Slash pine and loblolly have a place in woodland restoration
Temperate woodlands are highly threatened ecosystems, and restoration efforts – which typically include clearcutting existing trees and replanting goal species – tend to be costly and time-consuming. However, USDA Forest Service researcher John Willis led a new study that determined if the existing trees are native and serve a similar ecological function to the goal species, retaining some of the existing trees can save resources without undermining restoration goals.
To restore temperate southern woodlands, managers often replace loblolly and slash pines with longleaf and shortleaf pines. Researchers found retaining some loblolly and slash pine can save resources without affecting restoration goals.
In the South, woodland restoration usually focuses on removing loblolly (Pinus taeda) and slash pine (P. elliottii) trees to reestablish ecologically important longleaf (P. palustris) or shortleaf pine (P. echinata). SRS researchers reviewed the literature on species and stand-level trait differences in these primary southern pines to determine if retaining some loblolly and slash pine would be a viable strategy for pine forest restoration.
The results showed minimal variation in most traits that affect ecosystem function, including understory flammability, red-cockaded woodpecker habitat, and resistance to wind, drought, boring insects, and fire at maturity. However, loblolly and slash pine have lower ice resistance, carbon sequestration, and fire resistance during the sapling stage.
Collectively, these results suggest that southern pine species are generally interchangeable at the stand level - and that managers can improve short-term stand productivity by retaining some loblolly and slash pines. However, woodlands featuring loblolly and slash pine may be less stable in the face of disturbance than those dominated by shortleaf and longleaf pine.
Editor's note: Don C. Bragg contributed to this research and is posthumously recognized as a coauthor.