Tag: Longleaf pine cones

Climate Influences Male-Female Balance in Longleaf Pines

by Stephanie Worley Firley, Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center  • 
For many reptile and fish species, temperature during egg incubation determines whether hatchlings are male or female. In the northern part of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, scientists have discovered that 99 percent of immature green turtles hatched in warming sands are female, raising concerns about successful reproduction in the future. U.S. Forest Service scientists have…  More 

Longleaf Pine Cone Prospects for 2017 and 2018

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
How many pine cones can managers expect from their longleaf pine forests? Every year, U.S. Forest Service research ecologist Dale Brockway attempts to answer this question. His most recent report suggests that 2017 will be a good year for longleaf pine cone production. “Across the region, we expect longleaf pines to produce an average of…  More 

It’s Complicated: The Relationship between Climate and Seed Production in Longleaf Pine

by Sarah Farmer, SRS Science Communications  • 
The longleaf pine tree is a finicky and slow seed producer, and scientists have long suspected that fluctuations in seed production are related to climate. U.S. Forest Service research ecologist Qinfeng Guo and colleagues recently found evidence of a complicated relationship between seed production and climate. A long-term dataset that spans 10 sites and six states…  More 

Longleaf Pine Cone Prospects for 2016 and 2017

by Zoё Hoyle, SRS Science Communications  • 
Dale Brockway, research ecologist for the U.S. Forest Service Southern Research Station (SRS), recently published his annual summary of projected longleaf pine cone production for 2016 and 2017. The report shows an overall failure of the crop for 2016, and a fair outlook for 2017. “Our estimates show the 2016 crop averaging only 3.4 cones…  More 

Longleaf Pine Cone Prospects for 2015 and 2016

by Zoё Hoyle, SRS Science Delivery  • 
Dale Brockway, research ecologist for the U.S. Forest Service Southern Research Station (SRS), recently published his yearly summary of projected longleaf pine cone production for 2015 and 2016. The report shows that the Southeast can expect a poor longleaf pine cone crop in October 2015. “Our estimates show the 2015 crop averaging only 12.4 cones…  More 

The Problem with Longleaf Pine Seeds

by Zoe Hoyle, SRS Science Communications  • 
Do the Math In 1963, from his work on the Escambia Experimental Forest (Escambia), U.S. Forest Service research forester (now emeritus) Bill Boyer developed the formula for longleaf pine seed dispersal that became one of the foundations for the natural regeneration of the species. Natural regeneration—literally allowing seedlings to sprout wherever seeds fall— seems the intuitive choice…  More