WASHINGTON, D.C., June 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced $20 million in conservation grants to restore, enhance and protect longleaf pine forests across nine southern states. The grants will leverage more than $18.6 million in matching contributions to generate a total conservation impact of $38.6 million.
The grants were awarded through the Longleaf Landscape Stewardship Fund (LLSF), a public-private partnership and competitive grant program supported by the collective investment of 12 funding partners. This includes a fifth consecutive year of major funding from the Bezos Earth Fund, which has over five years of partnership with NFWF and has invested more than $67 million in longleaf restoration grants through the LLSF.
This slate of projects marks 15 years of grantmaking through the LLSF. Collectively, the projects will support the planting of millions of longleaf pine seedlings, expand the use of prescribed fire to restore and maintain longleaf pine forests, and assist more private landowners within this private land–dominated landscape.
“The projects represent years of dedicated effort by both public and private funders and partners committed to the voluntary restoration of the longleaf pine ecosystem and mark another strong year for longleaf conservation,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. “Together, these projects will advance innovative approaches to expand and improve longleaf pine forests, strengthen reforestation efforts, help landowners improve the productivity of their lands, and help engage more landowners to restore the longleaf landscape—critical steps toward achieving the America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative’s goal of restoring 8 million acres.”
The fire-adapted longleaf pine ecosystem harbors immense biodiversity, including more than 900 plant species found nowhere else on earth and provides habitat for 40 species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Longleaf pine forests are drought tolerant and provide clean water, outdoor recreation opportunities, jobs in the forest sector, and they support our national defense by buffering military installations from encroaching development and strengthening mission readiness by maintaining the training environments required for military preparedness.
The projects supported by the grants announced today will advance restoration across nine states within the longleaf pine’s historic range, including portions of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. Together, the projects supported by these grants are expected to establish more than 30,000 acres of longleaf pine habitat through plantings and complete prescribed burnings on an additional 350,000 acres. Grantees will engage private landowners through workshops, trainings and one-on-one technical assistance to restore and maintain longleaf pine habitat on their lands.
These projects will also benefit a wide range of wildlife, including at-risk species such as the gopher tortoise, red-cockaded woodpecker and eastern indigo snake through captive breeding and release of individuals to restored longleaf pine habitat. Numerous at-risk amphibian species such as the frosted flatwoods salamander and Carolina gopher frog will benefit from the restoration of ephemeral wetlands, which provide critical breeding habitat. Improved management of longleaf pine forests will also benefit several game species, including wild turkey and northern bobwhite, by thinning overcrowded forests, which will allow sunlight to reach the forest floor, promoting native groundcover plants that these species need for forage and cover.
Collectively, these projects are helping to improve habitat and increase forest health and productivity, benefiting species and communities.
The LLSF provides vital financial support for on-the-ground partners working to implement landscape-scale projects across multiple states. The need for coordinated, collective landscape conservation investments such as these are more important than ever with ever-growing land-use demands. Investments are guided by and support the larger America’s Longleaf Restoration Initiative, which has a goal of restoring 8 million acres of longleaf pine habitat. NFWF works with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Department of War, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bezos Earth Fund, International Paper’s Forestland Stewards Partnership, Southern Company, Altria Group, Amazon Web Services, Occidental, the Orton Foundation (an affiliate of The Moore Charitable Foundation), and Energy Transfer.
NFWF has invested in longleaf pine restoration since 2004, initially through the Longleaf Legacy Program, funded through a partnership with Southern Company, and later through the launch of LLSF in 2012. Since its inception, this long-standing public-private partnership is considered a model for other conservation efforts, having invested more than $151 million, leveraging an additional $131 million in matching contributions for a total conservation impact of $282 million.
Once spanning more than 90 million acres across the southeastern United States, longleaf pine forests today only cover about 5 percent of its historic range due to land conversion and fire suppression. This fire-adapted system supports remarkable biodiversity—up to 50 different plant species can be found in one square meter—and provides habitat for a wide range of wildlife.
Renewed conservation momentum over the last several decades has helped reverse habitat loss and restore longleaf pine through collaborative, voluntary landscape-scale conservation—an approach now widely recognized as a model for conservation.
A complete list of the 2026 grants made through the Longleaf Landscape Stewardship Fund is available here. See quotes from LLSF partners about this announcement here.
