VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Pinus attenuata | Knobcone Pine 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
There is no commercial market for knobcone pine wood [11].


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Knobcone pine is unpalatable browse [13].  The heavily spiked, closed
cones deter most seed predators, although the western grey squirrel
consumes some seed.  Jays eat seeds of opened cones [41,48].


PALATABILITY : 
NO-ENTRY


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


COVER VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Knobcone pine is planted for riparian and watershed rehabilitation in
areas with shallow, ultramafic, or sandy dry soils [8,13].  Survival and
growth rates are favorable.  Plantation seedlings used for erosion
control in southern California attained heights of about 15 feet (4.6 m)
in 10 years.  Trees are usually planted on-site from bareroot nursery
seedlings, although knobcone pine can be cloned if cuttings are taken
from trees less than 5 years of age.  Seed collection and processing
techniques and details on seedling care are outlined in the literature
[13,19].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
NO-ENTRY


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Knobcone pine populations are currently stable.  The species is
apparently not subject to heavy insect or disease attack [44].  It may
become infected with dwarfmistletoe (Arceuthobium campylopodum), but the
literature is inconsistent on severity of infection.  Mathiasen and
Hawksworth [23] believe that it is immune to such infestation.  Kimmey
[16] reported it as "rarely infested" with western dwarf mistletoe (A.
campylopodum f.  campylopodum), while Hempel [12] stated that it is
"often infected" with dwarfmistletoe.  There are unconfirmed reports of
infestation in southwestern Oregon [10].

Feral pigs, which damage trees by tusking trunks with their canines,
commonly attack knobcone.  Trees so tusked are often girdled for
distances of 3 to 4 inches (8-14 cm) up the trunk, resulting in death of
the tree.  The motivation for this behavior in swine is unknown [4].

Related categories for Species: Pinus attenuata | Knobcone Pine