LIFE HISTORY OF SHORTLEAF PINE. 
25 
Table 8. — Number of trees per acre and number of tree stems per acre in 18-year-old coppice 
shortleaf stand, Nevada County, Ariz. 
Trees per acre.i 
Total 
stems 
per 
Diameter breast high (inches). 
Stems per tree colony. 
Total. 
1 
2 
3 
4 
2 
6 
28 
24 
9 
28 
27 
34 
6 
6 
1 
6 
29 
36 
39 
47 
37 
39 
8 
6 
1 
6 
3 
i 
8 
27 
18 
10 
5 
2 
30 
4 
3 
3 
1 
1 
53 
72 
6 
67 
7 . 
47 
8 
:::::::::::::::: 
44 
9 
10 
10 
6 
11... 
:::::::::::::::: 
1 

Total 
169 
71 
7 
1 
248 
336 
1 Individual trees with one or more stems, as the case may be. 
As a result of the tree's vigorous coppicing during early life, short- 
leaf occurs characteristically in even-aged stands. A fire after 6 to 
8 years reduces to a single age class all the several ages of young 
growth that may have come in during the period. This has been 
found to be the case in all of the regions studied. It is significant 
in this connection that in one region of abundance and good develop- 
ment of shortleaf/ two age classes strongly predominated throughout 
the whole stand. One group consisted of pure stands from 160 to 
180 years old and the other of similarly pure stands from 60 to 70 
years. The average between the two groups is 105 years. This may 
be looked upon as indicating the occurrence of periods of either tor- 
nadoes or unusually destructive crown fires. The 60-year-old age 
class is especially abundant over the region. Old local records may 
possibly confirm this supposition of some unusual occurrence of the 
sort indicated between the years 1848 and 1852. 
SEASON OF YEAR. 
In common with the broadleaf species, the sprouting takes place 
least actively following midsummer cutting. Pastures and rights 
of way are thus commonly treated. In one instance a pasture con- 
tained a good stand of vigorous shortleaf-pine sprout saplings, 4 years 
old and from 6 to 10 feet high, representing the third generation of 
coppice from winter or early spring cutting. Along railroad rights 
of way in the Arkansas region, it is common to see dense sprout 
thickets of shortleaf pine due to repeated mowing. The forest-fire 
season occurs during the fall and late winter. This is during the 
period of vegetative inactivity, and such burnings generally result 
in vigorous sprout growth the following spring. 
1 Montgomery and Pike Counties in western central Arkansas. 
