DID YOU KNOW
It’s Going, Going. Will it be Gone?
Longleaf Pine Tree (pinus palustris)
The Longleaf Pine Tree is a FL native evergreen conifer which has the longest leaves of any eastern pine species. The leaves (needles) grow in bundles of 3 and can reach lengths of up to 18 inches. After a slow, 3-4 yr, grass-like stage starts, it eventually can reach a height of 80-100 ft. It is also long-lived with some found to be 300-500 years old. It thrives in Zones 7-10. A forest of these trees provides a high level of plant diversity and habitat for gopher tortoises, which is a critically endangered keystone species. The red-cockaded woodpecker is dependent on mature pine forests and is now endangered as a result of longleaf pine decline. The tree has been used for resin, turpentine, and lumber for railroads, building ships, and homes. They can withstand severe windstorms, resist pests, tolerate drought and wildfires, and capture carbon pollution from the atmosphere. Due to overharvesting and deforestation, longleaf pines cover less than 3% of their original range of about 60 million acres. Restoration of longleaf forests has become a major conservation priority in recent years.
Pine Ridge is still home to many of these trees.
This information brought to you by:
The Environmental Awareness and Education Committee