sandhills west of the creek make up a major aquifer recharge area for several high-magnitude springs that feed this vibrant watercourse.

Fortunately, the Water Management District (WMD) was able to purchase most of this land from Rosewood Timber Company (Hunt Petroleum/Prosper Energy) of Houston for a little under $802 an acre in the 1990s.

George Fisher, retired senior planner for the WMD, was instrumental in the purchase. "It was a good price," he said, "but our future cost to restore the uplands will be pretty heavy because they had been through a couple of timber cycles of sand pines; native vegetation was pretty much destroyed. Trying to reestablish it will really be a job."

Enter AMERICAN FORESTS and the Global ReLeaf program. The WMD received funding to plant 160,000 longleaf pine seedlings in 1996 and 195,000 seedlings in 1998 in an effort to restore the uplands. More longleaf pines were planted in subsequent years. This species of tree was once dominant in these and other uplands throughout the Southeast, covering nearly 90 million acres. However, by most estimates a scant three percent of this habitat type remains due to logging, development, farming, fire suppression, and conversion to faster-growing pines for paper production. The longleafs dense yellow wood was prized for its ability to resist termites in the era before pressure-treated lumber. Only about 10,000 acres--featuring impressive pines 300 to 400 years old--are considered old-growth.

While most of today's longleaf forests are found on public lands, having grown back from forests cut in the early 20th century, private landowners are taking a new look at the longleaf pine's drought-resistant qualities. A quiet longleaf revival is beginning to take root. Both public and private land managers throughout the Southeast are planting so many longleaf seedlings that nurseries are having trouble keeping up with demand.

At the Econfina Creek WMA, seedling longleaf pines have now climbed out of the low-lying grass stage and are beginning to look like a young forest. Thousands of clumps of native wiregrass, a tall bunchgrass that resembles baling wire, have also been planted. Wiregrass helps to spread fire more efficiently, an important component of the longleaf ecosystem because prescribed fires must now mimic natural fires that once swept through the uplands every one to three years. These slow creeping fires help to keep invasive hardwoods in check, and also promote a lush understory that is necessary for the survival of several protected animal species. One of them, the gopher tortoise, is considered a keystone species since its deep burrows can provide homes for numerous species of frogs, mice, snakes and insects.

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When fire approaches, gopher tortoises and similar animals race down their protective burrows. Other animals outrun the flames, climb high into the canopy, or simply fly away. Very few animals are caught in these slow-moving fires. The smell of smoke triggers a long-ingrained sense of alarm.

Soon after a fire, herbivores such as deer, rabbits and gopher tortoises all gorge themselves on succulent new plant growth, and so their predators benefit as well. The plants attract insects and produce seeds and blossoms, and these, in turn, draw an array of bird life. One feeds the other.

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William O. "Bill" Cleckley, Director of the Division of Land Management and Acquisition for the WMD, stated that in addition to benefiting wildlife, "The reintroduction of growing-season prescribed fires to the restored landscape will induce flowering and seed production of remnant native groundcover plant species, which will significantly increase the biodiversity of the longleaf pine and wiregrass habitat." According to Cleckley, groundcover plant species richness could reach more than 150 species per square hectare (about 2.5 acres), and at least 18 rare or endangered plant species now inhabit the upland sandhills of Econfina.

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Longleaf pines are the most fire-tolerant tree in the South, so frequent fires give them a competitive advantage over other trees. Their needles contain volatile resins that will burn even when damp. Longleafs can thrive in dry sandy environments since they sink a long taproot into the ground. Flames usually burn only the outer scales of their paperlike bark, while the more fragile and vital inner layers are left intact. Even foot-tall longleaf pines, still in what is called the "grass stage" because they resemble large clumps of grass, can usually withstand a fire. Burning green needles create a type of moisture shield for the plant's terminal bud. Generally only a very hot tire, one fueled by drought and a heavy buildup of fallen leaves and pine needles, will kill a young longleaf pine.

