VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Pinus contorta var. latifolia | Rocky Mountain Lodgepole Pine 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
Lodgepole pine is an important timber-producing tree.  In some northern
Rocky Mountain States, it comprises 25 percent of the lumber processed
[85].  It is chiefly cut for lumber, especially 2x4's, but other common
wood products include plywood, posts and poles, house logs, railway
ties, mine timbers, and paper [52,85].


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Habitat:  Lodgepole pine's importance to big game animals is as cover
and habitat.  Throughout much of the Rockies, lodgepole forests cover
extensive areas that serve as deer and elk summer ranges.  Although
these forests typically have sparse understories and provide very little
forage, they provide important cover for ungulates that forage in
associated nonforested communities [83].  

Food:  Lodgepole pine seeds are an important food of pine squirrels.  In
some areas the seeds are the squirrel's sole food source from November
to March or April.  Even in the summer, lodgepole seeds may make up a
large percentage of the squirrel's diet [48].  Chipmunks and songbirds
also eat lodgepole pine seeds [31].  Lodgepole pine needles are an
important blue and spruce grouse winter food [63,88].  Wild ungulates
seldom browse lodgepole pine, except in winter when it is sometimes used
as an emergency food.


PALATABILITY : 
Lodgepole pine's palatability to livestock is low [20].  Domestic sheep
occasionally eat the succulent new candles of seedlings in the spring
and browse needles and small branches if other forage is lacking [51].
Its palatability to wild ungulates is also low [20].  The seeds are
palatable to a variety of small birds and mammals [31].


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Cowan and others [14] listed lodgepole pine as a "high quality" food for
ungulates but also noted that it was browsed only occasionally.  Other
sources indicate that this species is not very nutritious, listing its
energy value as fair and its protein value as poor [20].  Cowan reported
the crude protein content of lodgepole pine browse ranged between 6.7
and 7.26 percent, which was slightly higher than subalpine fir and
Douglas-fir.  They also indicated that crude fiber was relatively high,
about 24 or 25 percent.


COVER VALUE : 
Lodgepole pine stands provide good thermal and hiding cover for deer,
elk, moose, and bear [52,79].  The degree to which lodgepole pine
provides environmental protection for wildlife species is rated as
follows [20]:

                         CO      MT      UT      WY

pronghorn               ----    ----    poor    poor
elk                     good    good    good    good
mule deer               good    good    good    good
white-tailed deer       good    good    ----    good
small mammals           good    good    good    good
small nongame birds     good    good    good    good
upland game birds       ----    good    good    good
waterfowl               ----    ----    fair    poor


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Lodgepole pine is used for the reclamation of all kinds of disturbed
sites in montane and subalpine habitats.  In Alberta it has been used to
reforest coal mine overburden and amended oil sand tailings [31].  It
can be established by seed or transplants.  Nursery-grown seedlings are
readily available.  Its long-term revegetation potential is rated as
high in Utah, and medium in Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana [20].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
For landscaping purposes, lodgepole pine is best used in screenings and
windbreaks [81].  It is sometimes planted as a specimen tree because its
rapid growth allows it to be trained to produce unusual shapes [43].  It
can also be grown as a bonsai specimen [43].

Native Americans used the straight and slender poles to support their
lodges.  They also ate the cambium for food and occasionally used the
sap for medicinal purposes [32].  


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Silviculture:  Rocky Mountain lodgepole pine is best regenerated using
even-aged sulvicultural methods.  The general practice is clearcutting
with subsequent stand establishment through natural regeneration or
planting.  Lopping and scattering serotinous cone-bearing slash is a
common method of seed dispersal.  These cones open and release seed with
normal summer soil surface temperatures.  Methods and timing of site
preperation treatments vary greatly depending on site quality and seed
abundance.  Because severe stagnation occurs in overstocked stands,
stocking should not exceed 500 to 800 stems per acre (1,200-2,000/ha) at
5 to 20 years of age.  Lotan and Perry [52] provide a comprehensive
review of Rocky Mountain lodgepole pine silviculture.

Insects:  The mountain pine beetle is the most serious insect pest of
lodgepole pine.  This species can cause catastrophic losses in repeated
outbreaks.  During a single infestation, pine beetles can destroy almost
all merchantable trees in a stand.  Amman and Safranyik [3] review
insect pests of lodgepole pine.  

Parasites and diseases:  Lodgepole pine dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium
americanum) is the most serious parasite of lodgepole pine.  In many
areas more than 50 percent of stands are infected.  Management of
infected stands is best accomplished through clearcutting [33].  Stem
cankers caused by fungal pathogens are the most serious diseases of
lodgepole pine.  Cankered stems are useless for lumber or posts and
poles [51].

Related categories for Species: Pinus contorta var. latifolia | Rocky Mountain Lodgepole Pine