Managing Loblolly Pine Stands From A To Z - FSA5023
Agriculture and Natural ResourcesFSA5023Managing Loblolly PineStands from A to ZKyle CunninghamExtension ForestryInstructorJon BarryAssistant Professor Extension ForestryTamara WalkingstickAssociate Professor Extension ForestryLoblolly pine (Pinus taedaL.) is the most important timberproducing tree species inArkansas and the South as awhole. Loblolly pine naturallyoccurs primarily in the coastalplain region of the southernUnited States. In Arkansas, thisregion comprises the southwestthird of the state (Figure 1).Though loblolly pine is native tothe coastal plain region,research has shown that plantedstands in north Arkansas can beFigure 1. The native range of loblolly pine.successful as well.Source: USDA Forest Service (1990)Loblolly pine is adaptableto a variety of soils; however, itperforms best on well-drained soilswith adequate moisture, a thicktopsoil layer and firm subsoil. Theability of loblolly pine to surviveand grow on a variety of soil types,along with consumer demand for itswood, has maintained its popularityas a species to plant for timberproduction statewide.Why ManageLoblolly Pine Stands?Arkansas IsOur CampusVisit our web site at:https://www.uaex.uada.eduIn most cases, sawtimber-sizeloblolly pine trees provide thegreatest economic benefit.Unmanaged loblolly pine stands cantake up to 50 years to mature intosawtimber-size trees. Managedstands can generate sawtimber-sizetrees much faster, often within 25 to40 years depending on the manage ment regime. The difference in rota tion length between managed andunmanaged stands can greatly affectthe rate of return generated from astand. Therefore, management ofsome sort is economically desirable tomost landowners. Managementprovides other benefits as well.Managed stands are less susceptibleto adverse weather, insect outbreaksand disease outbreaks. Managedstands also provide better habitat forwildlife than unmanaged stands.Establishing LoblollyPine StandsLoblolly pine stands can beestablished using two methods:(1) artificially regenerated (planted)stands or (2) naturally regeneratedstands. The method to utilizedepends on the current conditionsof a particular forest site and alandowner’s objectives.Artificial Regeneration ofLoblolly PineArtificial regeneration of loblollypine involves establishment fromplanted seedlings or seed. In mostcases, planted stands provide theUniversity of Arkansas, United States Department of Agriculture, and County Governments Cooperating
most wood in the shortest amount of time, whichmakes this management method economicallyattractive. Most forest managers adhere to theconcept of “the more intensive the management, theshorter the rotation.” Though there is merit to thisconcept, landowners should weigh the benefitsof intensive management against the associatedcosts. Figure 2 provides a timeline with possiblemanagement operations for loblolly pine stands.Pre-Planting Preparation (Site Preparation)Some form of site preparation is usuallynecessary before establishing or reestablishing astand of loblolly pine. Pines do not tolerate shade andwill grow rapidly in full sunlight. Any residual treesleft after a logging operation will reduce sunlight andnutrients available to nearby seedlings and canreduce seedling vigor and growth. Therefore, residualtrees and newly formed competing vegetation shouldbe controlled before the pines are planted.Site preparation can involve three primarymethods: (1) chemical, (2) mechanical and/or(3) prescribed burning. Chemical site prep involvesapplying proper herbicides at the right time tocontrol competing vegetation. It is important tomatch the proper herbicides, application rates andapplication timing with the proper site conditions(soil, vegetation type and amount). Therefore, profes sional assistance from a licensed herbicide applicatoris always recommended when applying herbicides.Mechanical site prep involves operations such asripping, bedding, raking, shearing and othersdesigned to prepare the soil, provide site access andprovide some competition control. Many mechanicalmethods can be costly but may be necessary forsuccessful regeneration.Prescribed burning can be an excellent tool forproviding planting access and controlling competingvegetation. Often, prescribed burning is used inunison with either chemical or mechanical site prep.However, there are often social and/or environmentalconstraints with the use of prescribed fire. In thesesituations, an alternative site prep method, usuallychemical, should be employed. (See Site PreparationMethods for Establishing or Reestablishing PineStands, FSA5002).Figure 2. Planted loblolly pine stand management timeline.Planting Loblolly Pine SeedlingsThe most common method of artificiallyestablishing or reestablishing loblolly pine is byplanting seedlings. Seedlings raised in a nursery canbe ready for planting in one year (called 1-0 seedlings).When being handled, these seedlings are vulnerable toexposure from wind and sun. Therefore, special care ofseedlings is essential to both survival and growth.Why plant loblolly pine?. Performs well on marginally productive sites. Can control planting spacing. Shorter establishment time. Takes advantage of genetic improvement. Easier and less costly than planting hardwoods.Most seedlings are planted between