Author Topic: what's this? It's a finger pointing at a candle (Read 1517 times)

beenthere · « **Reply #1 on:** August 21, 2003, 11:30:23 am »

Long Leaf pine candle?

Texas Ranger · « **Reply #2 on:** August 21, 2003, 12:14:08 pm »

pecan?

DanG · « **Reply #3 on:** August 21, 2003, 01:06:49 pm »

finger?

Bro. Noble · « **Reply #4 on:** August 21, 2003, 05:15:31 pm »

Looks like a maple to me.

CHARLIE · « **Reply #5 on:** August 21, 2003, 06:50:31 pm »

I agree with both Beenthere and DanG. It's a finger pointing at a longleaf pine candle.

DanG · « **Reply #6 on:** August 21, 2003, 07:30:21 pm »

I agree with Charlie.

The Longleaf Pine has an interesting first year. It looks like some sort of weed, being just a stick with all these long, hairy looking needles branching out from it. It will get 10 or 12 feet tall before it does anything the least bit tree-like. The other SYP types start out looking like a little pine tree.

Tom · « **Reply #7 on:** August 21, 2003, 07:41:00 pm »

That's a good observation, DanG. Actually the Grass stage of Long Leaf will last as long as 5 years but usually only Three. The first year or two it has no stem at all and looks like a clump of grass. Usually growing in Wiregrass, it looks a lot like it accept that it is a darker green. Most people will mow them down without even realizing that they have a prize tree.

I think I have some more in grass stage now and will look for one that looks like a clump of grass. I posted grass stage on the forum once before but had a hard time making the picture identifiable.

Yep, thats a finger doing the pointing.

Long Leaf is a good subject. Does anyone have anything else interesting they could add about Long Leaf?

DanG · « **Reply #8 on:** August 21, 2003, 07:53:54 pm »

The value of the Longleaf Pine is apparently being finally recognized by the folks that have a little power. It was recently announced that the entire Appalachicola National Forest will be harvested, mostly Loblolly and Slash, and will be replanted in Longleaf/Wiregrass. This will, of course, be over a period of decades, but it is considered to be a major move toward restoration of the Longleaf as a major player in the timber industry. Unfortunately, I will be an old man, and not doing much sawing when these trees become marketable. :-/

Tom · « **Reply #9 on:** August 21, 2003, 08:35:44 pm »

Part of the reason that Long Leaf plantations haven't been planted is because of the grass stage of the tree. They haven't been able to figure out how to grow seedlings in a nursery and transplant them until recently. The put them in little pots.

Transplanting Long Leaf is still in the experimental stages but it looks like they have discovered a way to make a viable plantation.

Expect controlled burns if they create a Long Leaf and wire grass forest or Slash and Loblolly volunteers will take over.

I've not heard a lot about protecting Long Leaf from diseases.

DanG · « **Reply #10 on:** August 21, 2003, 08:43:31 pm »

Maybe they could cross them with Coffee Weed.

Tom · « **Reply #11 on:** August 21, 2003, 08:46:05 pm »

If they could do that, Long Leaf would be everywhere.

Bro. Noble · « **Reply #12 on:** August 21, 2003, 08:51:51 pm »

I gather from previous comments that longleaf is superior to slash and is also fire resistant.

How does the quality compare to Loblolly and shortleaf yellow pine?

Tom · « **Reply #13 on:** August 21, 2003, 09:10:17 pm »

Long leaf is resistant to fire because its grass stage has no stem and the time is used developing roots. Fire kills other pines that stick their head up right away and that leaves the Long Leaf. Because the Pine barrens were burned regularly by settlers and Indians even before that, there were pure stands of Long leaf produced.

The superiority to Slash and Loblolly is relative. As a lumber or timber tree, Long leaf is the strongest and the prettiest. It's wood is tight grained because of its slow growth and the wood's colors are rich. It seems to produce more heartwood than the other species. It's stems are long, straight and naturally pruned early to great heights making for long pieces of knot-free lumber.

It's closest competitor for good wood is Slash. Slash grows quicker and side-by-side with Long-leaf will develop wider grain. Loblolly is third in comparison. Loblolly earned its value in pulp. It is the fastest growing of the Southern Yellow Pines with growth rings an inch or better apart. That produces a stem that is growing 2 or more inches in diameter every year. It is fastest when young but continues a fast growth throughout most of its life. The paper company's like it for that reason and like Slash for some of the same reasons. Loblolly grows in some very wet areas while Slash and Long Leaf do better on the hill.

Shortleaf in Florida is limby and slow growing. It doesn't produce the trunk that saws out good lumber and its pulp per acre is way less than loblolly. I think that Shortleaf must do better farther north and I don't know much about it.