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To gain a better understanding of what the recovering uplands of Econfina will one day look like, I took a stroll on the Florida Trail just west of the river. I first walked through a thick sand-pine forest that had been planted by the previous owner. Then, through the trees, I could see what appeared to be golden prairie grass. Moving closer, I realized the "prairie" was a rolling hillside of feathery wiregrass in seed, the result of prescribed burning during the previous summer. Wiregrass in seed can be three times taller than wire-grass that is not in seed. Scattered throughout the area were tall longleaf pines about a half-century in age, marking one of the few remnant maturing longleaf tracts that the district was able to purchase. I was viewing the future of thousands of acres of young longleaf forest on the Econfina Creek Water Management Area. The recovering tracts will one day resemble a "prairie with trees"--a description given by early pioneers who drove wagons through the vast, parklike expanses of longleaf forest.

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Another unique environment found at Econfina is steephead ravines. Steepheads are like three-sided box canyons up to 100 feet deep that have small seepage springs and clear streams at the bottom. Steepheads erode from the bottom up as groundwater seeps through porous sand and leaks from an exposed slope. The sand above collapses and is carried away by the stream, so steepheads are continually cutting into the sandhill uplands. Since these shady wet environments are generally 10 to 15 degrees cooler than the dry uplands, steepheads harbor a unique array of plants and animals, including rare salamanders that often reside beneath mossy rocks and logs. Besides obvious ecological, recreational, and water supply/recharge values, the Econfina Creek lands are valuable from a historical perspective. For millennia the area was inhabited by early Native Americans, from mastodon-hunting Paleo Indians to Muskogee Creek bands that moved in from Alabama and Georgia in the 18th and 19th centuries. Some native descendants remained in the area and have formed the Muskogee Nation of Florida, headquartered in a vintage one-room schoolhouse in the tiny town of Bruce, about 20 miles west of Econfina Creek. The group, which has 1,100 members, has been earnestly seeking federal recognition since 1978.

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Early white settlers established a wagon trail through the hilly land along the creek country that one early observer called the "mountains of Florida." Perhaps the best-known early pioneer was William Gainer. He settled among a group of large emerald springs that feed the river near present-day Highway 20; the springs bear his name.

Gainer had been a scout and engineer for Andrew Jackson during his invasion of west Florida in 1818, and liked what he saw during the incursion. "This is a beautiful and productive place with great potential," he wrote to relatives in North Carolina soon after settling. "Tell our relatives and any close friends about it, but no one else." Gainer established a thriving plantation along the river, raising cotton, cattle and other farm products.

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While canoeing the calmer middle portion of the river one summer, I ran into Martha Barnes, a graying matriarch who had pioneer ancestors buried in a nearby cemetery. She was visiting one of the river's 11 clear azure springs. "I've been coming here since I was a kid," she said. "We used to play Tarzan and swing off the vines. There was no Highway 20 then; we used to come up on dirt roads. I bring my grand-kids here now. I love the fact that it will remain wild and undeveloped."

And as the surrounding longleaf pines grow taller and fill the recovering forests, the Econfina Creek Water Management Area will only get better with time.

RELATED ARTICLE: GLOBAL RELEAF PROJECTS 2009

CAPE CHINIAK REFORESTATION EFFORT - ALASKA

Partner Organization: Leisnoi Inc. and the Forest and Land Management Inc.

The second year of a five-year project, the Cape Chiniak Reforestation Effort will restore 2,600 acres of timberland that were removed in the mid-90s and have experienced very little regeneration since. Each year 75,000 Sitka spruce seedlings are planted.

CACHE RIVER/BAYOU DEVIEW PROJECT - ARKANSAS

Partner Organization: Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts

This project will restore 600 acres of bottomland hardwood-forested wetlands and riparian edges on Arkansas land currently in agricultural production. 90% of forested hardwoods in the project area have been removed over the last 50 years. This spring, 261,000 hardwood trees will be planted to reduce soil erosion and increase wildlife habitat.

JESSEVILLE/WINONA ACQUIRED LAND RESTORATION - ARKANSAS

Partner Organization: Ouchita National Forest

Two large tracts of deforested acquired land have been prepared for planting native shortleaf pine to result in a pine-hardwood forest.

R-C REFORESTATION - ARIZONA

Partner Organization: Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest

This project will plant 17,000 seedlings in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest to help restore the area after the Rodeo-Chediski Fire. Boy scout volunteers will assist in this planting, which will take place in the Black Mesa District near the towns that were hit hardest by the fire.

ANGORA FIRE PLANTING - CALIFORNIA

Partner Organization: LakeTahoe Basin Management Unit National Forest

This project will restore 220 acres of land affected by the Angora Fire of 2007. The 66,000 seedlings will reestablish wildlife habitat for vulnerable species like the spotted owl and northern goshawk.

BUTLER II PLANTING - CALIFORNIA

Partner Organization: San Bernardino National Forest

The Butter II and Slide Fires burned more than 27,000 acres of the San Bernardino National Forest at such a high intensity that the seed source was destroyed, leaving no chance for natural regeneration. This project will plant over 85,000 seedlings to reestablish conifer vegetation in the area, as well as wildlife habit for many federal or state listed sensitive animal species.

BURTON FIRE PLANTING - CALIFORNIA

Partner Organization: Sequoia National Forest

This project will plant nearly 7,000 seedlings of ponderosa pine and giant sequoia to enhance biodiversity in areas that were poorly stocked after the Burton Fire.

CURVE/HIGHWAY 2 PLANTING - CALIFORNIA

Partner Organization: Angeles National Forest

Since the Curve fire, this area of the Angeles National Forest has seen little natural regeneration. This project will plant 6,000 trees in the scenic site, which is visible from State Highway 2.

CHARLTON/CHILAO PLANTING - CALIFORNIA

Partner Organization: Angeles National Forest

This recreation site within the Angeles national Forest has lost a great number of trees to wildfires and insect infestations over the last decade. This planting of 4,000 seedlings will help ensure the continuation of the site's old growth forest.

CHARLTON KV PLANTING - CALIFORNIA

Partner Organization: Angeles National Forest

3,000 seedlings will be planted in this project to restore the local watershed and old-growth forest, as well as improve wildlife habitat

MCNALLY FIRE PLANTING - CALIFORNIA

Partner Organization: Sequoia National Forest

There has been very little natural regeneration in this region after the McNally fire. 132,000 seedlings will reestablish the native conifer vegetation and enhance the diversity and resilience of this forest ecosystem.

MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES WILDFIRE RELEAF PROJECT - CALIFORNIA

Partner Organization: Mojave Desert Resource Conservation District

Drought and insect infestations have caused the death of nearly 12 million trees across the San Bernardino Mountains. This long-term project will plant 125,000 seedlings this year, while continuing to develop a comprehensive reforestation program for the region.

PINE FIRE PLANTING - CALIFORNIA

Partner Organization: Angeles National Forest

This planting area was destroyed by fire in the 1950's. The project will plant 2,000 seedlings, and restore the trailhead for a National Scenic Trail about 45 minutes from Los Angeles.

BURN CANYON FIRE REFORESTATION - COLORADO

Partner Organization: Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests

The 2002 Burn Canyon Fire destroyed 33,000 acres of forest. This is the sixth year of this long-term reforestation effort, and will plant seedlings within the 11,400 acre burn area that lies within the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests.

DELMARVA POULTRY VEGETATIVE BUFFERS PROJECT - DELAWARE

Partner Organization: Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc.

This project works with families o1 Delmarva Peninsula poultry farms to enhance the tree buffers to improve water and air quality by reducing the movement of poultry house dust, feathers, and gases. The three-year project aims to plant 50,000 trees total. This year will see 20,000 trees planted in the buffer zones.

