Longleaf Pine Habitat in Virginia

A snapshot of the history, life stages, restoration, and current successes within Virginia's longleaf pine conservation efforts.

Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) is one of eight native pine species in Virginia. Longleaf can be differentiated from other pine species via a number of unique characteristics and adaptations. Longleaf pines go through six distinct life stages and are highly adapted to fire - in some ways similarly to the ability of rainforest species to cope with extremely high annual rainfall. Longleaf pines are characterized by their lengthy needles and large cones. Additionally, thick bark plates and the unique seedling “grass stage” are indicators of  the species’ ability to endure fire. This presentation will elaborate on specific characteristics of longleaf pines and their habitat as well as highlight current restoration actions for this species that has played a significant role in Virginia’s history.


History

Original habitat extent

Longleaf pine habitat has existed in the U.S and specifically Virginia for thousands of years. In 1607, forests in southeast Virginia dominated by longleaf pine occupied between 1 and 1.5 million acres. Most longleaf forest existed south of the James River, but the species range extended north to Accomack County on the Eastern Shore. But by 1900, nearly all of Virginia’s longleaf pine forest was gone, eliminated by a variety of factors associated with European settlement.

Economic History

Longleaf pine played a crucial role in early economic development in Virginia. In 1608, the naval stores industry began.

The trees were the backbone of America’s naval stores, providing masts, waterproof pitch and turpentine. Their “heart pine” provided the frames and floors for colonial homes and businesses. -The Nature Conservancy (2022) 

Longleaf pine was extremely important for early colonial exporting of “naval stores.” John Smith shipped the first "tryalls of Pitch and Tarre" back to England, where these resources were essential for sealing boat hulls and greasing wagon axles. Boxing of live trees was a technique for collecting crude gum, and tar kilns were used to produce pine tar. From 1700-1840, naval stores production and exporting in southeast Virginia was booming. In 1791 alone, the port of Norfolk exported 29,376 tons. But by 1850, longleaf pine in Virginia was largely exhausted, and no export records after 1840 exist.


Life Stages

Longleaf pines navigate through distinct life stages on their journey to becoming a mature tree. At each different stage, longleaf pines demonstrate their unique adaptations to frequent and low-intensity fires.

Seeds and Cones

Mature longleaf pines release seed from ripe cones in autumn, usually from early October into November. Longleaf cones are larger than any other pine species in Virginia, ranging from around 15-to 25-cm (6-to 10-in) in length. Each cone can produce from 20 to 25 seeds. Longleaf pine seeds have the best chance of germinating when they come into contact with the mineral soil, but are highly susceptible to predation by animals including mammals, birds, and insects.

A longleaf pinecone at Blackwater Ecological Preserve. © Nina Copeland (DCR-DNH)

Seedlings

Upon germination, young longleaf  seedlings appear as a wisp of needles sprouting from the ground, sometimes with their seed wing still attached. At this lifestage, longleaf seedlings are particularly susceptible to fire as well as other threats such as predation, drought, and mortality from fungal diseases.

Young longleaf pine seedling. © Rebecca Wilson (DCR-DNH)

Grass Stage

During their first growing season, longleaf seedlings begin to resemble a clump of bunch grass on the forest floor. For this reason, this stage of seedling development is often referred to as the “grass stage”. Nestled within the grasslike clump of needles rests the seedling's growth bud. The dense cluster of needles around the bud is essential for protecting the bud from fire damage. After a burn, grass stage longleaf needles regrow quickly. While longleaf seedlings lack vertical growth during the grass stage, much of their energy goes into development of an extensive root system. Depending on the amount of competition with other plants, longleaf seedlings can stay in the grass stage from two to five or more years.

A grass stage longleaf after a prescribed burn. © Rebecca Wilson (DCR-DNH)

Bottlebrush Stage

Once their root systems are sufficiently large, grass stage longleaf pines begin rapid vertical growth - usually when the root collar reaches about 1-inch in diameter. Young trees quickly “bolt” upwards, making rapid height growth with little if any horizontal branching, into the “bottlebrush stage”. Longleaf  in this life stage can grow as much as 2- to 3-feet in a single growing season. This fast development allows the young trees to outgrow competing vegetation, and also places the terminal growth bud out of reach of potential fire damage. Since the bark of bottlebrush longleaf has not yet thickened, trees are somewhat more susceptible to fire at this stage.