December 1and March 15. Usually, 400 to 700 seedlings per acreare desirable to meet most management objectives.This number can be established using severaldifferent planting spacings (Table 1). For more infor mation, see Storing, Handling and Planting PineSeedlings, FSA5007.Table 1. Pine Seedling Spacings.Spacing in FeetSeedlings Per Acre8x86808x96008 x 1054510 x 104359 x 12400Post-Planting OperationsPost-planting operations take place after theseedlings are planted and within the first three yearsof the rotation. These operations are focused onreducing competition and improving seedling survivaland growth. There are two primary methods used inpost-planting operations: (1) chemical competitioncontrol and (2) fertilization treatments. If proper sitepreparation has been employed, chemical competitioncontrol can be avoided after planting. If significantcompetition from woody stems and herbaceous weedsis present, an herbicide application designed torelease the pines is necessary. A licensed herbi cide applicator should always be used whenattempting to apply herbicides to forest sites.Fertilization treatments can be animportant aspect of stand establishment.These treatments could be applied pre- orpost-planting. Fertilization at stand establish ment usually involves applying phosphorusbased (P) fertilizers such as DAP, TSP orchicken litter. The goal of a fertilization treat ment at this early stage is increasing seedlingvigor and survival. Many forest managersbelieve that fertilization at stand initiation
should only be employed on low phosphorus soils.Landowners should get a soil test from the areato be planted and then determine whether or notfertilization is needed. A rule of thumb for theamount of P needed to maintain high vigorseedlings is 50 pounds of elemental P per acre.Direct SeedingAnother less commonly used method forartificially establishing pine stands is direct seeding.Seeds can be either aerially broadcast or groundbroadcast and can be sown in rows or spots. Directseeding often has a greater chance of failure thanplanting seedlings but is a management option. Fornonindustrial private forest landowners with smallacreages, direct seeding may be a good method forspot seeding on a predetermined spacing.Natural Regeneration of Loblolly Pinecan help remove larger stems. For more information,refer to FSA5002.Stand Initiation (Seed Tree Harvest)Always leave the best trees for seed trees. Theseare the tallest, straightest, largest crowned andhighest vigor trees. Often, it is necessary to conducta prescribed burn following a seed tree harvest toremove slash and expose the mineral soil to thefalling seed (which improves germination). Thegoal is to establish 1,500 to 2,000 seedlings peracre and then remove the seed trees to avoidoverstocking from repeated seed falls. This numbercan generally be accomplished within three years.After an adequate number of seedlings per acrehave been established and the seed trees removed,it may be beneficial to conduct a precommercialthinning between years 3 and 10 to establish rowsand reduce the number of seedlings per acre to amore manageable number.Naturally regenerating a loblolly pine standinvolves utilizing the seed fall from the existing treeswithin a stand. Natural regeneration is most oftenaccomplished utilizing a seed tree harvest. Seed treeregeneration is employed by harvesting the majorityof mature trees on a site and leaving 10 to 12 seedtrees per acre to provide seed to generate newseedlings. A common belief is that this method iseasier and cheaper than planting seedlings. However,there are necessary operations and costs associatedwith natural regeneration as well.Site PreparationSite preparation for natural regeneration differsfrom that for artificial regeneration but is aimed ataccomplishing the same goals: (1) reducing competi tion and (2) preparing the soil for the new seedlings.One way that the two methods differ is that sitepreparation for natural regeneration should begintwo to three years before the seed tree harvest. Theprimary goal of these preharvest operations is toreduce hardwood competition. There are two methodsused to accomplish this task: (1) prescribed burningand (2) herbicide applications. Often a combination ofthe two methods can be effective at reducing competi tion. Prescribed burning can be an effective methodfor removing hardwood competition smaller than1 inch in DBH, and herbicide applications (injection)Figure 4. Example of a seed tree distribution.Intermediate Stand ManagementThere are several operations that can beemployed between the time a stand is established( year 5) and the end of the rotation, whichcomprise intermediate stand management. Theseoperations are focused on enhancing growthand vigor and are often referred to as timber standimprovement operations (TSI). Thereare three primary operations involved withintermediate stand management: (1) standdensity control, (2) fertilization treatmentsand (3) competition control.Stand Density ControlFigure 3. Natural stand management timeline.Stand density control refers to controlling thenumber of trees within a stand in an effort toincrease individual tree growth. By reducingthe number of trees, growth is focused on fewerstems, which increases individual tree growth
