Male northern bobwhite quail perched on a light-colored tree branch, showing its distinctive white throat and eye stripe, with its beak open mid-call against a muted gray background.

Advancing conservation goals of Southern forest owners

Northern bobwhite

White-tailed deer browsing acorns under a sprawling live oak. Red-cockaded woodpeckers flitting along the trunks of a towering longleaf pine, picking off insects as they go. Wood ducks calling as they careen between bald cypresses to land in a black-water swamp.

Those who have spent early mornings in the vast forests of the South surely appreciate the beauty and abundance of wildlife found in these special places.

This appreciation runs especially deep among the families and businesses that own much of this forested landscape. For many of these landowners, stewardship and wildlife conservation represent overarching priorities, passed down through generations.

This enthusiasm for conservation found in the South’s mosaic of publicly and privately owned forestlands has made this region particularly fertile ground for conservation partnerships to take root and grow.

Throughout 2025, NFWF extended its long history of bringing together federal and state agencies, timber and energy companies, military installations, private landowners and highly respected organizations like the Bezos Earth Fund to rally behind a common goal: the conservation and enhancement of Southern forests.

NFWF grants support efforts by family forest owners to manage prescribed burning in longleaf pine forests across the South, and to plant new seedlings when opportunities arise. In the Cumberland Plateau and Southern Appalachians, NFWF supports the conservation and expansion of shortleaf pine and oak savannah habitats that support rich biodiversity and local economies.

Such conservation practices support migrating songbirds and an array of reptile, amphibian and insect life. They safeguard the role of forests in ensuring clean, abundant water. They boost populations of important game species such as deer, wild turkeys and quail.

The complex ties across the South among families, wildlife, natural resources, local economies and tradition will continue to be the key to conservation success.

Contributing Partners: Altria, Amazon Web Services, AstraZeneca, Bezos Earth Fund, Cargill, Energy Transfer, International Paper, Orton Foundation, Occidental, Southern Company, U.S. Department of War, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

This story originally appeared in NFWF’s 2025 Annual Report.