scholarly journals Economics of Southern Pines With and Without Payments for Environmental Amenities in the US South

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karuna Paudel ◽  
Puneet Dwivedi

During the early 1900s, nearly 37 million hectares of land in the Southern United States were under longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) relative to the current area of 1.6 million hectares. This study compares the economics of southern pines (longleaf, loblolly (Pinus taeda), and slash (Pinus elliottii)) to facilitate the decision making of family forest landowners and design suitable financial incentives for increasing the area under longleaf pine in the region. We simulated six growth and yield scenarios for selected southern pines over three site indices in the Lower Coastal Plain of South Georgia. We estimated land expectation values (LEVs) of each scenario for the three cases, i.e., payment for forest products, payment for forest products and net carbon storage, and payment for forest products, net carbon storage, and net water yield. Our findings show that pine straw income significantly increases the LEV of longleaf pine. The financial risk of growing longleaf pine is lower than that of other southern pines. Existing financial support through various governmental incentives or additional monetary support for ecosystem services provided by longleaf pine ecosystems is needed to increase the area under longleaf pine in the Southern United States, in general, and in South Georgia, in particular. However, a need exists to reevaluate the conservation values provided by longleaf plantations considering expected shorter rotation ages due to the income provided by pine straw markets in Southern United States.

1962 ◽  
Vol 94 (9) ◽  
pp. 1005-1007 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. P. Merkel

The larvae of Dioryctria abietella (D. & S.) are among the most destructive pests of the cones of slash pine, Pinus elliottii Engelm., and longleaf pine, Pinus palustris Mill., in the Southern United States. Larval instar data have been particularly useful in laboratory insecticide screening tests where it is essential to use larvae of the same age. The following is a brief account of a test to determine the number of larval instars of D. abietella in Florida.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 115-122
Author(s):  
Zachary Singh ◽  
Adam Maggard ◽  
Rebecca Barlow ◽  
John Kush

Abstract Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.), and slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) are two southern pine species that are popular for producing pine straw for landscaping. The objective of this research was to determine the response of soil properties and weed growth to the application of pine straw. Longleaf pine, slash pine, and two non-mulched controls (with and without chemical weed control) were tested. Volumetric soil water content, soil nutrients, soil temperature, weed biomass, and seedling growth were measured. Compared to non-mulched controls, both longleaf and slash pine plots had a greater soil moisture during extended periods without rainfall in the full sun environment. When soil temperatures increased, mulched plots had lower soil temperature relative to non-mulched plots. Soil pH and soil nutrients were generally similar between pine straw types with few significant differences in measured variables. Both pine straw treatments reduced weed growth and longleaf pine maintained a greater straw depth over the study period compared to slash pine, but no differences were observed for decomposition. These results indicate that longleaf pine straw and slash pine straw perform equally as well in terms of increasing soil moisture, moderating soil temperature, and reducing weed growth compared to not using mulch. Index words: Pinus elliottii, Pinus palustris, organic mulch, soil properties, landscaping. Species used in this study: Shumard oak, Quercus shumardii Buckl., Eastern redbud, Cercis canadensis L.


Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1155
Author(s):  
Karun Pandit ◽  
Jason Smith ◽  
Tania Quesada ◽  
Caterina Villari ◽  
Daniel J. Johnson

Pine forests in the southern United States are a major contributor to the global economy. Through the last three decades, however, there have been concerns about the decline of pine forests attributed mostly to pests and pathogens. A combination of biotic agents and environmental factors and their interaction often influences outbreaks and the resultant damage in the forests. Southern pines experience periodic mortality from bark beetles and root rot fungi and losses from fusiform rust and pitch canker have long been important for management. In recent years, there is also growing evidence of increasing damage from foliar disease in southern pines. Early detection of diseases following changes in foliar characteristics and assessment of potential risks will help us better utilize our resources and manage these forests sustainably. In this study, we used Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data to explore the intensity of foliar disease in three common pines: loblolly (Pinus taeda L.), longleaf (Pinus palustris Mill.), and slash (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) in spatial and temporal terms using tree-level and climatic variables. Results from a tree-level model suggests that crown ratio may be an important factor in pine foliar disease (p < 0.1). We applied the MaxEnt model, a presence-only species distribution model (SDM), to explore any association of foliar disease incidences with the climatic variables at a landscape level. Results indicate that mean dew point temperature, maximum vapor pressure deficit, and precipitation during cold months had more influence over disease incidences than other climatic variables. While the sample size is limited as this is an emerging disease in the region, our study provides a basis for further exploration of disease detection methods, disease etiology studies, and hazard mapping.