rates. Density control is most often accomplishedthrough commercial thinnings. The first thinning willgenerally take place between years 12 and 15 withadditional thinnings at 5- to 8-year intervals there after. As stated earlier, the desired goal is reducingthe stand rotation length.Another important objective of thinning operationsis improving tree quality. By removing the low-vigoror ill-formed trees in the early thinning operations,stand growth can be focused on higher vigor andstraighter stems. Thinning operations can differgreatly between natural stands and artificial stands;therefore, landowners should get an understanding ofthe type of thinning operation needed for a particularstand. For more information on thinning, refer toImprove Your Pine Stand by Thinning, FSA5001.Mid-Rotation FertilizationAnother stand enhancement operation involvesapplying fertilizer to mid-rotation loblolly pine stands.When applied, fertilization is performed after the firstthinning in order to focus the nutrients on the “croptrees” (trees left after thinning). This fertilizationtreatment should be a nitrogen (N) based treatment.This is generally accomplished by applying urea(chicken litter may also be a viable option). The rule ofthumb for the amount of elemental N desired in mostloblolly stands is 200 pounds per acre.The objective of this treatment is to increase thestand growth rate and, therefore, shorten the rotationlength. Fertilization is often more economically viableafter the first thinning because the cost is not carriedthe entire length of the rotation, as with establish ment P-based fertilization treatments. Again, fertil ization will be most helpful on nutrient-deficient sites(marginal production sites).Mid-Rotation Competition ControlControlling competition from the hardwoodmid-story can be an important aspect of intermediatestand management. Reducing the hardwood midstory is especially important when an N-basedfertilization treatment is applied. The presence of asignificant hardwood mid-story has the potential toreduce the positive impacts of fertilizing loblolly pine.Under these conditions, the fertilizer is not beingutilized solely by the pines, so the full benefit of thefertilizer is not realized.Prescribed fire and/or herbicide applications arethe primary methods for controlling hardwood midstory. Periodic prescribed burns ( every 3 years) canreduce the presence and size of hardwood mid- andunderstory trees in loblolly pine stands. Burning hasthe most impact on smaller stems ( 1 inch), which iswhy multiple burns are often recommended.In stands where burning is not an option, chemicalcontrol of the hardwood mid-story may be the bestcontrol method. This application is most oftenperformed aerially, but in open stands it could beapplied from the ground. An additional benefit of midrotation competition control could be a reduction in sitepreparation intensity after the final harvest occurs.Final Harvest of a LoblollyPine StandDepending on the type of management andmanagement intensity employed, a final harvestshould take place between ages 25 and 50. If a standis to be harvested and replanted, a clearcut harvestshould be employed. Clearcutting, as the nameimplies, involves removing all of the canopy trees inone harvesting operation. This method best fits artifi cial regeneration for two reasons: (1) the harvestprovides access for replanting and (2) full sunlightwill be available to planted pine seedlings.If natural regeneration is employed, a seed treeharvest method is generally best (previouslydiscussed). This method best fits natural regenerationbecause loblolly pine can produce great quantitiesof lightweight seed. Therefore, few seed trees areneeded to produce an adequate supply of seed forreestablishment. This small number of trees stillallows an ample amount of sunlight to reach newlydeveloping seedlings.Some landowners do not desire to remove theentire stand in one harvest. Often these landownerswill employ some form of a selection thinning. Thisharvest method is most common in uneven aged (orall aged) management and allows for several ageclasses to exist in a stand at the same time. A selec tion thinning is also a commonly used method if asecond or third thinning is employed between firstthinning and final harvest.A selection thinning allows for the removal ofstems based on certain criteria such as tree form orvigor. However, careless thinning can result in “highgrading.” Thinning by diameter limit often focuses onremoving the largest and best trees and leaving thesmaller, less vigorous trees, resulting in a “highgraded” stand. Forest landowners should be verycareful when employing a diameter limit harvest.Stand ProtectionThe biggest damage risks to loblolly pine standsgenerally come from storm, fire, diseases andinsects. Storm damage potentially provides the mostserious risk to loblolly pine stands. This is primarilybecause it is difficult to protect a stand from stormdamage. Probably the best defense against stormdamage is to manage stands for proper stockinglevels of high-vigor, healthy trees. Properly stockedstands with high-vigor trees should handle stormsbetter than understocked stands and/or stands withlow-vigor trees. If your timber is damaged by a storm,don’t be too hasty to conduct a salvage harvest. Evenseverely damaged stands may be more economicallyviable than salvaging and replanting.
