VOA慢速英语2020--长叶松重返南方草原

Longleaf Pines Return to Southern Grasslands¹

When European settlers came to North America, grassy² savannas⁴ secured by tall pine trees with footlong needles covered much of the southern part of the continent. Native Americans liked using the needles to make baskets. Hundreds of plant and animal species lived beneath the trees.

Yet by the 1990s, these grasslands and the pine trees above them were almost gone. People had cut the trees for farms and development. The animals were endangered.

Now, two foresters, Rhett Johnson and Dean Gjerstad, are working with landowners, government agencies and nonprofits in nine coastal⁵ states from Virginia to Texas. Their goal is to bring back the longleaf pine. The name comes from the tree's long needles.

Johnson and Gjerstad compare themselves to an American folk hero. "We were like Johnny Appleseed -- we were on the road all the time," said Johnson of the years they spent spreading the word about the tree's importance.

Johnny Appleseed was a man who planted apple trees and shared seeds with settlers across the Midwestern U.S. from the 1790s through the 1840s.

Longleaf pines now cover as much as 19,000 square kilometers -- and more than 25 percent of that has been planted since 2010.

"I like to say we rescued longleaf from the dustbin. I don't think we had any idea how successful we'd be," said Johnson. He founded The Longleaf Alliance in 1995 with Gjerstad, a fellow Auburn University forestry⁶ professor.

Fires can be helpful

One reason for the longleaf's disappearance⁷ is the fact that people usually suppress fires, that is, they do not let forests burn. Fires clear and fertilize⁸ ground. The longleaf seeds need to grow in rich soil without other plants. If they come at the right time, fires also help young trees as they begin to grow. Fires are important for all the living things in the savanna³ because they kill shrubs¹⁰ and hardwood trees that would otherwise block the sun from seedlings¹¹, grasses and wildflowers.

Keith Coursey is a forest caretaker for about 70 percent of the 214,100 hectare DeSoto National Forest in south Mississippi. "The diversity of the longleaf pine system is below our knees," he said.

Plants, animals and insects live below the trees

There are 16,000 plant species found only in the U.S. Southeast. Almost 900 of those kinds of plants live only in longleaf forests, including species that trap insects as well as the fire-adapted grasses and wildflowers.

The forests shelter turkeys and quail¹² -- but also about 100 other kinds of birds. They also are home to about 40 types of animals and 170 reptile¹³ and amphibian¹⁴ species found only among longleaf. One is the gopher tortoise. The tortoise's living areas in the ground also shelter many animal species, including mice, foxes, rabbits, snakes, birds and hundreds of kinds of insects.

By 2005, The Longleaf Alliance, government agencies, nonprofits, universities and private partners were working together. In 2010, they started the America's Longleaf Restoration Initiative, a program that seeks to have 32,370 square kilometers of longleaf by 2025.

Carol Denhof is president of The Longleaf Alliance. She says another 13,360 square kilometers must be planted with the pines to meet the goal. "I'm hopeful we can get there but ... we have a lot of work to do," she said.

Planting trees for basket weavers¹⁶

The Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas planted about 160 hectares of land with longleaf for their needles. But branches from most of the first planting are now too high for people to reach. So Gesse Bullock, the tribe's fire management specialist, said he is pushing for another planting on the 4,100-hectare reservation.

Elliott Abbey is one of the tribe's basket weavers. "When I was younger," he said, "I thought it was work -- something my aunts made me do."

Now, Abbey says, "It strikes me in the heart that this could die out."

