Loblolly Pine

Loblolly Pine    (Old-Field Pine)    Pinus taeda L.

Mature Size: 90 to 110 feet in height, 2 to 3 feet in diameter

Form: Crown oval and somewhat open, tall and straight trunk; lower branches self prune and remaining lower branches droop, while the higher branches grow upward.  

Where to Find Them: Old fields, sandy soils where water table is close to surface, borders of swamps, and other imperfectly-drained sites.

Needles: Bundles of 3, stiff, 6 to 9 inches long, slender, and pale green.

Cones: Oblong, 2 to 6 inches long, light reddish to brown, with a spine at the tip of each scale; remain on tree for a year after seed-fall.

Wildlife use: Like the oaks, the value of pines to wildlife cannot be underestimated.  Loblolly pine stands provide habitat for pine warblers, brown-headed nuthatches, deer, squirrels, quail, turkey and other wildlife species, as well as communal roost sites for eagles. Large loblolly pines are a common nesting site for ospreys and bald eagles. Loblolly is the most often seen pine species on the Refuge.

Bark:  Young tree bark is scaly and red to grayish-brown; older bark is thick, reddish to brown, divided by shallow fissures into broad, flat-topped plates covered with thin scales