Mark M · « **Reply #14 on:** August 21, 2003, 09:31:30 pm »

Is dat a Banksia <sp?>

Mark

Tom · « **Reply #15 on:** August 21, 2003, 09:41:41 pm »

Banksia?

Bud Man · « **Reply #16 on:** August 21, 2003, 10:11:30 pm »

In school we were told the Grass Stage of Longleaf Pine (normally 3-10 years) could last as long as 20 years and the way to get the tree to initate adult tree growth habits was with the use of fire as a stimulus- but then watch out- cause it will grow to beat the band ! The grass stage is named as such for the needles that are clumped below the terminal bud and are there to take the impact of fire and shield and protect the terminal bud from fire most likely ignited by lighting or woodlot owners these days and by Native Americans in days gone by in their efforts to create travel lanes and to promote understory growth beneficial to most forms of wildlife. Glad to see the Gulf States finally taking steps to replace the Longleaf to its rightfull place among the Southern Pines at least along the coast. The naval stores of the Longleaf and the Slash pines were highly sought after in years gone by. Because of the Longleafs severe intolerance to shade it was not uncommon in years gone by to harvest specimens 2-4 ft. in diameter and 130 ft.plus of height with clear straight knot free boles.The Longleaf will grow on very poor sites and will often be found in pure stands.

Tom · « **Reply #17 on:** August 22, 2003, 07:20:04 am »

I will type Longleaf into google every few weeks just for entertainment. There are a lot of good articles out there and I never seem to tire of reading them. Here is one that says Longleaf can live to 300 years. I didn't know that. I've sawed a lot of them that were in the 150 year range though.

http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/4h/Longleaf_pine/longpine.htm

The wildlife that lives beneath Longleaf is a bit different than you find in other pine forests. The RCW's (red-cockaded woodpeckers) have filled the news for the past few years because of being on the endangered list. They nest in mature Longleaf's by pecking a hole in the side to get to the heartwood of one that is suffereing from "red-heart". then they make their nest in the middle of the tree. The sap that runs down the side attracts insects which they and sap-suckers eat but it also keeps snakes, like diamond backs, from being able to climb the tree and get to the young birds and eggs. I've watched films on TV of snakes climbing up a pine trunk like a squirrel. You wouldn't think they could get that good of a hold, would you?

Buddy and some of you who live in the mountains of N.C. and Tenn. I'll bet you could tell us of Mountain Longleaf things that I've never heard.

I knew the roots were being established in the grass stage but I just read that they will reach 8 feet before the stem forms. An adult Longleaf may have a taproot that protrudes 12 feet into the ground. That's deep!

I never thought about it but have recently read that Longleaf is one of the most wind tolerant pines. I guess that long tap root might have something to do with that, eh?

Tom · « **Reply #18 on:** August 22, 2003, 01:22:03 pm »

Here are two Long Leaf's in grass stage. I've seen them when there was no stem showing at all and the bud so tiny it was hidden in the sand. It looked all the world like a tuft of grasss. these are about 6 or 8 inches tall and have little stem. The surrounding trees are in the 2 to 3 inch in diameter range or less.

These seedlings are at least two years old

Here surrounded by blackberry canes.

The little tree in the bottom left
is about 3 inches in diameter.

Ron Scott · « **Reply #19 on:** December 18, 2006, 07:39:47 pm »

Funding Available for Landowners to Restore Longleaf Pine

The USDA recently announced a new 250,000-acre continuous enrollment category for longleaf pine under the Conservation Reserve Program.

Under the program's Longleaf Pine Initiative, landowners in nine southeastern states who have existing croplands with soils appropriate for longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) can enroll in CRP. They will receive enhanced cost-share assistance to help cover the costs of planting longleaf and 15-year contracts that provide annual payments.

For more information, visit the Environmental Defense website.

The site contains more detailed information about the program here.

WDH · « **Reply #20 on:** December 19, 2006, 12:15:35 am »

This program is well intentioned (to bring back the old longleaf pine and wiregrass community), but many times these CRP longleaf are planted on sites that were more suited to loblolly and slash pine and they have major survival problems. If you plant longleaf in an old field that was previously under cultivation and fertilization, the weeds eat them up and they have to be re-planted, sometimes 3 or 4 times to get a good stand. They do best on a drier, sandy site, but the USDA is pushing this program with some romanticism, and a bunch of money has been wasted planting longleaf off-site.

Phorester · « **Reply #21 on:** December 19, 2006, 06:42:33 am »

The VA Dept. of Forestry is in the beginning stages of re-introducing longleaf in the SE corner of VA, where it was once a pretty common tree.

News:

Author Topic: what's this? It's a finger pointing at a candle (Read 1517 times)