loblolly pine
Pinus taeda

Loblolly pine is the most important commercial timber species in the U.S. southeast. It accounts for more than one-half of the standing pine volume in this region. Loblolly's needles are 6 to 9 inches long and grow in bundles of 3.

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Light Water
Growth   Size
Timber Value

      Loblolly pine is used for a great many products, such as plywood, construction lumber, and pulpwood.
Wildlife Value
      Both natural loblolly stands and plantations provide habitat for a variety of wildlife. Old growth stands provide nesting sites for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, as well as ospreys and bald eagles.
          Attracts: turkey, deer, squirrel, various birds such as warblers, nuthatches, red crossbills, ospreys, bald eagles, and red-cockaded woodpeckers
Regeneration methods
      Loblolly pine is typically regenerated by clearcutting followed by planting with genetically improved seedlings. Group selections of sufficient size, shelterwoods, and seed-tree methods work reasonably well.
Important Problems Early Detection tips
southern pine beetle sudden death of trees; spreading patches of dead trees
fusiform rust orange fruiting bodies on stems, deformed growth
Fun facts
The red-cockaded woodpecker excavates nest cavities in old pine trees in the process of succumbing to heart-rot. It is the only North American woodpecker to exclusively use living trees for nesting sites. Such sites can be more easily seen by the pine sap oozing from the nest area, than by the presence of the small bird itself.
Pinus Latin name for pine from Greek "pitus". taeda a torch of pine wood - resinous.
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2004 Virginia Tech Forestry Department, all rights reserved. Text, images, and programming by: Dr. Jeff Kirwan, Dr. John R. Seiler, John A. Peterson, Edward C. Jensen, Guy Phillips, or Andrew S. Meeks.

questions, comments, and criticisms: email John.Peterson@vt.edu