Friends of Dragon Run (FODR) members volunteered recently to trim around longleaf pine (LLP) trees in preparation for a controlled burn. Lisa Deaton, the local Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) area forester, and Jim Schroering, VDOF longleaf pine (LLP) / Southern pine beetle specialist, recommended the work in order to protect the trees on FODR’s Moser property.
The Moser property was purchased in April 2025 from Catharine Moser. Catharine and her late husband Greg purchased the 32-acre property along the Dragon Run in Middlesex County in 1988. In 1999, they began planting LLP trees. LLP’s domain was once vast. By all accounts, the LLP forest dominated the Southern landscape.
Starting in southeast Virginia, the LLP forest stretched southward through nine states eventually stopping in east Texas (more than 140,000 square miles). However, starting about 150 years ago, over-exploitation of the LLP forest accelerated tremendously and the face of the Southern landscape changed radically. Very few stands of LLPs remain in Virginia.
FODR plans to manage the property to fulfill Greg’s vision of a mature LLP stand near the Dragon Run. Controlled burns are recommended by VDOF for these trees, which are fire resistant. The controlled burns reduce plant competition for sun and nutrients, reduce disease, and reduce the effects of uncontrolled fire. Fire also stimulates growth of native grasses and wildflowers, creating habitat for wildlife. The controlled burn is planned for early in 2026 before reptiles and amphibians emerge from protection underground and before birds begin to nest. VDOF recommends these burns every three to five years.
More of these events will be scheduled in December and January 2026. The Stewardship Management Events will be advertised on FODR’s website, DragonRun.org, with a link to sign up.
