Longleaf Management
Silviculture
Silvicultural Aspects of Longleaf Pine (Forestry Webinars)
This on-demand webinar provides information on longleaf’s life cycle, climate and soil requirements, fire adaptation, and general overview of longleaf silviculture, current markets and more.
Protecting Longleaf Pine (American Forest Foundation)
The key to healthy longleaf forests is to maintain the conditions in which longleaf pines thrive—plentiful sun by letting more sunlight get to the forest floor, limited competition, and fire that’s frequent but not destructive.
Longleaf Pine: Mature Stand Management (Texas A&M Forest Service)
A longleaf stand is a low risk species to manage. It is resistant to more serious diseases and insect pests that afflict other southern pines, its deep taproot minimizes wind throw damage during hurricanes and storms, and it’s more likely to survive a wildfire
Managing Longleaf Pine Forests for Wildlife (N.C. Forest Service)
Frequent, low intensity fires in longleaf forests create the habitat for a large and diverse group of wildlife. Fire removes debris and returns nutrients to the soil. This results in open areas that allow sunlight to reach the forest floor stimulating the growth of many grasses and legumes.
Understory Management
The Basics of Longleaf Understory Establishment and Enhancement (webinar) (American Forest Foundation)
This webinar focuses on site prep techniques, restoration strategies and plant selection for understory establishment or enhancement.
Native Alternatives for Food Plots in the Longleaf Ecosystem (Forestry Webinars)
Most of the Southeast’s primary game species (deer, turkey, quail) at one time thrived in natural longleaf pine ecosystems characterized by frequent fire and a diverse native herbaceous and shrub layer. This webinar will identify native alternatives for food plots that are commercially available and preferred by game species.
Prescribed Fire
Burning Longleaf Pine Forests (N.C. Longleaf Coalition)
Prescribed burning is an important forest management tool that can be used throughout the life cycle of a stand of trees to prepare a stand for planting, reduce fuel loads and mimic natural fire occurrences.
21st Century Fire Ecology in the South (U.S. Forest Service, Southern Research Station)
Though it’s widely accepted that prescribed fire promotes the diversity of longleaf pine understory plants, exactly how this happens is not well understood.
Reforestation
Reforestation With Longleaf Pine After Hurricane Damage (U.S. Forest Service, Southern Research Station)
Hurricanes and other major storms cause billions of dollars of damage to southern timber resources. If you add the increased risk of wildfire, insect infestations, and disease that accompany downed wood, you have millions of acres of forests vulnerable to further harm after the hurricane’s gone. One idea for reducing the vulnerability of forests to disturbance involves recreating the ecosystems that existed before they were replaced by loblolly pine plantations.
Regrowing Longleaf Pine (American Forest Foundation)
If you’d like to help restore longleaf pines your local forester can help you identify suitable sites, the appropriate tree planting strategy for your land to ensure longleaf trees get established in your woods. Here’s what you need to know.
Economics
Cost-Share Assistance Programs for Establishment and Management of Longleaf Pine in North Carolina
This document lists the various cost-share assistance available, eligibility requirements and management activities funded.
Markets for Longleaf Pines (American Forest Foundation)
Longleaf pines are also valued for the desirable timber and non-timber products they provide. These products can offer you significant income opportunities and a little extra security during unpredictable times.
The Economics of Longleaf Pine Management (N.C. Forest Service)
Longleaf pine naturally grows straighter, tapers less, and produces a stronger, heavier wood than loblolly pine. The superior wood quality brings top dollar for poles, pilings and grade sawtimber.
Pine Straw Production
Harvesting Pine Straw in Longleaf Pine Plantations (N.C. Forest Service)
Real income potential is possible on many longleaf forests found in eastern and southeastern North
Carolina. This Forestry Leaflet explains the typical manner in which longleaf pine straw is harvested.
Managing Longleaf Pine Straw (N.C. State Forestry Extension)
Longleaf pine trees deposit an annual blanket of needles, often called pine straw, on the forest floor. Many forest owners do not realize that it is possible to sell this straw. But in fact, wise management of this resource can substantially increase an owner’s income from forestland.
Pine Straw Management and Harvest in Longleaf Pine Forest: Best Management Guidelines to Sustain Wildlife (National Wildlife Federation publication)
The goal of this document is to help landowners balance income from pine straw harvest, which can offset some of the costs of restoring and managing longleaf pine, while preserving critical wildlife benefits of straw-harvested stands.
Pine Straw Management and Harvest in Longleaf Pine Forest: Best Management Guidelines to Sustain Wildlife (National Wildlife Federation webinar)
Ecologically Responsible Longleaf Pinestraw Production (Longleaf Alliance webinar)
The harvesting and marketing of pinestraw has become extremely lucrative across much of the southeast. This webinar will examine the ecological costs and the economic benefits of raking pinestraw with various techniques. Learn how some landowners and land managers have been able to keep their native groundcover while raking in excess of $100.00 an acre annually.