A bottlebrush stage pine during a burn at Chub Sandhill Natural Area Preserve. © DCR-DNH

Saplings

At about 6-to 10-ft in height, young longleaf begin to develop branches, denoting a transition to the sapling stage. Their branches lengthen as the long growth tips ("candles") at the ends of each branch grow upwards. Saplings can grow up to 3-ft in height every year whilst their bark begins to thicken. The thickening bark and height growth make a longleaf pine sapling very resistant to fire.

Longleaf saplings soon after a prescribed burn. © Rebecca Wilson (DCR-DNH)

Maturity

Longleaf pines enter maturity at about age 30, when trees begin to produce cones containing viable seeds. Mature trees are characterized by thick plates of bark that shield the vulnerable inner bark from fire damage. Mature longleaf also typically exhibit straight, clear stems with lower branches naturally pruned by the effects of shading as well as heating by fire. Depending on soil quality, mature trees can reach heights from 60- to 110-ft. Vertical growth of longleaf pine continues until trees are 70 to 100 years old, becoming more susceptible to infection from pathogens such as  red-heart fungus as they age.

Life stages of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) from pinecone to seedling to grass stage to bottlebrush to sapling to mature tree and back to pinecone.
Life stages of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) from pinecone to seedling to grass stage to bottlebrush to sapling to mature tree and back to pinecone.

Biodiversity

Longleaf pine woodlands and savannas in Virginia support a myriad of different plant and animal species. Many are adapted to habitats maintained by frequent fires. One such species is Pale Grass-pink (Calopogon pallidus), a perennial orchid that can resprout quickly after disturbance from fire. Many other plant species are also associated with pine woodlands and savannas maintained by  frequent fire.

However, some species depend directly on habitat provided by the trees themselves. The red-cockaded woodpecker (Dryobates borealis) (RCW), is the only woodpecker species that constructs nest cavities within living trees. RCWs prefer to nest in older pines with red-heart disease - a non-lethal fungal infection that softens the tree’s heartwood, making it easier for RCWs to excavate their nest cavities. RCWs can make use of various southern yellow pine species, including longleaf, loblolly, and shortleaf pines. RCWs also peck shallow holes around the opening of their nest cavity, thereby promoting the secretion of sticky sap as a protective measure against nest predators. As the sap oozes down the tree, it impedes species such as lizards and snakes from climbing the tree and reaching the nest cavity.

Please read below for a list of more species that can be observed in longleaf pine woodlands and savannas in Virginia:

  • Orange-bellied Tiger Beetle (Cicindela abdominalis)
  • Common Pyxie-moss (Pyxidanthera barbulata)
  • Sandy-woods Chaffhead (Carphephorus bellidifolius)
  • Small White Fringed Orchid (Platanthera blephariglottis)
  • Tall Yellow-eyed Grass (Xyris platypus)
  • Dusty Zenobia (Zenobia pulverulenta)
  • Sheep Laurel (Kalmia angustifolia)

Sheep laurel before and after flowering. © Nina Copeland and Rebecca Wilson (DCR-DNH)


Restoration

Fire Management

Longleaf pine is well-adapted to frequent, low intensity fires. Prescribed burning is the most essential  management action for successful range-wide restoration and management of these ecosystems. A higher frequency of burns can lead to increased diversity and abundance of forbs and grasses, while seasonality of burning also plays a role in management outcomes.  

Frequency: Natural or planted longleaf pine systems are typically burned every 2-5 years, depending on the specific management objective. Longer intervals result in decreased herbaceous plant diversity, greater abundance of woody species and increased fuel loads.

Seasonality: Season of burning also influences species composition of the groundcover, individual species abundance, and groundcover biomass in various ways. The terms “dormant season burning” and “growing season burning” are used to describe the timing of prescribed burns within the calendar year, correlating with seasonal physiological changes that happen in trees and plants throughout the year. Dormant season burns (late fall through early spring) usually top-kill stems of  shrubs and smaller hardwoods; however many of these will readily re-sprout - increasing the stem density of woody species. Growing season burns (late spring through mid-summer) are more effective for reducing the number of shrubs and small diameter hardwoods in the understory and midstory. A series of repeated growing season burns is the most effective approach for reducing hardwood understories to meet pine savanna restoration objectives. Alternating dormant and growing season burns may allow landowners the greatest chance of successful outcomes.

Site briefing by Rebecca Wilson before a prescribed burn at Chub Sandhill. © Emi Endo (DCR)

Why Restore Longleaf Pine Habitat?