Words in This Story

savanna – n. a large flat area of land with grass and very few trees especially in Africa and South America

needle – n. a leaf that is shaped like a very thin stick

species – n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants

dustbin – n. a can for trash or garbage

shrub⁹ – n. a large plant with a rounded shape formed from many small branches

diversity – n. the quality or state of having many different forms, types, ideas or kinds of living things

amphibian – n. an animal (such as a frog or toad) that can live both on land and in water

weaver¹⁵ – n. a person whose job is to weave cloth and other materials (weaves are created by crossing thread over and under each other)

1 grasslands   

n.草原，牧场( grassland的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Songs were heard ringing loud and clear over the grasslands. 草原上扬起清亮激越的歌声。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Grasslands have been broken and planted to wheat. 草原已经开垦出来，种上了小麦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 grassy   

adj.盖满草的；长满草的

参考例句：

• They sat and had their lunch on a grassy hillside.他们坐在长满草的山坡上吃午饭。
• Cattle move freely across the grassy plain.牛群自由自在地走过草原。

3 savanna   

n.大草原

参考例句：

• The savanna is also the home of meat-eaters--the lion,leopard,and hyena who feed on the grasseaters.大草原也是食肉动物的家乡--狮子、豹、鬣狗--它们都是以草食动物维持生命的。
• They sped upon velvet wheels across an exhilarant savanna.他们的马车轻捷地穿过一片令人赏心悦目的大草原。

4 savannas   

n.（美国东南部的）无树平原( savanna的名词复数 )；（亚）热带的稀树大草原

参考例句：

• Therefore the jungles and the savannas know of no juvenile delinquency! 因此，丛林和荒原里没有“少年犯罪。” 来自辞典例句
• My soul flits away into the virgin forests and to the savannas. 我的灵魂飞向森林中的处女地和广漠的平原。 来自互联网

5 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

6 forestry   

n.森林学；林业

参考例句：

• At present, the Chinese forestry is being at a significant transforming period. 当前, 我国的林业正处于一个重大的转折时期。
• Anhua is one of the key forestry counties in Hunan province. 安化县是湖南省重点林区县之一。

7 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

8 fertilize   

v.使受精，施肥于，使肥沃

参考例句：

• Fertilizer is a substance put on land to fertilize it.肥料是施在地里使之肥沃的物质。
• Reading will fertilize his vocabulary.阅读会丰富他的词汇。

9 shrub   

n.灌木，灌木丛

参考例句：

• There is a small evergreen shrub on the hillside.山腰上有一小块常绿灌木丛。
• Moving a shrub is best done in early spring.移植灌木最好是在初春的时候。

10 shrubs   

灌木( shrub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The gardener spent a complete morning in trimming those two shrubs. 园丁花了整个上午的时间修剪那两处灌木林。
• These shrubs will need more light to produce flowering shoots. 这些灌木需要更多的光照才能抽出开花的新枝。

11 seedlings   

n.刚出芽的幼苗( seedling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Ninety-five per cent of the new seedlings have survived. 新栽的树苗95%都已成活。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• In such wet weather we must prevent the seedlings from rotting. 这样的阴雨天要防止烂秧。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 quail   

n.鹌鹑；vi.畏惧，颤抖

参考例句：

• Cowards always quail before the enemy.在敌人面前，胆小鬼们总是畏缩不前的。
• Quail eggs are very high in cholesterol.鹌鹑蛋胆固醇含量高。

13 reptile   

n.爬行动物；两栖动物

参考例句：

• The frog is not a true reptile.青蛙并非真正的爬行动物。
• So you should not be surprised to see someone keep a reptile as a pet.所以，你不必惊奇有人养了一只爬行动物作为宠物。

14 amphibian   

n.两栖动物；水陆两用飞机和车辆

参考例句：

• The frog is an amphibian,which means it can live on land and in water.青蛙属于两栖动物，也就是说它既能生活在陆地上也能生活在水里。
• Amphibian is an important specie in ecosystem and has profound meaning in the ecotoxicology evaluation.两栖类是生态系统中的重要物种，并且对环境毒理评价有着深远意义。

15 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。

16 weavers   

织工，编织者( weaver的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Navajo are noted as stockbreeders and skilled weavers, potters, and silversmiths. 纳瓦霍人以豢养家禽，技术熟练的纺织者，制陶者和银匠而著名。
• They made out they were weavers. 他们假装是织布工人。