Pinus clausa, sand pine
Carey, Jennifer H. 1992. Pinus clausa, sand pine. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://research.fs.usda.gov/feis/species-reviews/pincla
| Abbreviation | Common Name | Scientific Name | Classification | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plants | ||||
| PINCLA | sand pine | Pinus clausa | Life Form: Plants/Tree Kingdom: Plantae Class: Dicot Order: Pinales Family: Pinaceae Genus: Pinus | Fed. Protected: No Nativity: Native Invasiveness: Noninvasive |
| PINCLAC | Ocala sand pine | Pinus clausa var. clausa | Life Form: Plants/Tree Family: Pinaceae Genus: Pinus | Fed. Protected: No Nativity: Native Invasiveness: Noninvasive |
| PINCLAI | Choctawhatchee sand pine | Pinus clausa var. immuginata | Life Form: Plants/Tree Family: Pinaceae Genus: Pinus | Fed. Protected: No Nativity: Native Invasiveness: Noninvasive |
Taxonomy
The currently accepted scientific name of sand pine is Pinus clausa (Chapm. ex Engelm.) Vasey ex Sarg. [1,11]. The species is divided into two geographic varieties which differ in cone serotiny [1,11,12,16]:
- Pinus clausa var. clausa = Ocala sand pine (serotinous cones)
- Pinus clausa var. immuginata = Choctawhatchee sand pine (nonserotinous cones)
Aside from serotiny, no consistent morphological differences have been found between the two varieties. Myers [16] suggests that there is no compelling reason to distinguish them. Both varieties will be discussed in this report, with emphasis on Pinus clausa var. clausa.
Synonyms
- No entry.
Other Common Names
scrub pine, spruce pine.
General Distribution
The Ocala variety grows in the Florida Peninsula, and the Choctawhatchee variety grows in the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama. On the peninsula, sand pine occurs from Tampa to Naples on the Gulf Coast and from St. Augustine to Fort Lauderdale on the Atlantic Coast. A few stands also occur on off-shore islands. The largest stand of sand pine is in the Big Shrub Complex of the Ocala National Forest in north-central Florida [1,2,16].
States
- United States: AL FL
Site Characteristics
Sand pine grows on xeric sand ridges that are thought to be former Pleistocene dunes and shorelines. The terrain is hilly to gently rolling. Ocala sand pine ranges in elevation from 20 feet (6 m) to 200 feet (61 m), and Choctawhatchee sand pine from near sea level to 295 feet (90 m) [1]. Sand pine grows in well-drained to excessively drained, acidic sandy soils of marine origin. These soils are primarily Entisols derived from quartz sand [1].
The understory associated shrubs of the Ocala variety include myrtle oak (Quercus myrtifolia), Chapman's oak (Q. chapmanii), sand live oak (Q. virginiana var. germinata), scrub oak (Q. inopina), rusty lyonia (Lyonia ferruginea), Florida rosemary (Ceratiola ericoides), scrub palmetto (Sabal etonia), saw-palmetto (Serenoa repens), silk bay (Persea borbonia var. humilis), ground blueberry (Vaccinium myrsinites), gopher-apple (Chrysobalanus oblongifolius), beakrush (Rhynchospora megalocarpa), and palafoxia (palafoxia feayi). Many of these shrubs are evergreen or nearly evergreen. There is little or no herbaceous ground cover [1,16]. (Also see SAF Cover Types).
The understory of Choctawhatchee sand pine stands is sparse and includes turkey oak (Q. laevis), bluejack oak (Q. incana), sand post oak (Q. stellata var. margaretta), pineland threeawn (Aristida stricta), and prickly pear (Opuntia spp.) [1].
Plant Communities
Sand pine is dominant in the Florida Scrub community type. A published classification listing sand pine as dominant in community types (cts) is presented below:
| Area | Classification | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | General forest community types | Waggoner 1975 |
Botanical Description
Sand pine, Big Lagoon State Park, Escambia Co., FL.
Sand pine is a small, narrow, evergreen conifer with a dense, pointed crown of highly divided branches. Sand pines grown on productive sites attain heights of 66 feet (20 m) and diameters of 18 to 20 inches (45-50 cm), but smaller trees are more common [1,16]. Sand pine rarely reaches 100 years in age. Individuals can be gnarled, leaning, or stunted. The thin gray bark is fibrous and brittle, and cones have short, stout spines [10]. Seedlings grown in sand have a fine root system with numerous laterals.
