Summer 2005

Longleaf Pine Facts (Pinus palustris)

• Keystone species in an ecosystem that once dominated the Coastal Plain of the Southeastern United States
• Just over 200 years ago covered up to 90 million acres from southwest Virginia through east Texas
• Reduced to 3 million acres by harvest for timber, early hog grazing, production of naval stores such as turpentine, and conversion of land to agriculture, pine plantations, and development
• Resilience to low-intensity fire allows longleaf pine to dominate as competitors are burned out of the midstory
• Longest needles of any southern pine contain a high level of combustible resins
• Sporadic seed production: every few years, all the longleaf pines in a region will produce seeds
• Seedlings initially do not grow in height but remain on the ground in a grass stage, which can last from 2 to over 10 years
• After grass stage, seedlings go into early height growth, when they can grow as much as 4 to 6 feet a year
• Longleaf pine ecosystem supports over 300 threatened and endangered species

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