Ms. Klemenchich, I am the field forester for Lumpkin County and have been working with the experimental planting of Mountain Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris var. montane) in northeast Georgia for about five years now. Kris asked me to respond to your question about the genus and species of Montane Longleaf. It is considered to be a sub-species or variety of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) or “Coastal Longleaf”. Coastal longleaf grows naturally on the sandy soils of the southeastern coastal plain and some gulf coast areas. Montane Longleaf is found further inland and at higher elevations – there is a natural stand located on the campus of Berry College in northwest Georgia, but it does not occur (or perhaps no longer occurs) naturally in the northeast Georgia region. We have been implementing our planting program with the help of cost-share funds made available through the US Forest Service and administered through our Southern Pine Beetle (SPB) Prevention program. Longleaf pine is very resistant to attack by SPB, which can decimate stands of yellow pine over vast areas. There was a major outbreak in Georgia in 2001-2003 and many thousands of acres of pine forest and millions of dollars worth of timber value were lost. This program has been very popular with northeast Georgia landowners, however the supply of Montane Longleaf seedlings has been quite limited. I was in fact surprised that Dr. Nelson was able to secure seedlings for the next planting season – there had previously been a multi-year waiting period in most cases. The forest stand in which Dr. Nelson’s project is proposed to occur is at very high risk of SPB attack due to the extremely high stocking level (this reflects the number and size of trees per acre, for example). It was planted at an initial density that was considered normal for timber production at the time of planting, but has been revised downward since then due to the risk of pine beetle attack in overstocked stands. The timber production model assumes that a commercial thinning operation will be conducted at an intermediate age, usually about 14 to 17 years old in this area. This reduces the stand density by 30 to 50 percent, depending on site conditions and stand age at the time of thinning. This stand is approximately 23 years old with excellent growth and survival of the planted pines (so far). Our initial measurements indicate that the stocking level (as measured by the area of the trunks at 4.5 feet) is about 300% of the optimal level for a stand of this size and age. There has been some misunderstanding in this area regarding the harvest of timber on the tract, but this is the actual situation and it becomes increasingly urgent as the stocking level increases due to tree growth. I have also attached a write-up about the Montane cost-share program that I prepared several years ago – it is ongoing and still current at this time, and the cost-share rate is currently $105.00/acre which includes site preparation, seedlings, and planting cost. Thank you very much for your interest, and please let me know if you need further information or assistance.
Charles O. Bailey Senior Forester RF 02690 GA Georgia Forestry Commission Gainesville GA 30507 770-531-6043
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Mountain Longleaf Pine |