Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), a pioneer species, grows on the east coast from New Jersey south and across the upper half of Florida all the way west to the eastern side Texas. As a pioneer species, if a disturbance occurs such as a tornado, hurricane or anything else that destroys the standing trees, it is possible that there is enough seed produced already if the trees are producing seed to restock the stand. It is a grown as a crop tree in much of this range especially southern Georgia and Northern Florida.
Loblolly grows well in humid areas with higher temperature winters lacking extreme cold weather, occasionally down to -10o Fahrenheit and hot summers that can have higher temperatures than one hundred degrees Fahrenheit. Rainfall
Loblolly is a very good seed producer along the southern coastal plains but as you move inland, seed production is less consistent. Good seed crops tend to occur on three to six year intervals though the trees produce some each year. Most seeds are dropped in November and the beginning of December and seed fall favors warm, windy, dry weather. Loblolly seed can spread as far as 300 feet downwind of the seed tree. The seeds will establish a much better crop with moist soils that have little to no compaction. With moist soils, loblolly will sprout and if on good ground will establish dominance fairly quickly allowing it to outgrow hardwood competitors such as
The seed is light and wind disseminated. Seeds are produced in a fair amount every year with a heavy crop about every three years. Typically seeds land within 200 feet of the seed tree but have been recorded to have been distributed up to 600 feet from the seed tree. This long range of the seed poses a threat to loblolly stands with sweetgum present in adjacent stands such as in a Streamside Management Zone (SMZ). Sweetgum seed germination can be seriously affected by grasses growing on the site especially if there is lower than average rainfall. Sweetgum can reproduce through root sprouts. This can be an issue if loblolly is planted on a site that was clearcut and had many sweetgum present and can cause intense competition between the
Grelen, Harold E. May Burns Stimulate Growth of Longleaf Pine Seedlings. New Orleans: Southern Forest Experiment Station, 1978.
Reproduction and passing on genetic and behavioral traits to an offspring is a common fundamental to all the species on this planet. When studying forest ecology, it is crucial to study the proportion of individuals surviving at each stage of their growth as the lives and mortality experienced in a species population describes a characteristic of the species in question. In the case of American beech and sugar maple, their attempt to produce seeds is analogous to entering lottery, where every seedling has a potential chance of becoming a canopy but only some will survive and reach the canopy size; thus, becoming the fit ‘winners’. Our information shows that together, based on size class distribution, both the species display a ‘winner takes all’ pattern, which supports our hypothesis. The results showed a greater count for seedlings and short saplings than for tall saplings, sub-canopies and canopies. This is evident for a Type III survivorship curve. In Type III curve all individuals initially having a very low chance of survival. However, once the individuals pass their threshold age and survive, they live an advanced age. Only some individuals out the mast seeding production mature to become fully fit canopy trees. On the other hand, our hypothesis of canopy trees representing the bulk of the biomass was supported as the basal areas decreased going from growth stages of canopy to seedlings. This is evidence that once the individuals survive the bottleneck where there is high mortality of young individuals (seedlings), who are then considered as ‘losers’, will allow for the other larger size class individuals to flourish. Here, having considerable amount of dbh (diameter at breast height) accounts for greater surfac...
These are very difficult questions for me personally to answer because I live in the Pacific Northwest, and I have seen the beauty of the old growth forests first-hand.
There are a few things to look for when distinguishing between Kentucky, rough, and annual blue grass. The ligules of Kentucky blue grass are very short. Only .2 to .6 mm long and truncate. The ligules of rough blue grass are much longer, 2-6
The plots, blackberry rambles, pine barrens, and spacious groves of great eastern forest was an ecological kaleidoscope of garden chestnut, hickory, and oak…Early European explorers marveled at the trees that were spaced so that the forest “could be penetrated even by a large army”… English squatters encountered forested
Plants make up most of the Pine Barrens. For instance, pine trees such as the short needles, pitch pines, jack pines, long needles, yellow pines, and many others make up most of the pine forest in the Pinelands. Other trees include the pine oaks and the cedar trees. Due to the roots of these cedar trees, water in the Pine Barrens appears a brownish red color. This
The Eastern Hemlock is often used for construction timber. The Eastern Hemlock is the offical state tree of Pennsylvania and is often found in cool moist habitats. This evergreen produces cones 3/4" long that are egg-shaped and hanging singly from the tips of twigs. Under each small section of the pine cone are 2 small, winged seeds (Cook Forest, 2013).
