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shortleaf pine

Pinus echinata

Summary 3

Pinus echinata (Shortleaf Pine) is a species of pine native to the eastern United States from southern New York south to northern Florida, west to the extreme southeast of Kansas, and southwest to eastern Texas. The tree is variable in form, sometimes straight, sometimes crooked, with an irregular crown. This tree reaches heights of 20–30 metres (66–98 ft) with a trunk diameter of 0.5–0.9 metre (1 ft 8 in–2 ft 10 in).

Damaging agents 4

Littleleaf disease is the most serious  pathological threat to shortleaf pine, occurring on poorly drained soils  from Virginia to Mississippi and south to the Gulf Coast (61). The disease  results from combination of certain factors, including root destruction by  Phytophthora cinnamomi, periodic excessive soil moisture deficits,  poor aeration, low fertility, damage from nematodes, and perhaps toxic  levels of manganese. These forces combine to impede mineral absorption,  particularly nitrogen (18,27). Symptoms of the disease usually appear when  the stands are 30 to 50 years old, but seldom in stands less than 20 years  old. Growth rates of infected trees may be greatly reduced, and mortality  may be very high. Fertilization with nitrogen at 224 kg(ha (200 lb/acre)  can relieve some of the symptoms in its early stages. No practical control  measures for littleleaf disease in forest stands have been developed. It  is suggested that proper site selection, species selection, and  maintenance of stand vigor are the best defenses against this disease  (18,52).

    Shortleaf saplings and older trees are moderately susceptible to attack  by Heterobasidion annosum, a root rot. Losses in thinned  plantations and occasionally in natural stands have occurred, but they  have not been in general. Red heart, caused by Phellinus pini, may  occur in older trees but is rare in stands under 80 years old. Several  other relatively unimportant diseases occur in shortleaf pine (27).

    Shortleaf pine seedlings are subject to damping off and root rot caused  by several fungi, usually when soils have a pH above 6 and weather  conditions are wet. Foliage of shortleaf pine normally does not develop  serious diseases, but at least eight needle rusts are known to attack the  species (27). Brown spot from Scirrhia acicola may be aggressive.  The rust, Cronartium comandrae, has occasionally damaged shortleaf  seedlings.

    Young shortleaf pines are attacked by Nantucket pine tip moth (Rhyacionia  frustrana). This insect has become a major pest in the eastern United  States and may have greater impacts on growth than previously believed.  Chemical control of this pest is difficult in forest situations, although  early results of spray applications have shown promise. The redheaded pine  sawfly (Neodiprion lecontei) is our most destructive sawfly, and  shortleaf is one of its preferred species. Loblolly pine sawfly (N.  taedae linearis), attacks shortleaf pine in at least eight States.  Reproduction weevils are the most serious insect pests of pine seedlings,  reportedly killing 20 to 30 percent of seedlings planted in cutover pine  lands. Pales weevil (Hylobius pales), and pitch-eating weevil,  (Pachylobius picivorus), are most destructive species over the  eastern and southern United States (1,17).

    The southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis), occasionally  causes great losses. Other important insects are the pine engraver beetles  (Ips spp.), especially during severe droughts, and the black  turpentine beetle (Dendroctonus terebrans).

    Shortleaf pine is generally fire resistant, but wildfires in young  plantations are very damaging. The crowns are usually killed, but  shortleaf pine will sprout from the base and form new stems. Larger trees  may be killed by very hot fires, particularly if fuels near the tree bases  are heavy. Fire damaged trees are also more susceptible to insect damage  (1).

    Shortleaf pine is generally considered to be windfirm over most of its  range, although trees may be uprooted by wind where root systems are  shallow (18). Shortleaf pines may also be damaged by severe ice storms. A  single ice storm resulted in loss of almost one-third of the volume in a  very heavily stocked shortleaf pine stand in north Arkansas (37). Thinned,  pole-size stands are especially susceptible to damage, which often  includes main stem breakage.

    Acid rain may reduce growth of shortleaf pine (28). It may also result  in aluminum toxicity to the roots of young trees, but could improve growth  through increased availability of mineral nutrients (49). Extreme drought  can result in or contribute to mortality of shortleaf pine (70).

