GRAND TOWER - Long Forestry of Murphysboro has completed state projects in Iowa and central Illinois, but the two brothers running the company recently earned their first federal contract, one that will bring the work closer to home.

Mike Long, a Southern Illinois University Carbondale alumnus with a master's degree in forestry, and Chris Long, a business graduate of SIUC, were awarded a two-month contract with the Shawnee National Forest to plant 9,000 trees in a 300-acre of woodlands near Grand Tower.

Through the course of the project, the Longs will employ a group of SIUC students as well as temporary employees through local placement agencies. This will allow the jobs to stay local, Chris Long said.

"This is Southern Illinois' forest," he said. "It's nice to have people from Southern Illinois doing the work down here."

Planting pin and white oak trees last week, Mike Long said the new trees will help improve the forest's species diversity, maintain the oak population and create a more sustainable habitat for animals including deer, waterfowl and turkey.

The brothers, originally from the Metro East city of Jerseyville, said the Shawnee National Forest offers much opportunity for development in Southern Illinois.

From tourism opportunities to preserving the native species of the area to harvest, ample opportunities to create local jobs and economic growth exist, they said.

"There's a lot of work that needs to be done, so it does create jobs down here," Mike Long said.

In addition to contracting with government entities, the Longs also operate a business serving private landowners by helping with fire, invasive species control, inventories and land management plans, as well as geographic information system mapping.

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