About the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) works with partners to foster sustainable and impactful conservation solutions so that people and nature thrive together. Chartered by Congress in 1984, NFWF has grown to become the nation’s conservation foundation. NFWF works with the public and private sectors to sustain, restore and enhance the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants and habitats for current and future generations. Since its founding, NFWF has supported more than 7,200 grantee organizations and funded more than 23,900 projects that have generated a total conservation impact of more than $12 billion. Learn more at nfwf.org.
About the Bezos Earth Fund
The Bezos Earth Fund, guided by the belief that Earth is the best planet in this solar system, works to protect and restore the natural world. Working with partners around the globe, we are developing innovative solutions to ensure the planet remains a place we can – and want to – live on. Based in the United States, the organization is led by President and CEO Tom Taylor, under the direction of Chairman Jeff Bezos and Vice Chair Lauren Sánchez Bezos. To learn more, visit: bezosearthfund.org.
About Amazon Web Services
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is guided by customer obsession, pace of innovation, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. By democratizing technology for nearly two decades and making cloud computing and generative AI accessible to organizations of every size and industry, AWS has built one of the fastest-growing enterprise technology businesses in history. Millions of customers trust AWS to accelerate innovation, transform their businesses, and shape the future. With the most comprehensive AI capabilities and global infrastructure footprint, AWS empowers builders to turn big ideas into reality. Learn more at aws.amazon.com and follow @AWSNewsroom.
About International Paper
International Paper (NYSE: IP; LSE: IPC) creates sustainable packaging solutions that enable our customers, teammates and shareowners to thrive in an ever-changing world. We are a leader in corrugated packaging, partnering with customers across industries to protect what matters most, strengthen supply chains and create lasting value. Learn more at internationalpaper.com.
About the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is to work with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals, and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit fws.gov.
About the U.S. Forest Service
The mission of the USDA Forest Service is, “To sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations.” The Forest Service manages 193 million acres of forest lands with tribal governments, state and private landowners, and maintains the largest forest research organization in the world.
About the Natural Resources Conservation Service
As the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s primary private lands conservation agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) helps America’s farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners make investments in their operations and local communities to keep working lands working, boost rural economies, increase the competitiveness of American agriculture, and improve the quality of our air, water, soil, and habitat. Through one-on-one, personalized and voluntary assistance, NRCS works with producers and communities to find the best solutions to meet their unique conservation and business goals to ensure the health of our natural resources and the long-term sustainability of American agriculture.
About Southern Company
Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is a leading energy provider serving 9 million customers across the Southeast and beyond through its family of companies. The company has electric operating companies in three states, natural gas distribution companies in four states, a competitive generation company, a leading distributed energy solutions provider with national capabilities, a fiber optics network and telecommunications services. Our uncompromising values ensure we put the needs of those we serve at the center of everything we do and are the key to our sustained success, driven by nearly 30,000 employees dedicated to delivering exceptional service. To learn more, visit www.southerncompany.com.
About the U.S. Department of War’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program
The Department of War’s REPI Program strengthens mission execution by enabling partnerships with Military Services, Federal agencies, state and local governments, and trusted private entities to address land use threats, incompatible development, and foreign acquisition risks near critical training and operational areas. Authorized under 10 U.S.C. § 2684a, this authority allows DoW to proactively prevent encroachment that could compromise training access, controlled airspace, maritime ranges, or the surrounding defense industrial base, which is vital to production and sustainment. By securing these environments before they are degraded, REPI preserves operational flexibility and ensures uninterrupted readiness for the warfighter.
About Orton Foundation
The Orton Foundation, the North Carolina affiliate of Louis Bacon’s Moore Charitable Foundation, focuses its support to organizations that protect water quality and coastal habitats and help combat threats from development, clearcutting, port expansion and toxic chemical runoff in the Cape Fear River Basin area. The Foundation also supports culturally significant conservation and community efforts and essential services.
About Occidental
Occidental is an international energy company that produces, markets and transports oil and natural gas to maximize value and provide resources fundamental to life. The company leverages its global leadership in carbon management to advance lower-carbon technologies and products. Headquartered in Houston, Occidental primarily operates in the United States, the Middle East and North Africa. To learn more, visit oxy.com.
Matt Winter National Fish and Wildlife Foundation 202-857-0166 matt.winter@nfwf.org
