Previous literature has reported perceptions among private forest landowners regarding prescribed fire. However, less is known about the attitudes of the general public, as well as nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) landowners, regarding prescribed fire in the context of ecosystem restoration. This research examined the general public’s and NIPF landowners’ attitudes towards prescribed fire, and how those attitudes relate to the social and ecological opportunities and challenges to longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) restoration. Although once covering 92 million acres in the southern coastal plain of the United States, longleaf pine currently covers less than 5 percent of its native range. As a result of this large-scale loss, the longleaf pine habitat ecosystem is considered at high risk of disappearing. Restoration of longleaf pine is important not only because of environmental benefits, but also because of its unique characteristics that translate into potential economic benefits to landowners such as longleaf pine produces a higher proportion of poles than other southern pines. Longleaf pine preservation and restoration has become an important policy and management objective for public entities and organizations such as the Longleaf Alliance and the USDA Forest Service. A substantial amount of longleaf pine restoration has occurred on public lands; however, to continue its expansion, restoration goals must include private lands. The range-wide conservation plan for longleaf pine calls for increasing longleaf pine to eight million acres by 2025. In response, there has been an increased effort to proactively manage and restore longleaf pine with using the application of fire since it was a historical aspect of the longleaf landscape. In short, restoration of the longleaf pine ecosystems is closely connected to land managers’ decisions to implement this silvicultural tool. Seeking to understand perceptions of using prescribed fire with longleaf pine leads to several questions that drive this research. How common is NIPF landowners’ prescribed fire use? How familiar are landowners with longleaf pine and its benefits? What motivates private forest landowners to apply burning in longleaf restoration? Answering these questions will contribute to efforts promoting the expansion of longleaf pine on appropriate sites within its historical range. Results demonstrate forest landowners’ and the general public’s interest in reestablishing the longleaf pine ecosystem within its historical range given that prescribed fire is an important tool toward achieving this goal. Results suggest that respondents were interested in reestablishing longleaf pine –as explained by age, knowledge in longleaf pine and prescribed fire, some landowner objectives, and place attachment. Implementation of prescribed fire is challenging. This research identified “liability”, “capacity”, and “cost-related issues” as the major reasons for not using prescribed fire in the study region. This study revealed smoke issues as only the fourth most important reason for not implementing prescribed fire. In addition, results underscore various factors influencing the decision process for the use of prescribed fire in longleaf pine forest management among NIPF landowners in the U.S. Gulf Coast region. The study explored why or why not NIPF landowners are applying prescribed fire on their property. Findings demonstrate interest in ecological restoration, although this interest was tempered by challenges associated with complex land management practices. Such challenges included, prescribed fire costs, lack of knowledge, and concerns over regulatory issues. Still, informants expressed some interest in collaborative landscape management activities, whereby landowners would bundle expenditures and opportunities to conduct management activities.