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The Tree

HomeWhat is Longleaf?The Tree

The Tree

Needles - evergreen, 8 to 17 inches in length, fascicled in groups of 3

As its name implies, longleaf pines have the longest needles of all southern pines. The needles are grouped in threes and arranged in tufts on the end of branches. Needles persist for approximately 2 growing seasons before shedding.

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High in natural volatile chemicals, longleaf pine needles are slow to decay once they fall to the forest floor. However, frequent fires throughout the woods easily ignite the dead needles and clean the forest floor of pine needles and other debris.

Native Americans and early settlers frequently used pine needles to weave baskets. Today, longleaf pine needles (called "pine straw") are gathered and used as garden mulch because of their pleasing color and length.

Cones - prickly, brown/gray in color, ~11 inches in length

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Like all pines, longleaf is monoecious with both the male and female reproductive cones found on the same tree. Longleaf pine's reproductive cycle takes over 2 years to complete, with the larger female cones eventually maturing by autumn of the second year. Longleaf pines are sporadic seed producers with infrequent good seed crops. Cones open and seeds fall in October and November.

The cones of longleaf pine are the largest of the southern pine and range in size from 5 to 12 inches in length. Because of their large size, only animals like the fox squirrel are sizable enough to manipulate and open the longleaf pine cones to eat the seeds before they fall to the ground.

Bark - red/brown in color, plated with paperlike scales

On young longleaf pine, the bark appears brownish-gray and is deeply furrowed. As the tree ages, the furrows become shallower, the bark color assumes an orange-brown shade, and the exterior scales appear more papery.

The thick bark of longleaf pine generally protects the tree from the frequent fires in the Southeast. Charred signs of past fires are often visible on the bark. Occasionally, a fire may burn through the bark creating a wound. Over time a noticeable fire scar may develop. A large fire scar may weaken (or perhaps kill) a longleaf pine tree. Nonetheless, fire scars make excellent nesting sites for animals such as bluebirds.

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Many species of birds, such as the white-breasted nuthatch, brown creeper, and red-cockaded woodpecker, scramble up and down the tree, peeling off scales of bark, searching for insects seeking refuge underneath. Some reptiles or amphibians like the barking tree frog or pinewood's tree frog take a more passive approach when hunting food and simply wait on the bark for food to come to them.

Roots

In its early life stages longleaf pines may demonstrate little growth aboveground, but belowground a tremendous amount of activity is taking place. Establishing an extensive root system provides essential access to soil moisture and anchorage once the tree initiates height growth.

As the tree continues to mature, the lateral and tap roots continue to grow. In mature trees, roots radiate out laterally an average of 35 feet from the trunk (some roots may travel up to 75 ft). Longleaf differs from other pines in that the tap root is nearly as large in diameter as the tree's trunk, tapering gradually to depths (on average) of 10 to 15 feet.

Longleaf roots are high in carbohydrates and other nutrients making them prized food for wildlife. Although relatively harmless to mature longleaf, root foraging can damage young trees. At one time, wild pigs were so abundant in the Southeast that their voracious appetite for longleaf roots resulted in countless acres of young trees rooted up.

When a longleaf pine tree dies, its root system decomposes or burns in a fire, creating a myriad of underground tunnels - ideal habitat for various creatures.

BROWSE THIS SECTION

  • The Tree
    • Life Stages
    • The Economics
    • The History
    • The Misconceptions
  • The Ecosystem
    • Built by Fire
    • Habitats
    • Species Diversity
  • Restoration & Management
    • Groundcover Restoration
    • Herbicides
    • Longleaf Regeneration
    • Prescribed Fire
  • Photo Gallery

From our feed

We measure longleaf restoration success not just i We measure longleaf restoration success not just in the number of longleaf pine trees planted or longleaf acres gained but also in how well we manage longleaf to promote a healthy ecosystem. Prescribed fire is the most effective tool to achieve those goals. In 2024, longleaf partners set a new record – applying prescribed fire to 2,290,436 acres! This was a half million increase compared to 2023. Most of the reported burn acreage occurred on public lands, but about 30% of the increase comes from private lands.This achievement contributes to the remarkable 20+ million acres of prescribed fire implemented across the Southeast since 2010.Check out the full 2024 Accomplishment Report from America's Longleaf > longleafalliance.org > news (link in bio)
Feelin’ pine in RED, WHITE, and BLUE! The charac Feelin’ pine in RED, WHITE, and BLUE! The characteristic green needles of #longleaf are not the only eye-catching colors of this iconic tree. 🔴 Reddish bark: Its thick, fire-resistant bark has a warm, rusty hue.⚪ White candles: New growth emerges from the needle cluster, resembling a white candle, before new green needles emerge. 🔵 Bluish pollen: Male pollen cones (strobili) are blue-ish/purple when mature.Longleaf brings natural color to the landscape and supports a whole host of dazzling native species. Nature’s fireworks are truly something to celebrate! 📷Photos by Karen Zilliox Brown, Ryan Bollinger, and Sarah Crate #LongleafPine #RedWhiteAndBlue #NaturesFireworks
Longleaf-ers (yes, that includes YOU!) are making Longleaf-ers (yes, that includes YOU!) are making a big progress to restore, conserve, and maintain critical longleaf pine habitat.In 2024, partners reported 2.7 million acres of accomplishments, including:🌲Gained 105,568 acres of longleaf through planting and silviculture practices🔥Applied prescribed fire to 2.2 million acres - a RECORD for the 4th year in a row!!!🌎Protected 49,337 acres through acquisitions and easementsThe full report is available at longleafalliance.org > news (link in bio)
Biodiversity Credits for Longleaf Landowners July Biodiversity Credits for Longleaf LandownersJuly 9, 2025 | Virtual WebinarJoin The Longleaf Alliance and Milliken Advisors to learn about the emerging biodiversity credit market and how it may benefit your land and generate revenue opportunities.This virtual webinar will discuss:+ how biodiversity credits work+ how they fit into long-term management goals+ current market developmentsRegister Via Zoom (link in bio).

Conservation partners

PCA

PCA

RMS

RMS

Whitfield

Whitfield

Bartlett

Bartlett

Enviva

Enviva

Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern

advantage

advantage

Blanton

Blanton

Drax

Drax

Fram

Fram

IFCO

IFCO

Kronospan

Kronospan

Manulife

Manulife

McLeod Rhodes

McLeod Rhodes

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