Georgia Power Marks Its First Efforts To Restore Piedmont Region’s Native Shortleaf Pine Ecosystem With Prescribed Burn

Georgia Power announced this week a successful prescribed burn on approximately 60 acres of company land at Lake Oconee adjacent to the Wildlife Management Area. The effort, under permit by the Georgia Forestry Commission and in collaboration with the Shortleaf Pine Initiative, is designed to begin restoring a native shortleaf pine ecosystem once prevalent in the area. The project came to fruition the same week that the state recognizes Georgia Arbor Day, which falls on Feb. 18 this year.

“Many are familiar with our longstanding work to restore the native longleaf pine in Georgia, but this is the first shortleaf initiative Georgia Power has been involved with,” said Jim Ozier, a Land Management Environmental Specialist on Georgia Power’s Natural Resources team. “The site was predominantly loblolly pine prior to harvest several years ago, and is surrounded by loblolly stands, so we’ll have to watch the progress, but shortleaf seed trees were retained. This stand should be well on its way toward shortleaf dominance with diverse ground cover and may eventually be a real conservation forestry success story.”

Last year, Georgia Power planted more than 21,000 longleaf pine seedlings to help restore 52 acres of this unique habitat type, as well as 254,000 loblolly pine seedlings on another 423 acres.

As part of the company’s commitment to conservation and the outdoors, Georgia Power remains the largest non-governmental provider of public recreation in Georgia, and for years has maintained and operated some 100,000 acres of land, 60,000 surface acres of water and more than 15 lake properties. Georgia Power lands and rights-of-way sites provide habitat for rare plants and are often designated as Special Management Areas. Georgia Power has a longstanding commitment to natural resource conservation, which includes protecting native habitat and water quality through establishing and enhancing native forests.