My eyes did a double-take when I saw the tree to the right, planted in a neighborhood near Smyrna, Georgia. This tree is a longleaf pine, Pinus palustris. It is native to the southeastern United States, but its presence here is estimated to be less than 4% of what it was 200 years ago. The tree exists in small patches in its range from southeast Virginia to eastern Texas, and reaching into Florida. It is found south and west of Atlanta, but only occasionally. In the next picture, the tree is 11 months older and almost 3 feet higher. The owner says bottom limbs broke off in an ice and snow storm last winter. This is an interesting addition to the neighborhood.
Longleaf pine forests have disappe
ared across the southeastern United States due to over harvesting of lumber and land-use changes. These forests were replaced by plantations using faster growing trees, or converted into agricultural lands and urban communities. The longleaf pine ecosystem supported many important plant and animal species, and many of them are now threatened or endangered. Much effort is now being made to restore longleaf pine ecosystems.
The longleaf pine thrives in an environment of periodic fires. The tree actually contributes to a flammable environment by shedding twigs, needles and bark. While periodic natural wildfires kill competing trees and underbrush, it does minimal damage to the longleaf pine. The tree grows in 5 stages, and the following information concerning them is primarily from longleafalliance.org, which is an excellent resource.
In the seed and seedling stage, winged seeds produced by the longleaf pine fall in October to late November. With moisture, they germinate within a few weeks. Without burns to clear the forest debris, seeds will be prevented from contacting the soil to take root. If there have been burns to clear the forest debris, they may take root in the soil and grow.
In the next stage, the grass stage, the tree appears as a fountain of dark-green needles. Fire may damage the densely packed needles, but they protect the terminal bud. During this time, vertical growth is very slow with most growth focused on root development. When a growth spurt occurs, it is done when the root collar is about 1 inch in diameter and in optimal conditions. This is to minimize the amount of time the terminal bud is at the level of possible fire. A growth spurt may take from 1 to 20 years to occur, but it most often occurs after 1 to 7 years.
The next stage is called the bottle brush stage. In late February to mid-March, a white growing tip called a candle emerges from the sheath of needles. About late May, after growing a few feet, green needles begin to emerge from the candle. The candle begins to turn scaly and brown as bark is formed on it. The tree grows without limbs as the bark thickens, and its appearance is like a giant bottle brush. This stage may last 2 years, and the thin bark makes it more vulnerable to fire damage in this stage.
In the sapling stage, lateral branches begin to emerge and the tree continues growing straight. It grows up to 3 feet per year and is no longer vulnerable to fire after about 8 feet. Candles emerge upwards from tufts of needles at the ends of branches around February to mid-
March. The tree remains in this stage several years.
Mature trees begin to produce cones with fertile seeds 30 years after height initiates. Lower limbs are shed or pruned off by fire. The tree may grow to 110 feet in fertile soil, or only 60 feet in poorer soil. Trees cease growing after about 70 to 100 years, becoming large in diameter with flat tops. About the time trees cease growing, many become infected with a fungus called red heart that causes the heart of the tree to become soft, sappy, and full of small channels. Though this disease is so prevalent, many trees have been known to avoid it and live over 400 years.
There are many features that can help in identification of the longleaf pine. Bark is orange-brown and very scaly. It eventually develops into scaly, coarse and thick plates. Twigs are very stout, and gray-brown. Needles are dark green and 8 to 18 inches long, tufted at the end of branches. There are 3 needles per fascicle, and the fascicle may be an inch long with its upper end appearing ragged. The seed cone is red-brown in color, 6 to 10 inches long, and oval to conical in shape. The second cone pictured below is the same cone as the first, after drying for two weeks. The seeds are roughly .25 to .33 inches long, with a wing 1 to 1.5 inches long.
Longleaf pines have many valuable uses. The long needles are popular for use in coiled basket making, and they are useful as pine straw for landscaping. The tree is suited for use as a specimen or street tree. The resinous wood is the heaviest and strongest of the southern yellow pines, and is used for construction, poles, railroad ties, and pulp. The stumps and taproots are saturated with 
resin, and are often dug up to be used as kindling for fires. Stands of longleaf pines provide an excellent habitat for bobwhite quail, white-tailed deer, wild turkey, fox squirrels, and many threatened or endangered species.
The longleaf pine is a very interesting tree. It has had an important place in our past, and thanks to current reforestation efforts it should continue to have an important place in our future. I hope to see much more of these odd but beautiful trees.
