Lake Mitchell’s longleaf pines are safe haven for red-cockaded woodpecker in Alabama

Beautiful Lake Mitchell in central Alabama is surrounded by longleaf pine trees, which are hospitable to the red-cockaded woodpecker (RCW), a threatened species.

Dylan Shaw, a biologist in Environmental Affairs at Alabama Power, said that once RCWs make a home in a longleaf pine, the birds can stay in the same area for decades since they use living longleaf pine trees, unlike other woodpeckers that prefer dead trees for their nests. Alabama Power and its parent company, the Southern Company, have protected longleaf pines and RCWs for more than 40 years.

Here, Shaw tells why it’s necessary to protect the ecosystem that helps the RCW to thrive.