VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Pinus contorta var. murrayana | Sierra Lodgepole Pine 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
The wood of Sierra lodgepole pine is straight grained, light, and
uniform in texture, with small knots [41,63].  The wood is suited for
common lumber grades, and used for light framing materials, interior
paneling, exterior trim, posts, railroad ties, pulp and paper, and has
potential for structural particle board [7,39,61,63].  The uniform size
of Sierra lodgepole pine makes harvesting efficient.  In some areas,
however, it is costly to harvest because access to steep slopes is
difficult with machinery [39,61].


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Thirty-one mammals and almost 50 bird species use Sierra lodgepole pine
forests for food, cover, or habitat [63].  Dead or dying trees provide
nesting sites for cavity-nesting birds.  The fallen branches from these
trees provide sites for ground-nesting birds and mammals.  Although dead
trees may be hazardous to elk and deer that are traveling quickly [63],
dense stands of Sierra lodgepole pine provide excellent escape and
resting cover [7,61].  Spruce grouse feed on Sierra lodgepole pine
needles during the winter.  The seeds are a food source for squirrels,
chipmunks, birds, and mice [39].

Livestock graze in Sierra lodgepole pine stands, but these stands are
not as important to livestock as Rocky Mountain lodgepole pine stands
are.  In the Cascades, livestock often find better forage in associated
vegatation types.  Livestock use of lodgepole pine in the Sierra Nevada
has been little studied, but stands there are probably of low
significance to livestock [7].


PALATABILITY : 
NO-ENTRY


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


COVER VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Sierra lodgepole pine regenerates well on poor soils, rocky slopes, and
exposed sites; it is widely planted in Great Britian and New Zealand for
this reason [61,63].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
NO-ENTRY


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Sierra lodgepole pine serves as a nurse tree for Douglas-fir
(Pseudotsuga menziesii), subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa), and Engelmann
spruce (Picea engelmannii).  Its rapid juvenile growth makes it a useful
short-rotation crop [61].  Sierra lodgepole pine forms an edaphic climax
on some sites, and careful consideration should be taken before
converting these stands to other species [11].  Sierra lodgepole pine
has great potential for long-term population maintenance, even in the
absence of disturbance [44].  Overstocking results in limited diameter
growth of Sierra lodgepole pine and stagnant stands [2,39].  When
planted on steep to moderate slopes and high bluffs, Sierra lodgepole
pine had one of the highest survival and growth rates in both first- and
second-year evaluations [10].

Sierra lodgepole pine is susceptible to windfall [55].

Annosus root disease (Heterobasidion annosum) infects Sierra lodgepole
pine in central Oregon and kills trees under stress on dry sites.  Other
diseases that affect Sierra lodgepole pine are discussed in the
literature [11,13,22,36,55].

Lodgepole pine dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium americanum) is the most
serious parasite of Sierra lodgepole pine [13,38].  Treatment methods
are discussed in the literature [24,25,39].

The mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) is the most severe
insect pest affecting Sierra lodgepole pine.  Epidemics can kill 33 to
66 percent of large trees in a stand [63].  Infestations commonly last 5
to 7 years, and occur in 20- to 40-year cycles [63].  Mountain pine
beetle outbreaks create a large amount of fuel build-up.  Watersheds can
release up to 30 percent more water because of the dead trees killed by
mountain pine beetle [63].

Related categories for Species: Pinus contorta var. murrayana | Sierra Lodgepole Pine