2009 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 115-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
James D. Haywood

Abstract This research was initiated in a 34-year-old, direct-seeded stand of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) to study how pine straw management practices (harvesting, fire, and fertilization) affected the longleaf pine overstory and pine straw yields. A randomized complete block split-plot design was installed with two main plot treatments: (1) no fertilization and (2) fertilization with 45 lb N and 50 lb P/ac in April 1991 and May 1997 and with 50 lb P and 72 lb K/ac in April 2004. There were four subplot treatments: (1) control—no activity except a standwide thinning in June 1999, (2) prescribed burn 6 times from March 1991 through May 2004, (3) prescribed burned as in subplot treatment 2 and pine straw harvested in early 1992 and 1993, and (4) annual harvest of pine straw 13 times from early 1992 through April 2006. Fertilization did not affect longleaf pine growth and yield over the 15-year study. Subplot management also did not influence longleaf pine growth possibly because the adverse effects that competition, repeated prescribed burning, and litter removal have on longleaf pine growth could not be separated among subplot treatments. Fertilization did not directly affect pine straw yields; however, it appeared that pine straw yields decreased over time.


1985 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 254-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clifford E. Lewis ◽  
Warren G. Manson ◽  
Richard J. Bonyata

Abstract Many native forage plants in the South are low quality, poor producers, and unpalatable to cattle. Replacement of these plants with more desirable species would improve the forage resource. One approach is to seed grasses during site preparation when regenerating southern pines. Following site preparation by shearing and strip-disking, Pensacola bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum) was seeded at 15 pounds per acre in the spring and longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) was row-seeded on 12-foot centers in December of the next year. The bahiagrass became established among the residual native plants and was heavily utilized by cattle grazing yearlong. A light application of fertilizer after 3 years tripled bahiagrass yields the first year and doubled it the next year compared to unfertilized plots. Fertilizer improved some nutritional qualities of bahiagrass but digestibility was lowered. Longleaf pine seedlings came out of the grass stage more rapidly and were 50% taller at age 9 with grazing than without it; and in spite of heavier mortality with grazing (36% vs. 21%), stocking was 967 trees per acre at age 11.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 1803 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Hogland ◽  
Nathaniel Anderson ◽  
David L. R. Affleck ◽  
Joseph St. Peter

This study improved on previous efforts to map longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) over large areas in the southeastern United States of America by developing new methods that integrate forest inventory data, aerial photography and Landsat 8 imagery to model forest characteristics. Spatial, statistical and machine learning algorithms were used to relate United States Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) field plot data to relatively normalized Landsat 8 imagery based texture. Modeling algorithms employed include softmax neural networks and multiple hurdle models that combine softmax neural network predictions with linear regression models to estimate key forest characteristics across 2.3 million ha in Georgia, USA. Forest metrics include forest type, basal area and stand density. Results show strong relationships between Landsat 8 imagery based texture and field data (map accuracy > 0.80; square root basal area per ha residual standard errors < 1; natural log transformed trees per ha < 1.081). Model estimates depicting spatially explicit, fine resolution raster surfaces of forest characteristics for multiple coniferous and deciduous species across the study area were created and made available to the public in an online raster database. These products can be integrated with existing tabular, vector and raster databases already being used to guide longleaf pine conservation and restoration in the region.


2011 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 61-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyler S. Nesbit ◽  
Janaki R.R. Alavalapati ◽  
Puneet Dwivedi ◽  
Marian V. Marinescu

Abstract A growing interest in cellulosic biofuels, coupled with the economic challenges faced by nonindustrial private forestland (NIPF) owners of the Southern United States, presents a unique opportunity to useforest biomass as a feedstock for developing bioenergy markets. This study uses a cost-benefit analysis framework to calculate the profitability for three simulated NIPF slash pine (Pinus elliottii) plantations under multiple feedstock production levels. Also, the unit cost of cellulosic ethanol production considering both the two-stage dilute sulfuric acid (2SDSA) and proposed synthesis gas ethanol catalytic conversion (SGECC) processes is calculated through a discounted cash flow methodology. The results show that the bioenergy market opportunity increases land values by $28.56–37.50/ac. The calculated unit cost of production is found to be $2.39/gallon under the 2SDSA process and $1.16/gallon for the SGECC process. The overall analysis indicates that ethanol production from Southern slash pine plantations offers a promising option for biofuel production, but that further advancements are necessary in the ethanol conversion phase.