Raunkiaer Life Form (Raunkiaer 1934)
- Phanerophyte
Seasonal Development
Flower buds form in early summer and become visible by early autumn. The Ocala variety usually begins shedding pollen in mid-November but can begin shedding a month later. The Choctawhatchee variety usually begins shedding pollen in late January but can begin anytime from late December to mid-March. Cones mature by the end of the second year [1,7,10].
Regeneration Processes
Sand pine with open cones, Sarasota Co., FL.
Seed production and dissemination: Sand pine is monoecious. Trees can begin producing cones at 5 years of age [1] and can form two or three whorls of cones per year [7,12]. The Ocala variety produces an abundant cone crop almost every year. Ocala cones are predominantly serotinous, although 20 percent or more of the individuals in Ocala stands may have at least some open cones [16]. The closed cones persist in the crown for 10 or more years [10]. The Choctawhatchee variety has mostly nonserotinous cones that open when mature. A good cone crop occurs every 4 to 6 years. The winged seeds of both varieties are dispersed short distances by wind [1,10].
Seedling development: Seed viability in closed cones decreases with cone age and is only 10 to 20 percent in 5-year-old cones. Epigeal germination occurs at any time of year but is rare in the heat of the summer [1]. Seedlings are killed by ground temperatures of 125 degrees Fahrenheit (52 deg C) [9]. They are also destroyed by ants and birds. Ocala sand pine grows 15 to 18 inches (38-46 cm) in the first year while Choctawhatchee sand pine grows only 10 to 15 inches (25-38 cm) [1,21]. Sand pine growth is more influenced by nutrient deficiency of the soil than by water deficiency [16]. Ocala sand pine grows in dense even-aged stands while Choctawhatchee sand pine grows in more open, uneven-aged stands with scattered seedlings and saplings in openings [12].
Vegetative reproduction: Choctawhatchee sand pine seedlings have basal branches which may replace the main stem if it is top-killed [1].
Successional Status
Sand pine is moderately intolerant of competition and intermediate in shade tolerance [1,16]. It will establish in and eventually dominate scrub oak communities. Sand pine will invade longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) forests in the absence of fire. Sand pine scrub vegetation, in which sand pine grows in very dense, even-aged stands of 8,000 to 10,000 trees per acre (20,000-25,000/ha), is considered a fire-climax community [9]. If fire occurs once every 20 to 60 years in sand pine stands, the vegetation community will not change. In the absence of fire, a xeric hardwood forest of oak and hickory will succeed sand pine. If there is frequent fire, oak scrub or slash pine (P. ellottii) will replace sand pine [1,5,9,15,16].
Immediate Fire Effects
Sand pine is killed by moderate- to high-severity fires [16]. Low-severity ground fires will not kill mature trees, but this type of fire is rare in sand pine communities.
Postfire Regeneration Strategy (Stickney 1989)
- crown-stored residual colonizer; short-viability seed in on-site cones
- crown-stored residual colonizer; long-viability seed in on-site cones
- off-site colonizer; seed carried by wind; postfire years one and two
Fire Adaptations
Bark of a mature sand pine, Polk Co., FL.
Sand pine is classified as fire-resistant because it regenerates profusely through seeds after fire. Mature trees have a low tolerance to fire because of thin bark [14].
Plant Response to Fire
After a fire, the numerous closed cones stored in the crown release their seeds. A severe fire prepares a good seedbed and removes scrub vegetation. Seeds germinate and the stand replaces itself [1,16].
Fire Regimes
Sand pine is maintained by infrequent, high-severity fires [1,16,17]. The dense crown canopy of sand pine reduces understory vegetation and fuel build-up on the ground. Most understory vegetation is evergreen which does not produce a thick litter of dry leaves, and there is little or no grass. Fire usually stalls out at the outside edge of a sand pine stand, but if the stand is ignited, a severe fire will occur. This delayed pyrogenic strategy results in instant site recapture [10]. Large numbers of seeds are released from serotinous cones and germinate on the exposed ground.
Sand pine stands usually only burn in the spring when high winds carry fire into the crowns [5]. In addition, needle water content is at its lowest and ether content at its highest in the spring [22]. Sustained hot weather will also make the stand more susceptible to ignition [16]. Highly flammable Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) accumulates on older sand pine and can be ignited by lightning or can elevate a ground fire to the crown [9].
Fire intervals of 20 to 60 years maintains even-aged sand pine stands [16,20]. If more frequent, trees may not be old enough to reproduce. If less frequent, sand pine becomes senescent and is replaced by oak.