Description 5

Trees to 40m; trunk to 1.2m diam., straight; crown rounded to conic. Bark red-brown, scaly-plated, plates with evident resin pockets. Branches spreading-ascending; 2-year-old branchlets slender (ca. 5mm or less), greenish brown to red-brown, often glaucous, aging red-brown to gray, roughened and cracking below leafy portion. Buds ovoid to cylindric, red-brown, 0.5--0.7(--1)cm, resinous. Leaves 2(--3) per fascicle, spreading-ascending, persistent 3--5 years, (5--)7--11(--13)cm ´ ca. 1mm, straight, slightly twisted, gray- to yellow-green, all surfaces with fine stomatal lines, margins finely serrulate, apex abruptly acute; sheath 0.5--1(--1.5)cm, base persistent. Pollen cones cylindric, 15--20mm, yellow- to pale purple-green. Seed cones maturing in 2 years, semipersistent, solitary or clustered, spreading, symmetric, lanceoloid or narrowly ovoid before opening, ovoid-conic when open, 4--6(--7)cm, red-brown, aging gray, nearly sessile or on stalks to 1cm, scales lacking contrasting dark border on adaxial surfaces distally; umbo central, with elongate to short, stout, sharp prickle. Seeds ellipsoid; body ca. 6mm, gray to nearly black; wing 12--16mm. 2 n =24.

Importance to livestock and wildlife 6

More info for the term: cover

Shortleaf pine seeds are an important food source for birds and small
mammals [24]. Deer browse on seedlings. Stands of seedlings and
saplings provide cover for bobwhite quail and wild turkey [24,42].
Old-growth shortleaf pine provides habitat for cavity dwellers [10].

Plant response to fire 7

More info for the terms: hardwood, prescribed fire, root collar, tree

Sprouting: Seedlings and saplings top-killed by fire will sprout from
dormant buds at the root collar. Sprouting is not as consistent in
trees larger than 8 feet (2.4 m) tall [14]. There are usually 4 to 8
new sprouts per tree, but as many as 70 sprouts where fires are frequent
[42]. The sprouts grow 1 to 2 feet (30-61 cm) in the first year.
Multiple sprouts act as a firebreak for the central leader. When the
leaders are 3 to 4 feet (1-1.2 m) tall they can survive defoliation by
fire as long as the terminal leaders are not charred. Many of the
sprouts die back when the leader is no longer affected by fire [20].

A well-developed basal stem crook protects dormant buds in seedlings.
In a study in which 100 shade-grown 1-year-old shortleaf pine seedlings
were subject to a prescribed fire, 33 percent with no basal crook
sprouted, 39 percent with a slight basal crook sprouted, 81 percent with
a well-developed basal crook sprouted, and 93 percent with a very
well-developed basal crook sprouted [28]. Garren [14] found 56 percent
of shortleaf seedlings survive by sprouting.

Growth: Crown scorch usually results in growth losses in young trees.
Diameter growth rate of shortleaf pine decreased as much as 75 percent
after one fire [14]. In older trees, there is no growth loss if there
is little or no needle scorch [23]. Trees 4 to 10 inches (10-25 cm)
d.b.h. continue to grow at normal rates after severe groundfire, even
if the crowns are scorched [20]. Yocum [46] found light to moderate
summer fires had no effect on the growth of 60-year-old shortleaf pines
in Arkansas. If trees are not damaged and hardwood and herbaceous
competition is eliminated, pine growth will inrcease.

Reproduction: Seeds released from on- and off-site sources will
germinate in the soil exposed by fire.

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) hspauldi, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/99341324@N00/2570977879
  2. (c) Steven J. Baskauf, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://bioimages.vanderbilt.edu/baskauf/16586
  3. Adapted by Jonathan (JC) Carpenter from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_echinata
  4. (c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/22777399
  5. (c) Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Boulevard, St. Louis, MO, 63110 USA, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/4928559
  6. Public Domain, http://eol.org/data_objects/24642076
  7. Public Domain, http://eol.org/data_objects/24642085

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