Eastern Region LSR

Through the support of Landscape Scale Restoration (LSR) grants from the USDA Forest Service’s Eastern Region, a powerful network of partners is working to turn the tide across much of the Eastern U.S.

With over $1 million in LSR funding administered through Region 9, the White Oak Initiative and its coalition of partners—including 11 state forestry agencies, the University of Kentucky, and the American Forest Foundation—are actively addressing the long-term sustainability of white oak. Together, we are expanding outreach, engaging landowners, and applying science-based solutions to restore these vital upland oak ecosystems.

Uniting to Confront a Solvable Problem

White oak spans 20 states across the eastern U.S., anchoring some of the region’s most ecologically and economically valuable forests. Yet, due to climate pressures, changing land use, and the lack of active forest management, the species is expected to decline significantly over the next 10 to 15 years.

The White Oak Initiative brings together:

Federal and state forestry agencies
Nonprofit conservation organizations
Academic institutions and researchers
Industry stakeholders and cultural communities

This multi-faceted collaboration focuses on private forestlands, where the majority of white oak grows—and where the need for action is most urgent.

Empowering Private Landowners

Eastern Region LSR projects are rooted in a simple truth: lasting change happens on the ground. That’s why this work focuses on supporting the private landowners whose forests will shape the future of white oak.

With the support of these grants, the White Oak Initiative is:

Building Awareness
Educating landowners, professionals, and the public about the risks of white oak decline and the benefits of proactive management.
Providing Resources
Offering technical and financial assistance for landowners interested in managing their woods for oak regeneration.
Conducting Research
Funding landscape-wide assessments and surveys to inform outreach and track progress—such as the 2018 landowner survey supported through LSR Grant 18-142.
Engaging Communities
Honoring cultural connections to white oak, including its traditional uses by Native American tribes like the Cherokee, who use the bark in basketry, the acorns in food, and the tree’s wood in medicines.

These investments are helping to close the gap between knowledge and action—one conversation, one woodland, one decision at a time.

Laying the Groundwork for Resilience

The Eastern Region’s LSR investments are built around the White Oak Conservation Plan—a comprehensive, 63-page roadmap that outlines a clear strategy for reversing oak decline. Developed by the American Forest Foundation and the University of Kentucky, the plan emphasizes 10 core forest management practices that, if applied widely, can sustain white oak across more than 100 million acres.

By working across state lines and across sectors, the Eastern Region LSR project is setting a national example of how to align science, policy, and local action in defense of a keystone forest species.

With white oak’s future at risk, our partners are showing what’s possible when we act with purpose—and with urgency.

For more information, contact:
Jason Meyer
Executive Director, White Oak Initiative
jason@whiteoakinitiative.org