HAL SCOTT LONGLEAF PINE PLANTING - FLORIDA

Partner Organization: St. John's River Water Management District

This project area in the Hal Scott Regional Preserve and Park, was heavily logged before the St. John's River Water Management District took ownership of it.

Planting more than 50,000 trees will increase pine density to expand the habitat for many animal species, including the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, and 167 documented migratory birds.

CACHE RIVER STATE NATURAL AREA REFORESTATION - ILLINOIS

Partner Organization: Shawnee Resource Conservation & Development

This project will plant 121,000 trees in the Cache River State Natural Area, located in the Cache River Wetlands. It will create large blocks of hardwood bottomlands to support neotropical migratory birds, and wetland habitat for more than 100 animal species listed as threatened or endangered.

GLADES RED SPRUCE RESTORATION II - MARYLAND

Partner Organization: The Nature Conservancy

This project will restore 600 acres of the oldest and largest rainwater-fed, mountain peat bog in the eastern non-glaciated US. A long-term project to reestablish this critical conservation area, and enhance habitats for the black bear, as well as several threatened and endangered bird species.

URBAN TREE CANOPY INITIATIVE - MARYLAND

Partner Organization: Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay

This project will reduce the urban heat island effect and decrease stormwater runoff by planting 12,000 seedlings on park, private, and institutional lands, in addition to 1,000 street trees in urban areas of Maryland and Virginia.

RELATED ARTICLE: GLOBAL RELEAF PROJECTS 2009

PINE AND WAISKA WATERSHED HEADWATER RIPARIAN PLANTING - MICHIGAN

Partner Organization: Hiawatha National Forest

This project will plant 15,000 long-lived conifers within 500 feet of the area's streams to help counter the region's historic logging, and return the zone to pre-settlement vegetation, and enhance habitat for cold-water fisheries.

HAM LAKE FIRE REHAB PLANTING - MINNESOTA

Partner Organization: Superior National Forest

This planting area was devastated by two fires in the last decade, including the largest wildfire in the history of the Superior National Forest. The project will plant 143,000 red, white, and Jack pine trees to benefit threatened and endangered species that relied on this region for habitat prior to the fires.

KRAFT SPRINGS FIRE REHAB PROJECT - MONTANA

Partner Organization: Custer National Forest

This unit of the Custer National Forest was hit by a high-intensity wildfire in 1988 and 2002, destroying the seed source and giving it little chance for natural regeneration. This long-term project will plant more than 560,000 seedlings in the forest to speed up its recovery and reestablish the forest habitat for elk, mule and whitetail deer, and the northern goshawk.

STONES CREEK GAME LAND PLANTING - NORTH CAROLINA

Partner Organization: NC Wildlife Resources Commission

This project aims to reestablish the region's longleaf pine savannah, which was presviously was clear-cut for development. Phase 3 will plant 63,500 longleaf pine seedlings to enhance the water quality of the New River watershed and create wildlife habitat for the red-cockaded woodpecker and other animal species.

FLOODPLAIN RESTORATION & BANK STABILIZATION ALONG HORTON BROOK - NEW YORK

Partner Organization: Trout Unlimited

Construction has deposited millions of tons of soil into the valley along Horton Brook, a critical trout spawning and thermal refuge stream in Catskill Stake Park. 1,700 trees and shrubs will be planted on the stream bank, floodplain, and upland slopes to improve water quality, reduce runoff, stabilize the banks, and provide shade to maintain the cold water that the trout need.

BINGHAMTOM MEMORIAL TREE PROGRAM - NEW YORK

Partner Organization: Watson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences--SUNY

This program aims to increase the biodiversity and intra-species genetic variability of the urban flora of the area, and to reforest the spaces which are in need of it.

100,000 TREES IN THE DESCHUTES PROJECT - OREGON

Partner Organization: Oregon Trout

This project seeks to restore compromised riparian habitat to protect the native fish stocks and water quality of the Deschutes River basin. Beginning in 2004,83,000 native riparian trees have been planted, with the remaining 17,000 trees to be planted this year.

