KUCHLER TYPE VALUE AND USE
KUCHLER TYPE: Great Lakes pine forest



FORESTRY VALUES : 
During its first 20 years, jack pine is the fastest growing conifer
besides tamarack (Larix spp.).  Height, basal area and merchantable
volumes have been listed for various site indices and ages [20].  A
rotation age of 40 to 50 years is recommended for pulpwood.  A rotation
of 60 to 70 years is recommended for poles and sawtimber.  Stocking
rates of 800 to 1,200 per acre (2,000-3,000/ha) are recommended at a
stand age of 10 years [20].

Merchantable volumes and basal areas are given for an unmanaged,
140-year-old stand of red pine on three sites (poor, medium, good).
During its first 50 years, red pine's average annual height growth rate
is 12 inches (30 cm) in Minnesota.  Between the ages of 50 and 100 years
this rate drops to 6 inches (15 cm) per year.  Height growth may stop
after 150 years [19].

White pine is fast growing and long lived.  Height growth is slow during
the first 2 to 3 years, then peaks at an average annual rate of 3 feet
(1 m) between years 10 and 15 on good sites.  Second-growth white pine
trees can be limby, and these limbs often persist on the bole for up to
25 years after the tree dies.  Stocking rates for pure, even-age stands
are given [27].


RANGE VALUES : 
NO-ENTRY


WILDLIFE VALUES : 
Jack pine provides food and shelter for a variety of wildlife.  Jack
pine stands provide habitat for the endangered Kirtland's warbler.
Warblers need homogenous stands between 5 and 20 feet (1.5-6 m) tall
(7-20 years old) in tracts larger than 80 acres (32 ha) [20].  Although
red pine stands provide some cover for wildlife, they are considered
poor habitat for upland game birds and mammals [19].  White pine seeds
are eaten by songbirds and the bark and foliage are eaten by beaver,
hares, cottontails, white-tailed deer, squirrels, and porcupine [27].


OTHER VALUES : 
Jack, red, and white pines are used for posts, poles, sawtimber, and
pulpwood.  Red pine is used for Christmas trees [19].  White pine is
also used for Christmas trees, as well as furniture [27].  Jack pine is
planted to stabilize watersheds [20].  Red pine is planted for erosion
control, wind or snow breaks, and scenic values.  White pine is used to
stabilize strip-mined soils, and the bark is used as an astringent or
expectorant [27].  Recreation is popular in jack pine forests and in
old-growth red pine stands [19,20].  Blueberries (Vaccinium spp.) grow
in jack pine stands.  Jack pine forests are also used for wildlife
watching and camping [20].


MANAGEMENT CONCERNS : 
Jack, red, and white pines are susceptible to a variety of insects and
diseases.  Gall rust (Endocronartium harknessii) spreads rapidly through
jack pine stands without an alternate host [20].  Red pine plantations
can be destroyed by the canker Gremmenlella abietina.  Red pine is also
susceptible to a host of other diseases and insects [19].  The three
most important diseases of white pine are the white pine weevil
(Pissodes strobi), blister rust (Cronartium ribicola), and Armillaria
mellea [27].

Severe drought can kill jack pine seedlings.  Flooding can kill young
jack pines [20].  Summer droughts or cold autumn temperatures may
prevent red pine seed germination.  Spring flooding and spray from road
de-icing salt can kill red pine [19].  Snow and ice can break limbs of
white pine [27].

Jack, red, and white pines all suffer damage from many animal species,
including white-tailed deer, snowshoe hare, cottontails, voles, and
porcupine [19,20,27].

Related categories for Kuchler Type: Great Lakes pine forest