To walk through a Longleaf Pine forest is a near – mystical experience. The trees, intolerant of competition, grow straight and almost 100 feet tall. They are widely spaced with no low or mid level branches, which creates a beautiful, open vista.
The original longleaf forests stretched from southern Virginia to eastern Texas and covered almost 92 million acres. Unfortunately, 97 % of this forest land has been lost, making the Longleaf Pine ecosystem the third most endangered ecosystem in North America.
The open spacing of the trees provides ample sunlight for an astonishingly diverse understory. It’s here that native grasses and flowers thrive, providing homes, protection and food for a large number of organisms. Though longleaf pine itself is not considered endangered, the ecosystem supports 30 species of plants and animals that are designated as threatened or endangered, including the red-cockaded woodpecker (pictured below), the gopher tortoise and the eastern indigo snake.
Longleaf pines are surprisingly resilient. They are resistant to fire, most pests and beetles (including the dreaded pine beetle) and seem to tolerate well the adverse conditions caused by climate change. The greatest threat is from logging and development.
It takes a long time for a longleaf to attain maturity. The first years of life, it looks more like a teenager’s ponytail than a stately tree. The needles of the tree, which occur in groups of three, can be as long as 18 inches. For seven years the tree stays in a grass stage, putting all its energy into growing a taproot that can become about 12 feet long before the tree begins putting on height. It takes another 30 years for it to attain full height (80 – 100 feet) and to produce cones. The cones are wonders of nature, measuring up to 10 inches long.
Fire has always been and continues to be a critical part of the life of a longleaf pine forest. (For more about the conservation value of fire, see last week’s blog.). Historically, natural fires occurred every 2 – 7 years. Today, the health of the ecosystem depends on setting controlled fires to keep the understory open and free of potentially invasive plants.
For a fascinating look at some of the history of the Longleaf Pine, read Janisse Ray’s Ecology of a Cracker Childhood.
For more information or to support organizations working on conservation of this important species, click on the following links.
http://www.longleafalliance.org
http://longleaf conservancy.org
My friend’s mother, who is 90, makes these beautiful coasters from long pine needles and raffia.