VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Pinus taeda | Loblolly Pine 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
Loblolly pine is the leading commercial timber species in the
southeastern United States [3,7].  Three-quarters of a million acres
(300,000 ha) are harvested each year for lumber and pulpwood [38].  Most
harvested pines are under 50 years old [7].  After 36 years, an
even-aged planted stand can yield 5,000 to 6,000 total cubic feet per
acre (350-415 cu m/ha) of merchantable timber [2]. 


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Loblolly pine seeds are an important food source for birds and small
mammals.  More than 20 songbirds feed on loblolly pine seeds, and the
seeds make up more than half the diet of the red crossbill.  Deer and
rabbit browse seedlings [59].  Loblolly pine stands provide cover and
habitat for white-tailed deer, northern bobwhite, wild turkey, and grey
and fox squirrels.  Old-growth loblolly pine provides nesting habitat
for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker [3].


PALATABILITY : 
NO-ENTRY


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


COVER VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Because of its fast growth and good litter production, loblolly pine is
used for soil stabilization [3].  Loblolly can be planted in small
gullies and washes and in deeper washes if they are first stabilized
with vines [59].

Loblolly is adapted to a wide range of mine spoil sites.  When used for
surface mine reclamation, it should not be planted above 2,500 feet (762
m) or in soil with a pH lower than 4.0.  It does well when planted with
European alder (Alnus glutinosa) and with legumes.  A loblolly pine X
pitch pine hybrid is used for mine reclamation in Kentucky and West
Virginia and grows faster than either parent [55].  Because surface mine
reclamation regulations require herbaceous cover, ground pads can be
used to reduce nearby competition in order to increase seedling growth
[18].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Loblolly pine is used for shade and as a wind and noise barrier [3].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Loblolly pine is often grown in even-aged plantations.  Natural
regeneration of even-aged stands can be accomplished using the seed
tree, shelterwood, or clearcut systems.  Successful natural regeneration
depends on an adequate seed supply, a receptive seedbed, ample moisture,
and reduced competition.  The seed tree system works well in the Coastal
Plain where loblolly seed crops are heavy and consistent [38].  Seed
tree silviculture requires 6 to 12 loblolly pine seed trees per acre
with a basal area of 6 square feet per acre (1.4 sq m/ha) [2].  Seed
trees should be 30 to 50 years old [59].  The shelterwood silviculture
system works well in the Piedmont where seed production is more erratic.
This system requires 20 to 40 seed trees per acre with a basal area of
25 to 40 square feet per acre (5.7-9.2 sq m/ha) [19].  Seed trees need
only be 30 years old in the shelterwood system [7].  Seed trees in both
systems should be harvested 3 to 5 years after successful regeneration
[19].  Cone production can be stimulated by releasing seed trees three
growing seasons before the seed is needed [3,38].

Seedbed preparation:  Loblolly germinates best on exposed mineral soil.
Prescribed burning or mechanical scarification is used [3].  Seedling
growth and survival rates increase with increased site preparation [20,30].  

Hardwood control:  Control of competing hardwood and herbaceous species
is generally considered necessary for loblolly pine regeneration [3,19].
Herbicides, fire, and mechanical chopping are used to remove hardwoods
before loblolly pine regeneration.  Once established, seedlings tolerate
some shade and will overtop competitors within 5 years if growth begins
at the same time [12,60].  Intensive understory control throughout the
life of the stand increases the growth and yield of loblolly pine.
Herbaceous control is more important than hardwood control for
increasing loblolly pine growth [12].

Insects:  Loblolly pine is severely attacked by the southern pine beetle
(Dendroctonus frontalis).  Infestations originate in stands stressed by
fire, drought, or logging.  Other insects that damage loblolly pine
include pine engraver beetles (Ips spp.), pine tip moths (Rhyacionia
spp.), seedling debarking weevils (Hylobius spp. and Pachylobius spp.),
cone and seed feeders (Dioryctria spp. and Leptoglossus spp.), and
sawflies (Neodiprion spp.) [3,7,59].

Disease:  Fusiform rust (Cronartium quercuum) is a stem disease that
infects seedlings and saplings.  If the stem is girdled, the tree dies
[3,7].  Removing trees with severe stem galls minimizes timber losses
and improves stand quality [5].  The incidence of fusiform rust
increases with an increase in seedbed preparation [30].  Planted stands
have less fusiform rust incidence and associated mortality than do
naturally regenerated stands [46].

Root rot (Heterobasidion annosum) infects thinned stands.  The fungus
colonizes on freshly cut stumps and then spreads by root to root contact
[51].  Thick litter is associated with sporophore development [25].  The
disease can be prevented by treating cut stumps with borax or with the
benign fungus, Peniphora gigantea [7].

Other fungal diseases include black root rot (Fusarium spp. and
Macrophomina spp.), which affects seedlings, and heart rot (Phellinus
pini and Phaeolus schweinitzii), which causes bole and butt rot in old
trees [3].

Weather:  Loblolly pine is relatively windfirm where soils are deep, but
windthrow is common on shallow soils.  Freezing temperatures cause
damage and seedling mortality, especially where southern seed sources
are used to establish northern stands [3,59].

Wildlife:  The endangered red-cockaded woodpecker nests in living
loblolly pine with decayed heartwood.  Trees older than 75 years are
most likely to develop the heart rot necessary for cavity excavation
[29].  Death of old-growth loblolly pine is primarily from the southern
pine beetle.  To minimize cavity tree mortality, site disturbances such
as fire and logging should be limited where southern pine beetle
populations are high [16].

Pollution:  Acid rain is suspected of causing an abnormal decrease in
growth of loblolly pine in the past 25 years in New Jersey [31].
However, loblolly pine does not appear affected by aluminum
concentrations of 1.5 millimoles per liter or less [48].

Other considerations:  Kudzu vine (Pueraria lobata) will grow on,
engulf, and eventually smother even large loblolly pine [47].  Survival
and growth rates of loblolly pine seedlings decrease if grown with
broomsedge (Andropogon virginicus).  Broomsedge may have an allelopathic
effect on loblolly pine [44].

Related categories for Species: Pinus taeda | Loblolly Pine