Have you ever wondered why they do controlled burning at our local forests? The Longleaf Pine, endangered tree species - having the longest needle-like leaf of all eastern pine species, the longleaf can grow anywhere from 80-100 feet tall and almost 3 feet in diameter (much slender then the neighboring Loblolly Pine). Although once this species extended from southeastern Virginia to Florida, west through Louisiana to East Texas; in other words they used to cover an area 90 million acres, now cover less than 3 percent of their original range (Nwf.org, 2020). Longleaf pine seeds develop in cones and are dispersed by wind. When they fall to the ground, they must come in contact with soil to germinate. Historically leaf litter and debris were cleared away by forest fires that were sparked during lightning storms. When fire is suppressed, ground cover buildup prevents seeds from reaching the soil, and they canโt germinate. The seeds that are able to take root undergo an interesting life cycle that differs from most other conifers. Rather than spending its first few years growing in height, the longleaf pine goes through a grass stage. From the surface, the grass-stage plant appears to be a large clump of needles that grows very little. The real work, however, is going on underground. During the grass stage, the longleaf pine starts to develop its central root, called a taproot, which will be up to 12 feet (3.7 meters) long at maturity. After going through the grass stage, longleaf pines begin to grow in height. Both mature trees and grass-stage specimens are fire-resistant. The lifespan of a longleaf pine spans several centuries. These slow-growing trees live for over 300 years, and they may take up to half that time to reach their full size. #longleafpine #longleafpines #pinetrees #pines #conifer #conifers #organicgardening #organicgarden #organicgardener #organicfertilizer #garden #gardening #gardendesign #gardenlife #gardeners #gardens #gardeninspiration #thewoodlands #thewoodlandstx #savethetrees #tree #trees #treesofinstagram #landscape #landscapedesign #landscaper #landscapersofinstagram #landscaping #landscapingideas #landscapingdesign (at The Woodlands, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8IE-cRJocn/?igshid=37ixxk1934dr
