That’s One Fine Pine
Trees and fire don’t normally mix, but the longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) is a different kind of tree in many ways. For one thing, it spends its first few years growing down instead of up! During those early years, most of its energy goes into growing a main root, called the taproot, which can end up being nearly as wide as the tree’s trunk. That strong anchor helps the tree reach its full potential, which can be 100 feet tall and over 200 years old.
The taproot isn’t the only thing that makes these trees tough. The bark on a longleaf pine helps it to be fire-resistant, which allows it to thrive even when periodic lightning fires or controlled burns thin out the forest understory. Longleafs are also more resistant to beetle attacks, and they can handle floods and droughts better than other types of trees.
Longleaf pine forests are mostly found in the southeastern United States, and a lot of unique plants and animals live in those forests. Protected animals like red-cockaded woodpeckers and gopher tortoises prefer to make their homes in longleaf pine forests. Along with the animals, you’ll also find special plants called pitcher plants hanging out around the longleaf pines. These are plants that trap and eat insects! There is no need to plug up your bug zapper when you’ve got pitcher plants hanging around.
When you look, you see.
Earlier European settlers in the southeastern United States arrived to find huge forests filled with longleaf pine trees, more than 90 million acres by some estimates. Over the years since then, these forests have dwindled to about three million acres. A few organizations are working to restore longleaf pine forests, including the United States Forest Service. You can find lots of longleaf pines in national forests such as Osceola National Forest in Florida, Croatan National Forest in North Carolina, and the Francis Marion National Forest, just north of where Copper lives in Charleston, South Carolina. The natural range for longleaf pines is from the southeastern portion of Virginia down the coastline and on around to eastern Texas.
Longleaf pines are an important part of the cultural and natural history in the southeastern United States, even earning a place as the official state tree of Alabama. Perhaps the peak of longleaf pine fame came when they got their own series of postage stamps, which you can view on the Smithsonian National Postal Museum website. I guess we’ll have to forgive these stately pines for thinking they’re kind of a big deal.
You won't be barking up the wrong tree with these resources.
A lot of times we all forget how important and amazing trees (and plants) can be. Fortunately, there are a ton of great resources to learn more about trees, where they came from, and what they are up to!
Kids, remember to ask a parent, teacher, or librarian for help whenever you are looking for books, installing apps, or using the Internet. I always try to make sure to share kid-friendly books and resources, but websites are changing all the time, so always check with an adult first.
- Longleaf pine forests are so cool, they made a whole documentary about these forests and the animals who live there. Check out “Secrets of the Longleaf Pine” from PBS: https://www.pbs.org/video/georgia-public-broadcasting-secrets-longleaf-pine/
- When fire breaks out in a longleaf pine forest, the gopher tortoise becomes one of the most popular animals in town. Find out why in the video “Gopher Tortoises: Burrowing to Escape Forest Fires” from PBS LearningMedia.
- You might not have longleaf pine trees where you live, but there are lots of other cool trees around you with stories of their own. When you want to get to know someone, it is always good to start with their name. Pick a tree near you and see if you can figure out what kind of tree it is. There are some apps which can help! A couple of free ones are PlantSnap and Virginia Tech’s Tree ID app. The Virginia Tech app is from the dendrology team at the university. Dendrology is the study of trees (and other “woody” plants). In addition to the app, they also have an online tool where you can go step-by-step to figure out what kind of tree you see: https://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/idit.htm
- Books on tree identification can sometimes be a little complicated, but there are three I think you might really enjoy. First up is The Tree Book for Kids and Their Grown-Ups by Gina Ingoglia. The book doesn’t cover every tree you’ll encounter, but it is a good introduction to trees and the basics for identifying them. For a more complete reference that is still geared towards beginners, you can’t go wrong with Peterson First Guide to Trees of North America by George A. Petrides. Finally, I like Identifying Trees of the East: Second Edition by Michael D. Williams because it has a good mix of photos and illustrations to help you track down the identity of your mystery tree. Check with your librarian for a copy of any of these books, or ask your grown-ups if they want to pick up a copy to keep at home. They can select each of the book title links above to help them find the book at a local bookstore.