Landowner Fact Sheets

Table Mountain pine Pinus pungens play

A tree of the dry and rocky ridges of the southern Appalachians and adjacent Piedmont, Table Mountain pine is very fire adapted, and actually needs fire to reproduce.

range map Click to see more images. wood grain

Light
Clearcutting and fire are necessary to regenerate Table Mountain pine stands.

Water
Table Mountain pine is found on dry ridges and on drier rocky slopes.

Growth

Size
A small to medium sized tree up to 65 feet tall with an irregular crown that supports several large, heavy branches, often with numerous, persistent, closed cones.

Timber Value
Mostly small and found growing on poor sites, Table Mountain pine rarely produces a merchantable stem. When it does, the logs are mixed with other yellow pine.

Wildlife Value
Cones are armed but can be a significant food source. Trees provide cover on sparsely covered ridges.
Attracts red squirrels

Insects and Diseases

Fun Facts
Table Mountain pine is very tolerant of poor sites, and often occupies the driest ridges. Cones are partially serotinous (opening with heat) and commonly seeds heavily following fire. The tree is named after where it was first identified - near Table Rock Mountain in Burke Co. North Carolina.

Latin Meaning
Pinus: Latin name for pine from Greek "pitus" / pungens: sharp (cones) - Latin "pungere" (to prick)

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Landowner Factsheets © 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.