When European settlers came to North America, grassy savannas 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 coastal 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.
Title: Saving the Longleaf Pine
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4777/B.wav' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='Saving the Longleaf Pine ' data-article-id='5302'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='14979'>When European settlers came to North America, grassy savannas secured by tall pine trees with footlong needles covered much of the southern part of the continent.</span> <span data-start-time='14979' data-end-time='20104'> Native Americans liked using the needles to make baskets.</span> <span data-start-time='20104' data-end-time='25688'> Hundreds of plant and animal species lived beneath the trees.</span> <span data-start-time='25688' data-end-time='34042'>Yet by the 1990s, these grasslands and the pine trees above them were almost gone.</span> <span data-start-time='34042' data-end-time='38396'> People had cut the trees for farms and development.</span> <span data-start-time='38396' data-end-time='41521'> The animals were endangered.</span> <span data-start-time='41521' data-end-time='56625'>Now, two foresters, Rhett Johnson and Dean Gjerstad, are working with landowners, government agencies and nonprofits in nine coastal states from Virginia to Texas.</span> <span data-start-time='56625' data-end-time='60917'> Their goal is to bring back the longleaf pine.</span> <span data-start-time='60917' data-end-time='65229'>The name comes from the tree’s long needles.</span> <span data-start-time='65229' data-end-time='71500'>Johnson and Gjerstad compare themselves to an American folk hero.</span> <span data-start-time='71500' data-end-time='82417'>"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.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4777/B.jpg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=16542 data-hint-location='71500' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4777/who_was_johnny_appleseed.wav'>Who was Johnny Appleseed?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='a man who planted apple trees and shared seeds with U.S. settlers'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4777/the_us_inventor_of_applesauce.wav'><span>the U.S. inventor of applesauce</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4777/a_man_who_planted_apple_trees_and_shared_seeds_with_us_settlers.wav'><span>a man who planted apple trees and shared seeds with U.S. settlers</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4777/the_first_person_to_orbit_the_moon.wav'><span>the first person to orbit the moon</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4777/a_civil_rights_protester_.wav'><span>a civil rights protester </span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=16543 data-hint-location='14979' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4777/what_did_native_americans_like_to_make_using_longleaf_pine_needles.wav'>What did Native Americans like to make using longleaf pine needles?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='baskets'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4777/jewelry.wav'><span>jewelry</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4777/horse_saddles.wav'><span>horse saddles</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4777/blankets.wav'><span>blankets</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4777/baskets.wav'><span>baskets</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=16544 data-hint-location='56625' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4777/the_name_of_the_tree_featured_in_this_article_is_the__blank_.wav'>The name of the tree featured in this article is the <span class='blank'>Longleaf pine</span>.</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='Longleaf pine'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4777/longleaf_pine.wav'><span>Longleaf pine</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4777/red_pine.wav'><span>Red pine</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4777/ponderosa_pine.wav'><span>Ponderosa pine</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4777/white_pine.wav'><span>White pine</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button class='hint-button'></button><button class='speak-button'></button></div></div></div>
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