LOBLOLLY OR NORTH CAROLINA PINE 



(Pinus taeda, Linna-us) 



ITS GROWTH AND MANAGEMENT 



BY W. W. ASHE 



THE TREE AND ITS IDENTIFICATION. 



The loblolly or North Carolina pine grows under many diverse con- 

 ditions which affect its form, size, and the character of its wood, and in 

 -consequence it is known by many names. The general use of the name 

 "North Carolina pine" for the lumber cut from the tree commonly known 

 as "shortleaf pine" through the Coastal Plain region of North Carolina 

 would seem sufficient excuse for adopting the use of one or both these 

 names in this report. 



The former name is used on the title page in order to clearly identify 

 the tree, but its general acceptance is not recommended. This name is 

 applied only to a very limited extent to the tree itself, while the name 

 "loblolly pine," though not often used locally in the Carolinas or Vir- 

 ginia, either for the tree or its lumber, has a wide and ever-extending use, 

 not only by foresters but by readers of the lumber journals and the public 

 generally. For this reason and because it is the only name which is 

 applied exclusively to this tree, the name loblolly is used throughout the 

 body of this report, notwithstanding the strong arguments for continuing 

 the local name of "shortleaf pine of the coast," or adopting the lumber 

 trade name of "North Carolina pine." 



OTHER COMMON NAMES. 



Shortleaf pine and Short straw pine, names usually applied to the 

 growing tree in eastern North Carolina and farther south, are used to 

 distinguish loblolly from longleaf pine. In the middle portion of North 

 Carolina and in the hill section of the states farther south, the name 

 shortleaf pine is applied to a different tree (P. echinata}. This tree, 

 however, occurs sparingly in the Coastal Plain, where it is known 

 either as spruce pine or rosemary pine. In the former region where the 

 loblolly pine occurs it is sometimes called "longleaf" pine. 



Old-field pine, a name applied to young growth of loblolly pine on 

 land once under cultivation in eastern North Carolina and southward. 



Slash pine, a name common in Virginia, the Carolinas, and farther 

 south, refers to large trees with thick heartwood which occur in swamps 

 in mixture with hardwoods. 



Rosemary pine, a name infrequently applied to large trees growing 

 with hardwoods in swamps; more generally used in the Coastal Plain 

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