Wildfire is one of the most damaging occurrencesin the forest. Young pine stands are particularlysusceptible to wildfire damage. Stands can beprotected by establishing fire breaks around them.Fire breaks are often 10 to 20 feet wide and can bemanaged to provide cover and food for wildlife. Oncetrees are large enough, a prescribed burning program(along with other management operations) canreduce the risk of fire damage.may be desirable if weevils are considered apotential problem.Young pine stands can be affected by theNantucket pine tip moth. Tip moths can retard thegrowth of young pines by killing the growing tipsof the shoots. Insecticides are available to controltip moth. These may be economically viable forsevere infestations.The two most important diseases of loblolly pineare fusiform rust and annosus root rot. Fusiform rustcauses spindle-shaped swellings or cankers on thestem and branches. As the tree grows, the cankersmay become sunken, causing the stem to weaken.Weakened stems become vulnerable to wind and maysnap off in high wind conditions.The most severe insect pests in loblolly pinestands are the bark beetles (Ips engraver beetles,southern pine beetles and black turpentine beetles).The Ips engraver and black turpentine beetles rarelycause widespread damage. However, the southernpine beetle can multiply rapidly and cause severelosses of timber. This pest is best controlled byquickly logging and removing infested trees.For best control, harvest diseased trees duringnormal thinning operations. If a canker covers lessthan 50 percent of the circumference of a stem, itcan be left until the next thinning (if needed). Inheavy infestation cases (more than 50 percent of thestand), clearcutting and replanting probably will benecessary. Heavy infestation of fusiform rust is rarein Arkansas.Stressed trees are most susceptible to damagingagents. The best way to protect trees from damagingagents is to manage pine stands for high-vigor trees.This can be accomplished through thinning opera tions, maintaining adequate nutrients and othermanagement methods.The risk of annosus root rot is greatest on sandysites and old field sites. This disease infects freshlycut stumps and spreads to nearby trees through theroot systems. Infection rates are generally highestduring cool weather. On high-hazard sites, it may bebest to conduct harvesting operations during thesummer months. Control can also be employed byspreading borax (a fungicide) on freshly cut stumps.Growth and YieldLoblolly pines are planted and managed fortheir fast growth qualities. The amount of woodproduced by a loblolly pine stand will greatly differdepending upon the forest site quality, the numberof seedlings planted, the intensity of the managementregime employed and rotation length. Well-managedstands on good sites are capable of producing 400 to500 board feet per acre annually for many years.Table 2 illustrates yield estimates based on differinglevels of site quality and number of seedlings peracre planted.There are several forest insects that attackloblolly pine. Pales and pitch-eating weevils repro duce in cut stumps and logging debris, and theycan attack pine seedlings planted after a harvest.Waiting one year between harvesting and plantingTable 2. Estimated Yield Per Acre for Loblolly Pine Plantations.1Age 15 - 1st Thinning5SiteQuality2PW3Age 25 - 2nd Thinning6ST4PWFinal Harvest ( Age 0015400.2218493361 Yieldestimates were produced with GYIF – cutover loblolly pine growth and yield model developed by Tom Matney at the Collegeof Forest Resources at Mississippi State University. Software available at http://www.cfr.msstate.edu/forestry/index.asp.2 Site quality is based on the height of the trees at age 25: low 50 feet, medium 60 feet and high 70 feet.3 PW pulpwood given in cords and tons.4 ST sawtimber given in Doyle board feet (1,000 D bd ft 1 MBF) and tons.5 1st thinning was a 3rd row thin removing 33% of stand.6 Residual basal area is 65 ft2 per acre.
