Pine Plantations Occupied by Swainson's (IMAGE) Smithsonian Caption These sections of pine plantations in the southeastern US contain surprising new habitat for the Swainson's warbler, which relies on dense understory vegetation and moist soils carpeted with leaf litter for breeding. In Aug. 2014, National Museum of Natural History scientist Gary Graves published a new study compiling 20 years of research that suggests forests managed as short-rotation pine plantations could support the majority of Swainson's warbler breeding populations by the end of the 21st century. Credit Gary R. Graves, Smithsonian Institution Usage Restrictions Please include the credit when using this photo. License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.