Sand pine communities are often intermixed with longleaf pine communities which burn every 3 to 8 years. Adjacent low-severity ground fires rarely ignite young sand pine stands. Richardson [20] reported that scrub allelopathy prevents grass and pine regeneration in sand pine communities and along the borders. Grasses and pine seedlings would otherwise provide fuel for surface fires.
Choctawhatchee sand pine usually grows in areas free of fire. Open-coned forms of the Ocala variety also invade and establish in areas with no fire. Open-coned stand reestablishment after fire is dependent on trees located near the periphery of the burn. The degree of serotiny in Ocala and Choctawhatchee stands is probably a function of fire history [16]. Open-coned stands may have a history of no fire or frequent low-severity ground fires, whereas close-coned stands may have a history of infrequent but high-severity crown fires [12].
For additional fire regime information, search FEIS for this species by entering the species name on the Advanced Search page and selecting “Fire Regime” as the publication type.
Fire Management Considerations
Wildfire in sand pine stands usually exhibits extreme and uncontrollable behavior. For instance, a fire in Ocala National Forest in 1935 burned 5,670 acres (2,295 ha) in 4 hours [16]. Because of fire suppression, many sand pine stands are aging and will be replaced by oak. Prescribed fire in sand pine stands has been restricted because of air quality concerns and because they are considered dangerous. Doren and others [3] tested a sand pine fuel model and found prescribed burning in sand pine scrub can be accomplished effectively and safely. Methods used included blacklining and reducing standing biomass along the stand perimeter.
Federal Status
No special status.
Other Status
No entry.
Importance to Wildlife and Livestock
Sand pine seeds are eaten by birds and small mammals. The sand pine canopy creates habitat for numerous woodpeckers, songbirds, and birds of prey, as well as grey and flying squirrels [1,16]. The federally endangered Florida scrub jay will occasionally nest in young sand pine [12,16].
Palatability and Nutritional Value
No entry.
Cover Value
No entry.
Value for Rehabilitation or Restoration of Disturbed Sites
No entry.
Other Uses
The Choctawhatchee sand pine is grown for Christmas trees because of its short, heavily foliated branches and dark green needles [1].
Sand pine is used for fuel and pulpwood. The species' small size has prevented its use for structural lumber, but this use may become more important in the future [1].
Other Management Considerations
Timber: Sand pine in the Ocala National Forest in central Florida is managed for pulp. On productive sites, sand pine grows to a merchantable size [2]. Blocks of 20 to 40 acres (8-16 ha) are clearcut, scrub is removed, the ground is scarified, and either seeds are planted or branches with cones are scattered on the ground [2,16]. In the direct seeding method, five seeds per spot maximizes seedling establishment. Seed predation is not severe enough to warrant pesticide treatment [18]. In the cone method, the closed cones will open on the ground from solar heat. Stands can be supplemented with nursery stock [2]. The Choctawhatchee variety grows more slowly than the Ocala variety but has a good survival rate and can be cut after the open cones release seeds. Choctawhatchee sand pine may be most suited for large-scale reforestation [21]. Mature sand pine is subject to windfall [1,16].
Insects: Bark beetles (Ips spp.) and sand pine sawfly (Neodiprion pratti) are the main insects that damage sand pine. Bark beetle attacks are associated with stresses such as drought or crowded stand conditions. The saw fly can defoliate entire stands. Tip moths (Rhyacionia spp.), aphids, and scales can cause some undesirable deformity and discoloration in Christmas tree plantations [1].
Disease: Mushroom root rot caused by Clitocybe tabescens occurs in plantations sites where the soil is not well-drained [1].
Natural stands of sand pine are disappearing from Florida. Many former stands have been converted to citrus groves, subdivisions, or recreational vehicle parks. Twenty-one federally endangered or threatened plant and animal species live in sand pine forests [17].
Table A1— Forest and range ecosystems, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) physiographic regions, Kuchler plant associations, Society for American Foresters (SAF) forest cover types, and Society for Rangeland Management (SRM) rangeland cover types in which this species occurs.
Forest and Range Ecosystems (Garrison et al. 1977)
- FRES12 Longleaf - slash pine
- FRES14 Oak - pine
BLM Physiographic Regions (Bernard and Brown 1977)
- No entry.
Kuchler Plant Associations (Kuchler 1964)
- K112 Southern mixed forest
- K115 Sand pine scrub
SAF Cover Types (Eyre 1980)
- 69 Sand pine
- 70 Longleaf pine
- 71 Longleaf pine - scrub oak
- 84 Slash pine
SRM Rangeland Cover Types (Shiflet 1994)
- No entry.
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