The area extends into Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. “The terrain is rolling with lower, wetter bottomlands that grow hardwood trees such as elm, mesquite and ash. This region is home to a variety of plants and animals that like woodlands and shorelines.” (Texas Parks and wildlife, n.d.) The major rivers in this area are the Sabine, Cypress, Sulpher, and Red. The major aquifer is the Carrizo-Wilcox. And the land area of the Pineywoods is 23,500 square miles. “Regional average rainfall for the area is 40-52 in./yr. and the reagional average net evaporation rate is 16-32 inches.” (Texas Parks and wildlife, n.d.) “The average temperature in the Pineywood’s region can range beteween 36(F) in the winter to upwards of 94(F0 in the summer.” (unknown,
The American chestnut was not only an important food source for almost all living organisms of the Eastern, North America, but it was very important in providing housing and furniture and numerous other wooden necessities. The tree possessed rot resistant properties and strait grained wood which were valuable in buildings and many other applications. Its enormous trunk rose one-hundred feet into the canopy of the forest. Diameters of five feet have been recorded and many photos of the tree show greater trunk girths. The tree was able to produce its eatable fruit within seven years of germination. It was said to be truly treasured by early Americans.
Redwoods were named for the color of their bark and heartwood. These trees have a high resistance to fungus and diseases due to the high tanin content in the wood. The dense, fibrous bark has an even higher content, and acts as an insulator from periodic fires which have plagued the countryside for centuries. Though these trees are immense, they have delicate foliage. The needles are narrow and sharp-pointed, and combine to form feathery sprays. The cones are an inch long and typically contain fourteen to twenty-four seeds. The older trees offspring sprout form their parents' roots in order to take advantage of the established root system.
In the early 1800s, the French Count Odet Philippe brought citrus trees from the West Indies to Florida (Joyner 3). He decided to plant the first grove ever in the history of Florida in Tampa. Furthermore, Citrus became the reason Florida expanded with settlers. All around the northern tip of Florida there were groves; until Mother Nature made it turn for the worse. In 1894, there was a disaster known as “The Great Freeze.” From oranges to lemons; everything was killed! It took nearly fifteen years for Florida to recover from this tragedy. When the crop finally came back, it was stronger than ever!
Franklin, J. F., et al. (1981). In Ecological Characteristics of Old-Grow Douglas Fir Forest, (GTR PNW-118). Retrieved July 9, 2005, from USDA Forest Service Web Site: http://
Wild pineapples are still to be found in parts of tropical America in which they are small fruited, inferior in eating qualities, and extremely seedy. To eat a pineapple full of these seeds is like trying to eat one of our present day seedless fruits containing one thousand small bits of gravel. It was believed that long periods of propagation of a domesticated species would result in the plant losing its ability to produce seeds. Actually there is no scientific evidence to this belief. Seedlessness usually appears in normal seed-bearing plants as a result of a mutation in the chromosomes...
Pod size ranges from 15-30 mm in length, 7-14 mm in thickness, and 2-15 mm in width. Depending on the basal and apical zones as well as the dorsal and ventral regions, pod shape varies from rhomboid, oblong to ovate. The number of seeds per pod ranges from 1-2, with the maximum being three. The seeds are ramhead or owl's-head shaped, and the surface may be smooth or wrinkled. The length of the seed ranges from 4-12 mm and its width from 4-8 mm. The seed mass varies from 0.10 to 0.75 g per seed. The seeds of kabuli type are large (100 seed mass >25 g), round or ram head, and cream colored. The plant is medium to tall in height, with large leaflets and white flowers, and contains no anthocyanin, whereas the seeds of the desi type are small and angular in shape. The seed color varies from cream, black, brown, yellow to green. There are 2-3 ovules per pod but on an average 1-2 seeds per pod are produced. Chickpea seeds germinate at an optimum temperature (28-33°C) and moisture level in about 5-6 days. Germination begins with absorption of moisture and swelling of the seed. The radicle emerges first followed by the plumule.
a forest is to leave it to nature. A suitable seed bed in which trees will