2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 509-523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos A. Gonzalez-Benecke ◽  
Timothy A. Martin ◽  
Wendell P. Cropper,

The natural range of longleaf pine ( Pinus palustris P. Mill.) and slash pine ( Pinus elliottii var. elliottii Engelm.) includes most of the southeastern US Coastal Plain, and there is now considerable interest in using these species for ecological forestry, restoration, and carbon sequestration. It is therefore surprising that little information is currently available concerning differences in their ecological water relations in natural stands. In this study, we compared water use, stomatal conductance at the crown scale (Gcrown), and whole-tree hydraulic conductance of mature pine trees growing in a naturally regenerated mixed stand on a flatwoods site in north-central Florida. We found remarkable similarities between longleaf and slash pine in stored water use, nocturnal transpiration, and whole-tree hydraulic conductance. Mean daily transpiration rate was higher for slash than for longleaf pine, averaging 39 and 26 L·tree–1, respectively. This difference was determined by variations in tree leaf area. Slash pine had 60% more leaf area per unit basal sapwood area than longleaf pine, but the larger plasticity of longleaf pine stomatal regulation partially compensated for leaf area differences: longleaf pine had higher Gcrown on days with high volumetric water content (θv) but this was reduced to similar or even lower values than for slash pine on days with low θv. There was no species difference in the sensitivity of Gcrown to increasing vapor pressure deficit.


2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (11) ◽  
pp. 2080-2089 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Louise Loudermilk ◽  
Wendell P. Cropper

There are few remaining longleaf pine ( Pinus palustris Mill.) ecosystems left in the southeastern coastal plain of the United States. Restoration and maintenance of these remaining habitats requires an understanding of ecosystem processes at multiple scales. The focus of this study was to develop and evaluate a modeling framework for analyzing longleaf pine dynamics at the spatially explicit landscape scale and at the spatially implicit population scale. The landscape disturbance and succession (LANDIS) model was used to simulate landscape fire dynamics in a managed forest in north-central Florida. We constructed a density-dependent longleaf pine population matrix model using data from a variety of studies across the southeastern United States to extend an existing model. Sensitivity analyses showed that the most sensitive parameters were those from the original pine model, which was based on extensive observations of individual trees. A hybrid approach integrated the two models: the fire frequencies output from the LANDIS model were input to the matrix model for specific longleaf pine populations. These simulations indicated that small isolated longleaf pine populations are more vulnerable to fire suppression and that landscape connectivity is a critical concern. A frequent prescribed fire regime is nonetheless necessary to maintain even large longleaf pine sandhill communities that have better landscape connectivity.


2008 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenn B. Fain ◽  
Charles H. Gilliam ◽  
Jeff L. Sibley ◽  
Cheryl R. Boyer

The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential for use of container substrates composed of processed whole pine trees (WholeTree). Three species [loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), slash pine (Pinus elliottii), and longleaf pine (Pinus palustris)] of 8- to 10-year-old pine trees were harvested at ground level and the entire tree was chipped with a tree chipper. Chips from each tree species were processed with a hammer mill to pass through a 0.374-inch screen. On 29 June 2005 1-gal containers were filled with substrates, placed into full sun under overhead irrigation, and planted with a single liner (63.4 cm3) of ‘Little Blanche’ annual vinca (Catharanthus roseus). The test was repeated on 27 Aug. 2005 with ‘Raspberry Red Cooler’ annual vinca. Pine bark substrate had about 50% less air space and 32% greater water holding capacity than the other substrates. At 54 days after potting (DAP), shoot dry weights were 15% greater for plants grown in 100% pine bark substrate compared with plants grown in the three WholeTree substrates. However, there were no differences in plant growth indices for any substrate at 54 DAP. Plant tissue macronutrient content was similar among all substrates. Tissue micronutrient content was similar and within sufficiency ranges with the exception of manganese. Manganese was highest for substrates made from slash pine and loblolly pine. Root growth was similar among all treatments. Results from the second study were similar. Based on these results, WholeTree substrates derived from loblolly pine, slash pine, or longleaf pine have potential as an alternative, sustainable source for producing short-term horticultural crops.


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