VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Pinus lambertiana | Sugar Pine 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
High-grade sugar pine lumber is sought after for its dimensional
stability and workability.  The wood is light and resists deformity.  It
is easily milled and is favored for molding, window and door frames,
window sashes, doors, and other special products like piano keys and
organ pipes [16].



IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Birds and mammals use sugar pine as a source of food and shelter.
Douglas' squirrels and white-headed woodpeckers have been noted to
occupy sugar pine trees [16].



PALATABILITY : 
Sugar pine is considered low in palatability to livestock and wildlife.



NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


COVER VALUE : 
Sugar pine is used for cover by wildlife.  Early in sugar pine
development, large mammals use dense stands as hiding and thermal cover.
Mature trees are used by arboreal species such as birds, squirrels, and
other small mammals.  Old-growth sugar pine is prime habitat for cavity
nesters such as woodpeckers and owls [16].



VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
NO-ENTRY


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Native Americans used the pitch from sugar pine to repair canoes and to
fasten arrowheads and feathers to shafts [2].



MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Sugar pine is planted on a vast scale in Oregon and California, and also
has been tried in several countries around the world.  Large-scale
plantings, however, are few due to establishment difficulties and
restrictive site requirements for good growth [21].  Sugar pine does not
self-prune; therefore, high-quality clear-lumber requires the pruning of
lower limbs.  It is the most tolerant to oxidant air pollution among its
coniferous associates [8,16].

Disease:  Sugar pine is highly susceptible to white pine blister rust
caused by the fungus Cronartium ribicola.  Among commercially important
North American white pines, sugar pine is the most susceptible to this
disease.  Infected seedlings and young trees are inevitably killed by
cankers girdling the main stem.  Incidence and intensity of infection on
sugar pine are highest in Oregon and northern California and become
progressively less to the south, as the climate becomes warmer and
drier.  Dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium californicum) may seriously damage
infected trees, but spread is slow and can be controlled by sanitation
cutting [13,16,21].

Insects:  The most damaging insect threatening sugar pine is the
mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae).  During periods of
drought, other insects such as the red turpentine beetle (D. valens) and
California flathead borer (Melanophila californica) usually attack
unhealthy trees and those under moisture stress.  The sugar pine cone
beetle (Conophthorus lambertianae) is extremely destructive to
developing second-year cones [5,16].

Animals:  Small mammals such as pocket mice, jumping mice, chipmunks,
and ground squirrels forage on young seedlings, thus reducing
regeneration on disturbed sites [3].

Related categories for Species: Pinus lambertiana | Sugar Pine