Longleaf Pine Tree

The Long Leaf Pine, as the name suggests, grows a compact cluster of pine needles that measures as long as 18". The huge pine cones of the Longleaf Pine require almost twenty months to fully mature, but the wildlife animals gather near the trees to await the falling of the cones that open and deliver masses of pine nuts for the birds and animals to feast upon. The seemingly slow and early development of the tree occurs mostly underground as the Longleaf Pine progresses through the &bul; grassy-stage&bul; to produce a long taproot which can be as lengthy as the long leaf sapling's trunk's height is. After 5 to 10 years, the Longleaf Pine tree has a rapid and vertical growth acceleration, but only after this long period does it develop its massive, tree-like appearance. Longleaf Pine seeds are very large when compared to other pine nuts and are highly favored by birds and squirrels that gather underneath the trees to catch their food as it matures.

• The Long Leaf Pine Tree was the most common shade tree in ancient American forests, a place where the pine nuts of the Long Leaf Pine Tree provide a good source of food for other wildlife. The Long Leaf Pine Trees grow to the age of 300 years, a great deal of lumber can be harvested from a single tree. Squirrels and other wildlife like to make their nests in the branches of Long Leaf Pine Trees. Traditionally, the historical "yellow leaf pine" that was used to build great numbers of houses in cities and rural areas is known today as the Long Leaf Pine Tree. Its hard to stress the importance of the Long Leaf Pine Tree in the development of the early economy of the United States.