Long Leaf Pine Range

The longleaf pine trunk has scaly coarse light orange brown bark with upright branches forming an oval open crown.
Long leaf pine range. Seeing longleaf pine forests today many natural resource specialists often erroneously assume that the species is relegated to dry sandy. The native range of longleaf pine. Longleaf pine grows in warm wet temperate climates characterized by hot summers and mild winters. Georgia and florida significant landscapes for longleaf pine conservation.
It reaches a height of 30 35 m 98 115 ft and a diameter of 0 7 m 28 in. Alabama louisiana mississippi and texas. Longleaf pine forests were once one of the most extensive ecosystems in north america. In the heart of east texas stands the remaining acres of the longleaf pine forest.
Early explorers described the forest as a vast open park like savanna of long needled pine over a diverse understory of grasses and forbs. The longleaf pine pinus palustris is a pine species native to the southeastern united states found along the coastal plain from east texas to southern maryland extending into northern and central florida. Annual mean temperatures range from 16 to 23 c 60 to 74 f and annual precipitation from 1090 to 1750 mm 43 to 69 in the least being 1090 to 1270 mm 43 to 50 in in the carolinas and texas. Longleaf pine habitat can contain as many as 300 different species of groundcover plants per acre and approximately 60 percent of the amphibian and reptile species found in the southeast.
Alphabetical listing archive. Longleaf pines can survive in a range of habitats but they prefer sandy dry acidic soils ranging in elevation from sea level to 2 300 feet 700. Longleaf pine forests were remarkable in the sense that they covered such a large geographical range. Additionally this forested habitat is home to at least 122 endangered or threatened plant and animal species including the fox squirrel northern bobwhite.
The historic range of longleaf pine stretched from texas to virginia covering approximately 90 million acres. Welcome to the texas longleaf implementation team site. The historic range of the longleaf pine once extended from southeastern virginia to florida west through louisiana to east texas. Today the trees are only found within small patches of this range.
In the past before extensive logging they reportedly grew to 47 m 154 ft with a diameter of 1 2 m 47 in. The flexible dark green needles are up to 18 long and the large spiny cones are up to 10 long and may persist on the tree for two years. With tall stately trees lush grasses forbs and wildflowers this iconic forest was historically and still is a wonderful part of our state s natural heritage. Range wide significant landscapes for longleaf pine conservation.