I could hear the concern in the caller’s voice. When he told me his problem, I understood he was worried that accepting my advice and the subsequent money he had put into the effort might not have been a wise move. It wasn’t the first time a landowner had called me and said, “Are my longleaf supposed to be all different sizes?” This statement is also often followed by, “Some of them aren’t growing at all!” Their concern often grows when I tell them that it’s a good thing. Allow me to explain.

 Longleaf pines are often planted by people who eventually want timber but have wildlife habitat as a primary objective. There are many factors that make this a wise choice. Not only are longleaf insect and disease resistant but they also produce dense, rot-resistant wood making it a great timber tree.

Longleaf is much different from the loblolly pine with which most people are familiar. Unlike other pine species, longleaf pines go through a unique growth period known as the grass stage. During this time, normally the first two to three years, the seedlings aren’t showing any height growth. Although these seedlings appear as just a big clump of needles above ground, they are growing a tremendous root system that will soon propel them past the competing vegetation. This growth spurt, which may be as much as 4 feet in one year, is known as the rocket stage. The trees then move into a sapling stage.

From a wildlife standpoint one of the greatest attributes of longleaf pine is that it is a fire-dependent species that should be burned at an early age. Early burning of longleaf helps get the trees out of the grass stage and helps control brown-spot needle blight, one of the few disease problems found in longleaf. More importantly, the regular prescribed burning in longleaf retards the growth of woody vegetation and stimulates early successional habitat that is beneficial to many desired wildlife species. With various factors influencing when trees move from one stage to another, it is not at all uncommon to have trees of the same age varying in height by several feet in the same plantation. I recently was in a 4-year-old plantation that contained trees that varied from 2 feet high to over 12 feet high. Varying heights are desirable because the trees do not quickly form a closed canopy. Most loblolly plantations develop a closed canopy within five to six years after planting. The forest floor under these trees has often been referred to as a biological desert due to the lack of plants. These plantations stay in this situation for several years until the trees are thinned either artificially or by nature. Longleaf stands properly maintained by regular prescribed burning and later by thinning should avoid canopy closure for their entire life span. The limb and leaf characteristics of longleaf pines allow sunlight to continue to reach the ground creating an extremely diverse forest floor. Studies have shown a longleaf pine stand maintained by fire is among the most biologically diverse ecotypes in North America.

 Being vigilant is a characteristic of good stewardship all landowners should possess. When you do notice something questionable, give a natural resource professional a call. You may fend off a problem or you may find out, it’s a good thing.

Joel Glover is a certified wildlife biologist with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries.