Index of Species Information
SPECIES: Pinus clausa
Introductory
SPECIES: Pinus clausa
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Carey, Jennifer H. 1992. Pinus clausa. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online].
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station,
Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/tree/pincla/all.html [].
ABBREVIATION :
PINCLA
PINCALC
PINCLAI
SYNONYMS :
NO-ENTRY
SCS PLANT CODE :
PICL
COMMON NAMES :
sand pine
scrub pine
spruce pine
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name of sand pine is Pinus clausa
(Chapm. ex Engelm.) Vasey ex Sarg. [1,11]. The species is divided into
two geographic varieties which differ in cone serotiny [1,11,12,16]:
Pinus clausa var. clausa = Ocala sand pine (serotinous cones)
Pinus clausa var. immuginata = Choctawhatchee sand pine (nonserotinous cones)
Aside from serotiny, no consistent morphological differences have been
found between the two varieties. Myers [16] suggests that there is no
compelling reason to distinguish them. Both varieties will be discussed
in this report, with emphasis on Pinus clausa var. clausa.
LIFE FORM :
Tree
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Pinus clausa
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
The Ocala variety grows in the Florida Peninsula, and the Choctawhatchee
variety grows in the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama. On the
peninsula, sand pine occurs from Tampa to Naples on the Gulf Coast and
from St. Augustine to Fort Lauderdale on the Atlantic Coast. A few
stands also occur on off-shore islands. The largest stand of sand pine
is in the Big Shrub Complex of the Ocala National Forest in
north-central Florida [1,2,16].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES12 Longleaf - slash pine
FRES14 Oak - pine
STATES :
AL FL
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
NO-ENTRY
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
K112 Southern mixed forest
K115 Sand pine scrub
SAF COVER TYPES :
69 Sand pine
70 Longleaf pine
71 Longleaf pine - scrub oak
84 Slash pine
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Sand pine is dominant in the Florida Scrub community type. A published
classification listing sand pine as dominant in community types (cts) is
presented below:
Area Classification Authority
FL gen. forest cts Waggoner 1975
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS
SPECIES: Pinus clausa
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE :
Sand pine is used for fuel and pulpwood. The species' small size has
prevented its use for structural lumber, but this use may become more
important in the future [1].
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
Sand pine seeds are eaten by birds and small mammals. The sand pine
canopy creates habitat for numerous woodpeckers, songbirds, and birds
of prey, as well as grey and flying squirrels [1,16]. The federally
endangered Florida scrub jay will occasionally nest in young sand pine
[12,16].
PALATABILITY :
NO-ENTRY
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
COVER VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
NO-ENTRY
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
The Choctawhatchee sand pine is grown for Christmas trees because of its
short, heavily foliated branches and dark green needles [1].
OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Timber: Sand pine in the Ocala National Forest in central Florida is
managed for pulp. On productive sites, sand pine grows to a
merchantable size [2]. Blocks of 20 to 40 acres (8-16 ha) are clearcut,
scrub is removed, the ground is scarified, and either seeds are planted
or branches with cones are scattered on the ground [2,16]. In the
direct seeding method, five seeds per spot maximizes seedling
establishment. Seed predation is not severe enough to warrant pesticide
treatment [18]. In the cone method, the closed cones will open on the
ground from solar heat. Stands can be supplemented with nursery stock
[2]. The Choctawhatchee variety grows more slowly than the Ocala
variety but has a good survival rate and can be cut after the open cones
release seeds. Choctawhatchee sand pine may be most suited for
large-scale reforestation [21]. Mature sand pine is subject to windfall
[1,16].
Insects: Bark beetles (Ips spp.) and sand pine sawfly (Neodiprion
pratti) are the main insects that damage sand pine. Bark beetle attacks
are associated with stresses such as drought or crowded stand
conditions. The saw fly can defoliate entire stands. Tip moths
(Rhyacionia spp.), aphids, and scales can cause some undesirable
deformity and discoloration in Christmas tree plantations [1].
Disease: Mushroom root rot caused by Clitocybe tabescens occurs in
plantations sites where the soil is not well-drained [1].
Natural stands of sand pine are disappearing from Florida. Many former
stands have been converted to citrus groves, subdivisions, or
recreational vehicle parks. Twenty-one federally endangered or
threatened plant and animal species live in sand pine forests [17].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Pinus clausa
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Sand pine is a small, narrow, evergreen conifer with a dense, pointed
crown of highly divided branches. Sand pines grown on productive sites
attain heights of 66 feet (20 m) and diameters of 18 to 20 inches (45-50
cm), but smaller trees are more common [1,16]. Sand pine rarely reaches
100 years in age. Individuals can be gnarled, leaning, or stunted. The
thin gray bark is fibrous and brittle, and cones have short, stout
spines [10]. Seedlings grown in sand have a fine root system with
numerous laterals.
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Phanerophyte (mesophanerophyte)
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Seed production and dissemination: Sand pine is monoecious. Trees can
begin producing cones at 5 years of age [1] and can form two or three
whorls of cones per year [7,12]. The Ocala variety produces an abundant
cone crop almost every year. Ocala cones are predominantly serotinous,
although 20 percent or more of the individuals in Ocala stands may have
at least some open cones [16]. The closed cones persist in the crown
for 10 or more years [10]. The Choctawhatchee variety has mostly
nonserotinous cones that open when mature. A good cone crop occurs
every 4 to 6 years. The winged seeds of both varieties are dispersed
short distances by wind [1,10].
Seedling development: Seed viability in closed cones decreases with
cone age and is only 10 to 20 percent in 5-year-old cones. Epigeal
germination occurs at any time of year but is rare in the heat of the
summer [1]. Seedlings are killed by ground temperatures of 125 degrees
Fahrenheit (52 deg C) [9]. They are also destroyed by ants and birds.
Ocala sand pine grows 15 to 18 inches (38-46 cm) in the first year while
Choctawhatchee sand pine grows only 10 to 15 inches (25-38 cm) [1,21].
Sand pine growth is more influenced by nutrient deficiency of the soil
than by water deficiency [16]. Ocala sand pine grows in dense even-aged
stands while Choctawhatchee sand pine grows in more open, uneven-aged
stands with scattered seedlings and saplings in openings [12].
Vegetative reproduction: Choctawhatchee sand pine seedlings have basal
branches which may replace the main stem if it is top-killed [1].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Sand pine grows on xeric sand ridges that are thought to be former
Pleistocene dunes and shorelines. The terrain is hilly to gently
rolling. Ocala sand pine ranges in elevation from 20 feet (6 m) to 200
feet (61 m), and Choctawhatchee sand pine from near sea level to 295
feet (90 m) [1]. Sand pine grows in well-drained to excessively
drained, acidic sandy soils of marine origin. These soils are primarily
Entisols derived from quartz sand [1].
The understory associated shrubs of the Ocala variety include myrtle oak
(Quercus myrtifolia), Chapman's oak (Q. chapmanii), sand live oak (Q.
virginiana var. germinata), scrub oak (Q. inopina), rusty lyonia (Lyonia
ferruginea), Florida rosemary (Ceratiola ericoides), scrub palmetto
(Sabal etonia), saw-palmetto (Serenoa repens), silk bay (Persea borbonia
var. humilis), ground blueberry (Vaccinium myrsinites), gopher-apple
(Chrysobalanus oblongifolius), beakrush (Rhynchospora megalocarpa), and
palafoxia (palafoxia feayi). Many of these shrubs are evergreen or
nearly evergreen. There is little or no herbaceous ground cover [1,16].
(Also see SAF Cover Types).
The understory of Choctawhatchee sand pine stands is sparse and includes
turkey oak (Q. laevis), bluejack oak (Q. incana), sand post oak (Q.
stellata var. margaretta), pineland threeawn (Aristida stricta), and
prickly pear (Opuntia spp.) [1].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Sand pine is moderately intolerant of competition and intermediate in
shade tolerance [1,16]. It will establish in and eventually dominate
scrub oak communities. Sand pine will invade longleaf pine (Pinus
palustris) forests in the absence of fire. Sand pine scrub vegetation,
in which sand pine grows in very dense, even-aged stands of 8,000 to
10,000 trees per acre (20,000-25,000/ha), is considered a fire-climax
community [9]. If fire occurs once every 20 to 60 years in sand pine
stands, the vegetation community will not change. In the absence of
fire, a xeric hardwood forest of oak and hickory will succeed sand pine.
If there is frequent fire, oak scrub or slash pine (P. ellottii) will
replace sand pine [1,5,9,15,16].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
Flower buds form in early summer and become visible by early autumn.
The Ocala variety usually begins shedding pollen in mid-November but can
begin shedding a month later. The Choctawhatchee variety usually begins
shedding pollen in late January but can begin anytime from late December
to mid-March. Cones mature by the end of the second year [1,7,10].
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Pinus clausa
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Sand pine is classified as fire-resistant because it regenerates
profusely through seeds after fire. Mature trees have a low tolerance
to fire because of thin bark [14].
Sand pine is maintained by infrequent, high-severity fires [1,16,17].
The dense crown canopy of sand pine reduces understory vegetation and
fuel build-up on the ground. Most understory vegetation is evergreen
which does not produce a thick litter of dry leaves, and there is little
or no grass. Fire usually stalls out at the outside edge of a sand pine
stand, but if the stand is ignited, a severe fire will occur. This
delayed pyrogenic strategy results in instant site recapture [10].
Large numbers of seeds are released from serotinous cones and germinate
on the exposed ground.
Sand pine stands usually only burn in the spring when high winds carry
fire into the crowns [5]. In addition, needle water content is at its
lowest and ether content at its highest in the spring [22]. Sustained
hot weather will also make the stand more susceptible to ignition [16].
Highly flammable Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) accumulates on
older sand pine and can be ignited by lightning or can elevate a ground
fire to the crown [9].
Fire intervals of 20 to 60 years maintains even-aged sand pine stands
[16,20]. If more frequent, trees may not be old enough to reproduce.
If less frequent, sand pine becomes senescent and is replaced by oak.
Sand pine communities are often intermixed with longleaf pine
communities which burn every 3 to 8 years. Adjacent low-severity ground
fires rarely ignite young sand pine stands. Richardson [20] reported
that scrub allelopathy prevents grass and pine regeneration in sand pine
communities and along the borders. Grasses and pine seedlings would
otherwise provide fuel for surface fires.
Choctawhatchee sand pine usually grows in areas free of fire.
Open-coned forms of the Ocala variety also invade and establish in areas
with no fire. Open-coned stand reestablishment after fire is dependent
on trees located near the periphery of the burn. The degree of serotiny
in Ocala and Choctawhatchee stands is probably a function of fire
history [16]. Open-coned stands may have a history of no fire or
frequent low-severity ground fires, whereas close-coned stands may have
a history of infrequent but high-severity crown fires [12].
FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find Fire Regimes".
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
crown-stored residual colonizer; short-viability seed in on-site cones
crown-stored residual colonizer; long-viability seed in on-site cones
off-site colonizer; seed carried by wind; postfire years one and two
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Pinus clausa
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Sand pine is killed by moderate- to high-severity fires [16].
Low-severity ground fires will not kill mature trees, but this type of
fire is rare in sand pine communities.
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
After a fire, the numerous closed cones stored in the crown release
their seeds. A severe fire prepares a good seedbed and removes scrub
vegetation. Seeds germinate and the stand replaces itself [1,16].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Wildfire in sand pine stands usually exhibits extreme and uncontrollable
behavior. For instance, a fire in Ocala National Forest in 1935 burned
5,670 acres (2,295 ha) in 4 hours [16]. Because of fire suppression,
many sand pine stands are aging and will be replaced by oak. Prescribed
fire in sand pine stands has been restricted because of air quality
concerns and because they are considered dangerous. Doren and others
[3] tested a sand pine fuel model and found prescribed burning in sand
pine scrub can be accomplished effectively and safely. Methods used
included blacklining and reducing standing biomass along the stand
perimeter.
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Pinus clausa
REFERENCES :
1. Brendemuehl, R. H. 1990. Pinus clausa (Chapm. ex Engelm.) Vasey ex Sarg.
sand pine. In: Burns, Russell M.; Honkala, Barbara H., technical
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Handb. 654. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest
Service: 294-301. [13392]
2. Cooper, Robert W. 1958. Sand pine regeneration in Florida. In:
Proceedings: Society of American Foresters meeting; 1957 November 10-13;
Syracuse, NY. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters: 71-72.
[11948]
3. Doren, Robert F.; Roberts, Richard E.; Richardson, Donald R. 1991. Sand
pine scrub burning: some positive steps for management. In: High
intensity fire in wildlands: management challenges and options:
Proceedings, 17th Tall Timbers fire ecology conference; 1989 May 18-21;
Tallahassee, FL. Tallahassee, FL: Tall Timbers Research Station:
408-409. Abstract. [17797]
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1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range
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following large northern Rocky Mountain wildfires. In: Proceedings, Tall
Timbers fire ecology conference and Intermountain Fire Research Council
fire and land management symposium; 1974 October 8-10; Missoula, MT. No.
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15. Myers, Ronald L. 1985. Fire and the dynamic relationship between Florida
sandhill and sand pine scrub vegetation. Bulletin of the Torrey
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John J., eds. Ecosystems of Florida. Orlando, FL: University of Central
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[17613]
18. Outcalt, Kenneth W. 1991. Effect of pesticides and number of seed per
spot on seedling establishment from direct-sown Ocala sand pine seed.
In: Coleman, Sandra S.; Neary, Daniel G., compilers. Proceedings, 6th
biennial southern silvicultural research conference: Vol. 1; 1990
October 30 - November 1; Memphis, TN. Gen. Tech. Rep. SE-70.
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Forest Science. 34(3): 592-605. [5427]
21. Rockwood, D. L.; Kok, H. R. 1978. Which sand pine to plant in Florida?.
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[and others], technical coordinators. Fire regimes and ecosystem
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FEIS Home Page
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