Take-Home Points Loblolly pine grows well on a variety of forest sites. The primary goal for managing pine stands is toshorten the rotation length. In many cases, planted stands provide the mostwood in the shortest period of time.– Rotations are usually between 25 and35 years. Naturally regenerated stands may involve lowerestablishment costs than planted stands.– Begin planning and preparing several yearsprior to harvest. The goal of thinning operations should be toremove poorly formed, low-vigor trees and leavehigh-quality, high-vigor residual trees. Fertilization will provide the most benefit on Controlling competing vegetation may provide themost benefit (regarding tree growth) of anymanagement operation. The method of final harvest should fit in with themanagement method being employed.– For example, natural regeneration seed treeharvest.Additional ResourcesUniversity of Arkansas Division of Agriculture –Cooperative Extension ServiceWeb site: http://www.arnatural.org/forestry.htmArkansas Forest Resource CenterWeb site: http://www.afrc.uamont.edu/Default.htmArkansas Forestry CommissionWeb site: http://www.forestry.state.ar.us/USDA Forest Service – Southern Research StationWeb site: http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/nutrient-deficient sites.Printed by University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service Printing Services.KYLE CUNNINGHAM is an Extension forestry instructor andDR. TAMARA WALKINGSTICK is an associate professor - Extensionforestry. Both are with the University of Arkansas Division ofAgriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, located in Little Rock.DR. JON BARRY is an assistant professor - Extension forestry withthe University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, CooperativeExtension Service, Southwest Research and Extension Center, Hope.FSA5023-PD-12-08NIssued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department ofAgriculture, Director, Cooperative Extension Service, University ofArkansas. The Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service offers itsprograms to all eligible persons regardless of race, color, national origin,religion, gender, age, disability, marital or veteran status, or any otherlegally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/EqualOpportunity Employer.
post-planting operations: (1) chemical competition control and (2) fertilization treatments. If proper site preparation has been employed, chemical competition control can be avoided after planting. If significant competition from woody stems and herbaceous weeds is present, an herbicide
183 FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF LOBLOLLY AND LONGLEAF PINE PLANTATIONS Steven D. Mills and Charles T. Stiff1 Abstract—The financial performance of selected management regimes for loblolly (Pinus taeda L.) and longleaf pine (P. palustris Mill.) plantations were compared for four cases, ea
1 U Table 3 4" x 9" x 23" Pine 1 V Front brace 1 1 2" x 2" x 11 2" Pine 1 W Back brace 1 1 2" x 21 4" x 18" Pine 1 X Bottom rail 1 1 2" x 3" x 22" Pine 2 Y Arms 1 2" x 2" x 22" Oak 1 Z Armature link 3 4" x 11 4" x 41 4" Pine 1 AA Index block 3 4" x 2 1 2" x 2 2" Pine 1 BB Locking panel 3 4" x 21 2" x 51 2" Pine .
zation in growing vigorous loblolly pine seedlings forbareroot transplanting. Materials and methods Nursery protocol In early April of 1991, stratified loblolly pine seeds of mixed seedlots were sown into nursery beds (250 x 1.2 m) at a density of 260-280.m-2 in the Georgia
the chemical and mechanical properties of solid loblolly pine wood. The sam-ples were selected from different radial locations and heights of three loblolly pine trees grown in Arkansas. The chemical composition and mechanical properties were measured with traditional wet chemical techniques and three point bending tests, respectively.
propagation of the 13C signal through the plant-soil-atmo-sphere pathway. Materials and methods Site description and trenching manipulation The research was conducted on individual trees within a small existing stand of planted Pinus taeda L. (loblolly pine) on the University of Tennessee Forest Resources Research
D. Mixed Evergreen/Deciduous Forest 38 1. Salt Dome Hardwood Forest * 38 2. Coastal Live Oak-Hackberry Forest * 39 3. Barrier Island Live Oak Forest * 39 4. Shortleaf Pine/Oak-Hickory Forest * 39 5. Mixed Hardwood-Loblolly Forest * 40 7. Slash Pine/Post Oak Forest * 40 8. Live Oak-Pine-Magnolia Forest * 40 9. Spruce Pine-Hardwood Flatwood * 41
12 I 2010 Pine Rest Annual Report 2010 Pine Rest Annual Report I 13 PINE REST FOUNDATION Foundation Grant Builds Skills Each year, the Pine Rest Foundation uses an annual grant process to distribute funds to Pine Rest programs and services. In fiscal year 2010, 464,500 was distributed. “This year we provided a number of grants that
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