MANCHESTER STATE FOREST HABITAT RESTORATION - SOUTH CAROLINA

Partner Organization: South Carolina Department of Natural Resources

This project will restore a native forest by planting 6,000 longleaf pines and native hardwoods. Areas will be extensively managed for native grasses critical to birds like the prairie warbleor field sparrow.

RIPARIAN REFORESTATION OF BIG GUN GRAZING ALLOTMENT - WEST VIRGINIA

Partner Organization: Trout Unlimited

This project will plant roughly 9,000 seedlings on 15 acres of riparian and upland lands along Big Run, a headwater tributary to the South Branch Potomac River in the Monongahela National Forest. It will protect and improve water quality to maintain a favorable habitat for the native brook trout.

FOREST ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION/LOWER WISCONSIN RIVERWAY PROJECT - WISCONSIN

Partner Organization: Hardwood Forestry Fund

This project will convert farmland at high risk of erosion into high-density hardwood forest to restore, protect, and enhance the river's edge ecosystem along the Lower Wisconsin Riverway, a stretch of river that supports 95 native fish species.

Global ReLeaf International

REGENERATION OF DOM COMMUNITY FOREST - CAMEROON

Partner Organization: Apiculture and Nature Conservation Organization

The village Dom in northwest Cameroon will receive 50,000 trees to help restore their degraded community forest. This will improve water infiltration, decrease erosion, and minimize the silting that occurs after floods during the rainy season.

CHINA MANGROVE PROTECTION PROJECT - CHINA

Partner Organization: Greenwild Association of Xiamen University

In 50 years, 70% of China's mangrove forests have vanished. This long-term project will restore mangrove ecosystems and promote sustainable community development. 200,000 trees will be planted, and 50,000 seedlings grown to ensure survival.

REFORESTATION AND SUSTAINABLE FARMING PROJECT - GUATEMALA

Partner Organization: The Alliance for International Reforestation

This project will plant 50,000 native trees in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala to reverse the effects of deforestation and slash-and-burn farming. It will establish local tree nurseries, educate farmers about sustainable farming, and improve productivity of crops through the use of trees.

KINABATANGAN WETLAND HABITAT RESTORATION PROJECT - MALAYSIA

Partner Organization: MESCOT

This project will plant 40,000 trees in the Pin-Supu Forest Reserve, the largest and most significant tract of forest along the Lowing Kinabatangan River in Borneo, Malaysia, and will enhance the habitat for orangutans, gibbons, hornbills, and many other birds and animal species.

REFORESTATION FOR MONARCH BUTTERFLIES - MEXICO

Partner Organization: La Cruz Habitat Protection Project, Inc.

This long-term project works to reforest the buffer zones of the Monarch butterfly's overwintering grounds in Michoacan, Mexico. In addition to planting trees, the project teaches the local people to manage the nearby forests in a sustainable manner.

LIBERTAD DEL SURE REFORESTATION PROJECT - PARAGUAY

Partner Organization: Asociacion Guyra Paraguya

This project site is located between the San Rafael Conservation area and the Parana River, within the Upper Parana Atlantic Forest. This devastated forest has less than 5% of its original forest cover remaining. The project will create a conservation corridor to help maintain the genetic flow between high biodiversity forests remnants in the Atlantic Forest.

REFORESTATION OF THE PERUVIAN COASTAL BELT - PERU

Partner Organization: Trees for Cities

This project will halt and reverse the desertification process around the city of lea in Peru's southern coastal belt through a program of reforestation, public education and community engagement.

Global ReLeaf projects plant trees to restore ecosystems that have been damaged by a number of natural and man-made causes. We have a goal to plant 100 million trees by the year 2020. For information on Global ReLeaf projects, or to make a donation to the project of your choice, visit www.americanforests.org.

Doug Alderson is the author of four books and numerous magazine articles. To learn more about his work, log onto www.dougalderson.net.

story & photos by Doug Alderson