We are excited to announce that the National Shortleaf Pine Initiative (SPI) has appointed Mike Black, the forestry coordinator of the National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative, as its director! A dynamic and collaborative new project launched in the spring of 2013, the Shortleaf Pine Initiative was formed as a response to the decline of the shortleaf pine forests and associated habitats that once covered a vast swath of land from eastern Texas to Florida and up the eastern seaboard to New Jersey. The group is coordinated through the Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries within the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture and funded by the U.S. Forest Service.

      Congratulations are in order for Mike Black, who assumed his duties as director of the National Shortleaf Pine Initiative (SPI) on November 10, 2014! 

      Formed in 2013, the Shortleaf Pine Initiative comprises a broad range of public and private organizations, as well as key state and federal agencies currently working in the shortleaf pine ecosystem. Shortleaf pine and associated habitats once covered a vast area of North America in 22 states, stretching from Texas and Eastern Oklahoma to the eastern seaboard from New Jersey to north Florida. Unfortunately, over the last 30 years,  the shortleaf pine ecosystem has lost over 50% of its former acreage, with most of the decline taking place east of the Mississippi river. To combat the reduction of this important ecosystem and the accompanying loss of cultural, ecological, and economic benefits to the people and wildlife who depend upon it, SPI, in conjunction with its partners, has formed an Advisory Committee and Planning Team to develop and implement a range-wide conservation plan.  The group is funded by the U.S. Forest Service with additional support from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Division of Forestry and is coordinated through the Department of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries within the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. 

    Mike Black, a professional forester who most recently served as the director of the National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative, brings to the position a wealth of knowledge and expertise from a career spent coordinating and promoting the integration of forest and wildlife management and policy as a forest professional, a private consultant, and as a contractor with the Department of Defense. Under his leadership, SPI will continue to develop its range-wide conservation plan, increase coordination among stakeholders, and maximize the effectiveness of ongoing efforts. We at SREF cannot wait to see all of the great things SPI will accomplish with Mike Black at the helm! 

For more information about Mike Black:

Read a news release about Mike Black and his recent SPI appointment.

View Mike Black's bio at NBCI.

For more information on shortleaf pine:

Peruse this document published in 1992 by the Forest Service.

Browse the SPI website

Or to combine the two: 

Enjoy an interview with Mike Black at America's Longleaf website.

Watch Mike Black in action addressing the Shortleaf Pine Initiative workshop in June of 2013.