Longleaf pine is a very rare plant in Virginia with only 4432 trees remaining in the wild.  We were interested in utilizing highway rights-of-way to start backup populations of native Virginia longleaf pine within the historic range of the tree and to measure survivorship of  longleaf pine planting. Two hundred seventeen seedlings with an average root collar diameter of 1 cm were planted in a cloverleaf in Prince George County, Virginia in mid-January 1999.  Ground cover cloth was placed around each seedling, mulch was placed on top of ground cloth, and a bamboo stake with survey tape placed next to each seedling. Mowing of the site during the growing season was carefully coordinated with VDOT staff.  Survivorship of longleaf pine after one season was 84% and mulching generally provided effective control of longleaf pine competitors.