Restoration of longleaf pine habitat is important for a variety of reasons including: protecting natural and cultural heritage, biodiversity conservation and aesthetics, production of traditional forest products (lumber, pilings, poles, plywood), and production of non-traditional forest products (pine straw, quail hunting leases).

© Brian van Eerden (TNC)


Partnerships and Successes

Natural Area Preserves

The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is dedicated to the restoration of fire-maintained longleaf pine communities that provide habitat for fire-adapted species associated with longleaf. DCR is achieving this goal through the acquisition and management of state natural area preserves (NAPs) in southeast Virginia. NAPs that now support restored longleaf pine communities include Cherry Orchard Bog, Chub Sandhill, Antioch Pines, Blackwater Ecological Preserve, Cypress Bridge Swamp, and South Quay Sandhills. Please navigate through the map to the right for more information about each of these DCR owned or dedicated NAPs, and zoom-in to get a closer look at their boundaries.

Chub Sandhill Natural Area Preserve © Eve Williamson (DCR-DNH)

Partnerships & Cooperation

State & Federal Coordination:

  • Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR)
  • Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR)
  • Virginia Department of Forestry (DOF)
  • United States Forest Service (USFS)
  • U.S Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
  • National Park Service (NPS)
  • United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS)
  • USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA)
  • Department of Defense (DOD)

Non-government Partners:

  • The Nature Conservancy (TNC)
  • The Longleaf Alliance
  • America's Longleaf
  • American Forest Foundation
  • National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
  • Southern Environmental Law Center
  • US Endowment for Forestry and Communities

Red-cockaded Woodpeckers in Piney Grove and Big Woods

Characterized by the red “cockade” of feathers on either side of the males’ head, red-cockaded woodpeckers (RCWs) had become exceedingly rare in Virginia by the late 1900s, due to the loss of their fire-maintained pine savanna habitat. RCWs are both federally- and state-listed as endangered, and are considered near-threatened on the IUCN Red List. Currently, breeding populations for RCWs  can only be found in two locations in Virginia: the Piney Grove and Big Woods conservation region and the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Due to the RCW’s non-migratory nature, the preservation, protection, and restoration of pine savanna habitats is paramount to the species’ survival in Virginia.

The Piney Grove and Big Woods conservation region contains a number of managed areas devoted to the protection of RCWs as well as the expansion of pine savanna habitats. In 1998, TNC purchased a tract of land in Sussex County that became the Piney Grove Preserve. TNC’s goal was to preserve the extensive old age pine forests that provided habitat for the last remaining RCW population in Virginia. However, through the management of the preserve’s pine savannas and the capture-and-release of RCWs from the Carolinas, the number of breeding colonies in Virginia  reached a record high of 18 by 2019.

Other conservation lands in this area include DOF’s Big Woods State Forest, DWR’s Big Woods Wildlife Management Area (WMA), and Piney Grove Flatwoods Natural Area Preserve (NAP). Big Woods State Forest and Big Woods WMA were both created in 2010 through the acquisition of 4,500 acres of land, transferred to the state from TNC. Piney Grove Flatwoods NAP, owned by TNC, was dedicated in 2021 by Gov. Ralph Northam as the 66th state natural area preserve. All of these conservation landscapes represent a commitment to protect and conserve Virginia’s southeastern historic pine stands and their associated species. This goal would be unattainable without the partnership and collaboration between many state agencies, non-profits, and other organizations within the region.

A white-banded pine tree denoting a red-cockaded woodpecker cavity in the Piney Grove conservation area. © Rebecca Wilson (DCR-DNH)

Chub Sandhill

Chub Sandhill Natural Area Preserve is a 1,066-acre DCR-owned site in Sussex County, Virginia. The coarse, sandy soils and pine/scrub oak habitat of the preserve support 14 rare species, including six rare animals and eight rare plants. In addition, borrow pits left from previous sand mining alongside the adjacent Nottoway River created wetland habitat for many amphibian, bird, and tree species. Due to the dry, sandy nature of the preserve’s uplands, fire historically spread through the area via lightning strikes and by Native American burning. This made the area opportune for fire-adapted species. Unfortunately, due to fire suppression in the region, the populations of many of these species have declined significantly compared to their historical numbers.

