THE SLASH PINE 



BY WILBUR R. MATTOON, 

 FOREST EXAMINER, U. S. FOREST SERVICE 



THERE is a species of pine in the southeastern ]jor- 

 tion of the United States, Httle known, yet of notably 

 rapid growth and very high commercial value. It 

 is a better tree intrinsically than the well-known longleaf 

 pine. Its growth is more 

 rapid, its wood heavier, 

 harder, and stronger, and 

 its yield of turpentine larger 

 and of a better grade. This 

 tree is slash pine (Pimis 

 caribwa). It is extensively 

 cut and contributes, at a 

 rough estimate, over a 

 billion board feet annually 

 to the yellow pine lum- 

 ber outjnit. 



Slash pine is not well 

 known, either generally to 

 the public or silviculturally 

 to the forester. The cause 

 in each case is clearly ap- 

 parent. The tree has been 

 designated by at least four 

 different botanical names. 

 And ill Forest Service ht- 

 erature it was formerly 

 called "Cuban" pine but is 

 now officiallv known b\' the 



GROWTH ARUUXU PUiXDS 



A characteristic of slash pine is its occurrence as almost exclusively the only 

 forest tree in a broad band around the margins of the countless "ponds" scat- 

 tered over the coastal plain from South Carolina to Louisiana. On the opposite 

 margin of this pond in South Carolina the slash pine trees may be seen in the 

 right background. The measured yield was about 18.00Q board feet of saw 

 timber per acre. 



name here used. The wood of slash ])ine closely resem- 

 bles in its structure the hea\nest grade of longleaf 

 pine, and as such it is sold on the market without dis- 

 crimination. The juvenile and young trees look much 



like loblolly pine, and the 

 more mature trees equally 

 resemble longleaf. Among 

 persons of trained observa- 

 tion mistakes of identifica- 

 tion of slash pine \vdxe not 

 lieen infrequent, while on 

 the part of almost all others, 

 except observant turpentine 

 or logging men, the species 

 as a rale escapes recogni- 

 tion. Furthermore, this sec- 

 tion of the country is the 

 last east of the Mississippi 

 River to be included in in- 

 tensive silvicultural studies 

 1 )y those interested in the 

 future management of the 

 country's forests. 



All indications are that 

 slash pine possesses in the 

 highest degree the essential 

 silvicultural qualifications 

 for profitable handling 



TYPICAL LOGGING VIEW l.\ MATURE SLASH Pi.NE FOREST ■;. 



The trees are cut and sold on the market without distinction as longleaf 

 pine. The wood of slash pine is the heaviest, hardest, and strongest coniferous 

 wood grown in the United States. It averages a little heavier than hard maple, 

 beech, and sweet birch and is about equal to burr oak, yellow birch, and 

 white ash. 



158 



A FIFTEEN-VEAR GROWTH 



The characteristic straight, clean trunk of slash pine is apparent in this l.S-ycar- 

 old pole stand. The trees average 42 feet high and about 6 inches in diameter 

 breast high. The inherent high tolerance by which the tree is enabled to grow 

 rapidly in close density — about 1900 trees per acre in this stand — is one of the 

 chief factors for the wide-spread advance of slash pine over lands formerly 

 occupied by longleaf pme. 



