VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa | Pacific Ponderosa Pine 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
Pacific ponderosa pine is a valuable lumber species in the Inland West,
with 1986 sales exceeding 1.4 billion dollars in wholesale value [4].
Old-growth Pacific ponderosa pine produces clear, high-grade lumber,
although young trees are typically limby because natural pruning
develops slowly.  An average clear length of only 11.5 feet (3.5 m) was
recorded in 250 year-old stands in central Idaho [48].  Consumption of
Pacific ponderosa pine wood products is primarily limited to the United
States, with some export to Canada.  A large percentage of small,
low-grade trees are processed into dimensional lumber and other products
for the construction market.  High-grade lumber is an important raw
material for molding, mill work, cabinets, doors, and windows [4].


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Food:  Pacific ponderosa pine needles, cones, buds, pollen, twigs,
seeds, and associated fungi and insects provide food for many species of
birds and mammals [13].  Small mammals that eat stems and roots include
deer mice, chipmunks, shrews, voles, and tree and ground squirrels.
Large browse mammals include elk, deer, porcupines, hares, rabbits,
cattle, sheep, and occasionally horses, goats, and feral hogs
[6,13,29,41].  Many bird species eat Pacific ponderosa pine seeds.
These include the junco, Cassin's finch, pine siskin, evening grosbeak,
varied thrush, Clark's nutcracker, and a host of sparrows, chickadees,
and other passerines [13,21,49].

Shelter:  At each morphological stage, Pacific ponderosa pine provides
numerous species of birds and mammals with shelter.  As seedlings they
provide low ground cover for small birds and mammals.  Upon reaching
pole size, stands provide good windbreaks and thickets important as
hiding cover for larger mammals such as elk and deer.  Mature trees and
standing snags house arboreal species, while fallen logs and stumps
provide many cavity-dwelling species with adequate shelter [27,49].



PALATABILITY : 
In Montana, Pacific ponderosa pine is considered low in palatability for
cattle, horses, and sheep [11].  Elk in northwestern Montana also find
it unpalatable.  Elk, along with deer and bighorn sheep, occasionally
browse on stems and bark during times of food or water scarcity [19,74].



NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Nutrient means for Pacific ponderosa pine structural components from Lubrecht 
Experimental Forest, western Montana, are as follows [61]:

        Green Needles        Twigs           Wood       Sound Wood       
           (1 Year)      (0.64-2.5 cm)*  (2.5-7.6 cm)   ( >7.6 cm)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ca         3,069.0**        2,029.0        1,013.0         659.0
Cu             5.4              6.3            7.0           4.8
Fe           118.0             59.6           23.3          28.5
K          4,952.0          1,627.0          741.0         395.0
Mg         1,036.0            627.0          336.0         250.0
Mn           205.0             75.0           65.0          62.2
N         10,455.0          2,857.0        1,012.0         692.0
Na            32.0             31.0           22.8          31.4
P          1,329.0            367.0          200.0         387.0
Zn            34.3             27.1           16.9           5.8
Percent  
  ash          3.4             0.99           0.78          0.33

 * Measurement in diameter.
** All values are express in micrograms per gram.


COVER VALUE : 
Pacific ponderosa pine is important in providing wildlife cover.
Species using this tree for cover include the bald eagle, wild turkey,
and band-tailed pigeon for roosts; and squirrels, hawks, and owls for
nest trees.  Primary and secondary cavity-nesting birds such as the
acorn woodpecker and mountain chickadee use both live and dead pine
trees.  Pacific ponderosa pine provides thermal and escape cover for
mule deer and elk.  Fallen logs and stumps are used as cover by
cottontails, small rodents, and reptiles [27,49].


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Pacific ponderosa pine is widely used for soil stabilization and
watershed protection in the Rocky Mountain region [67].  Bareroot stock
is used occasionally for planting on mine-spoils in the West [72].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Pacific ponderosa pine stands offer year-round recreation and aesthetic 
scenery [48].  Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest used the inner
cambial layer as food.  They also converted the resin into medicinal salve 
for rheumatism, backaches, and dandruff [24,41].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Insects:  Approximately 200 insect species may affect Pacific ponderosa
pine from its cone stage to maturity [58].  The effects of insect damage
are:  decreased seed and seedling production, reforestation failures or
delays, and reduction of potential timber productivity [13,58].  Several
insect species destroy seeds before they germinate, the most damaging
being the ponderosa pine cone beetle (Conophthorus ponderosae) and the
pine seed chalcid (Megastigmus albifrons).  Seedlings and saplings are
deformed by tip moths (Rhyacionia bushnelli), shoot borers (Eucosma
sonomana), and budworms (Choristoneura lambertiana).  Two major
lepidopteran pests, the pine butterfly (Neophasia menapia) and pandora
moth (Coloradia pandora), severely defoliate their hosts causing growth
reductions.  Extensive mortality in defoliated stands usually results
from simultaneous infestations by bark beetles.  Bark beetles, primarily
of the genus Dendroctonus and Ips, kill thousands of pines annually and
are the major mortality factor in commercial sawtimber stands.  These
insects can be managed through the use of insecticides, pheromones, or
by stand improvement techniques [58].

Disease:  Pacific ponderosa pine is affected by many diseases.
Parasites, root diseases, rusts, trunk decays, and needle and twig
blights cause significant damage.  Dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium
campylopodum) causes the most damage.  A major root disease of pine is
caused by white stringy root rot (Fomes annosus) and is often found in
concert with bark beetle infestations.  Western gall rust
(Endocronartium harknessii), limb rust (Peridermium filamentosum), and
comandra blister rust (Cronartium comandrae) cause damage only in
localized areas.  Various silvicultural treatments can minimize damage
caused by dwarf mistletoe.  Clear-cutting is used only if regeneration
is not a problem.  The pruning of branches and witches brooms,
fertilization, watering, and the planting of nonsusceptible species also
aid in combating dwarf mistletoe.  Spraying with the growth regulator
Ethephon also temporarily limits mistletoe spread [25].

Chemical control:  Limiting the invasion of Pacific ponderosa pine onto
valuable grazing land or for stand management has been achieved through
the use of chemical control [15].  Tordon 101 and 22K applied in July is
effective [34], although Cacodylic acid has been shown to consistently
kill this tree [47].

Related categories for Species: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa | Pacific Ponderosa Pine