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Annual and Geographic variations in cone production by longleaf pine

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Abstract.Cone production by longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) has been monitored on sample trees in shelterwood stands since 1966. Eleven locations, three each-in Alabama and Florida and one in Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina were included in the study. Each location had two test areas, with 50 sample trees each. Six locations had 15 or more years of record, the others less. Annual counts of cones, conelets, and flowers (pistillate strobili) on each sample tree were made until trees were cut. Over 20 years, cone crops in which the average number of cones per tree exceeded 50 occurred only in 1967, 1973, and 1984. The frequency of cone crops potentially useable for natural regeneration (average of 20 or more cones/tree) varied considerably among locations. Cone crop frequency was very low (< 0.1 or 1 year in 10) at two locations in northwest Florida and one in southwest Georgia. Cone crop frequency reached a peak of 0.62 and 0.75 at two locations in central Alabama. The ratio of flowers counted to cones produced suggests that low cone crop frequencies near the Gulf Coast were due more to flower losses than failure to produce flowers.

Citation

Boyer, William D. 1987. Annual and Geographic variations in cone production by longleaf pine. In: Proceedings Fourth Biennial Southern Silvicultural Research Conference, 1986 November 4-6; Asheville NC. Gen. Tech. Rep. SE-42. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: 73-76.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/972