Prescribed burn at Chub Sandhill. © Emi Endo (DCR)

In 2008, Chub Sandhill became the site of the first large-scale planting of northern genome longleaf pines in Virginia. The goals of this planting were to (1) reintroduce and restore longleaf pine at Chub Sandhill NAP, and (2) help to preserve the northern genome of the species. Longleaf pines of the northern genome are likely less susceptible to cold temperatures, long winters, heavy snow, and other limiting factors in comparison to longleaf pines adapted to conditions in more southern regions. For the Chub Sandhill planting, cones were harvested from mature Virginia longleaf pines. The resulting seed was sown and containerized seedlings grown at a North Carolina state forest tree nursery. Seedlings were then planted on an 80-acre former farm field at Chub Sandhill at a density of 500 per acre. A mechanical site preparation method called “scalping” was used prior to planting to reduce competition to planted seedlings. As a result, seedling survival after two years was high (95%), demonstrating the effectiveness of this approach for establishing longleaf in old fields for the first time in Virginia.  At about age 25, Chub Sandhill’s longleaf should begin producing viable seeds, which will continue to aid in the restoration of this species at the northern extent of its range.


Resources

More Information:

Works Cited

Eerden BV. Restoring a Northern Foothold for the Longleaf Pine Ecosystem. (1)

Myers RI. Longleaf Pine in Virginia: History, Ecology and Restoration. (2)

The Nature Conservancy. Virginia's founding forest [Internet]. The Nature Conservancy. 2020 [cited 2022Mar14]. Available from: https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/virginia/stories-in-virginia/va-how-we-work-longleaf-pine/ (3)

Constanza J. Newly Revised & Digitized Range Map of Southeastern pine savannas and Woodlands [Internet]. South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative. 2021 [cited 2022Mar14]. Available from: https://www.southatlanticlcc.org/2018/08/01/newly-revised-digitized-range-map-of-southeastern-pine-savannas-and-woodlands/ (4)

The Longleaf Alliance. Life stages [Internet]. The Longleaf Alliance. 2021 [cited 2022Mar14]. Available from: https://longleafalliance.org/what-is-longleaf/the-tree/life-stages/ (5)

Virginia Forestry Association. Fire in Virginia A Forest Management Tool: Past, Present & Future. 2020; (6)

Calopogon pallidus [Internet]. Calopogon pallidus (Pale Grass Pink) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. [cited 2022Mar14]. Available from: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/calopogon-pallidus/ (7)

The Longleaf Alliance. Prescribed fire [Internet]. The Longleaf Alliance. 2021 [cited 2022Mar14]. Available from: https://longleafalliance.org/what-is-longleaf/restoration-management/prescribed-fire/ (8)

America's Longleaf. Partners [Internet]. Partners | America's Longleaf Restoration Initiative. 2022 [cited 2022Mar14]. Available from: https://americaslongleaf.org/who-s-involved/partners/ (9)

Virginia DWR. Red-cockaded woodpecker [Internet]. Red-cockaded Woodpecker. 2021 [cited 2022Mar14]. Available from: https://dwr.virginia.gov/wildlife/information/red-cockaded-woodpecker/ (10)

The Nature Conservancy. Piney Grove Preserve [Internet]. The Nature Conservancy. 2022 [cited 2022Mar14]. Available from: https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/piney-grove-preserve/ (11)

Department of Conservation and Recreation. Chub Sandhill Natural Area Preserve. 2012. (12)

Department of Conservation and Recreation. Chub Sandhill Natural Area Preserve. (13)

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Rebecca Wilson, Danielle Kulas, Rick Myers, Jennifer McKee, Emi Endo, Darren Loomis, and many others at DCR as well as Bobby Clontz from TNC for their invaluable help in creating and informing this story map.

A longleaf pinecone at Blackwater Ecological Preserve. © Nina Copeland (DCR-DNH)

Young longleaf pine seedling. © Rebecca Wilson (DCR-DNH)

A grass stage longleaf after a prescribed burn. © Rebecca Wilson (DCR-DNH)

A bottlebrush stage pine during a burn at Chub Sandhill Natural Area Preserve. © DCR-DNH

Longleaf saplings soon after a prescribed burn. © Rebecca Wilson (DCR-DNH)

Sheep laurel before and after flowering. © Nina Copeland and Rebecca Wilson (DCR-DNH)

© Brian van Eerden (TNC)

Chub Sandhill Natural Area Preserve © Eve Williamson (DCR-DNH)

A white-banded pine tree denoting a red-cockaded woodpecker cavity in the Piney Grove conservation area. © Rebecca Wilson (DCR-DNH)