Central Florida Farms - Pine Trees - hated but needed in the Urban Jungle

Urban Forestry

Pine Trees

Benefits of the Hated Pine Tree

A little about Pine trees, their pros and Cons, Benefits & Hazards of Pine trees

Pine Trees - The majority of people hate these particular trees. They are frightened by their height, their flexibility, angered at the mess of the constant shedding of needles and falling cones. I should know, I have been dealing with the public for over 2 years now as a municipal arborists of sorts. Most people do not see these trees for what they are or the benefits they so graciously give. Because of the excurrent or pyramidal growing shape of the tree, many believe that the shade produced is not enough to say so. There is more there than you might think. There are about 115 different species of pine trees throughout the world, so everyone knows what a pine tree looks like. The length of the needles range from 12" to 2" long. Some pines are only identifiable by having 2 needles as apposed to 3 or 4. But this is one of the major concerns of many home owners as they clog their rain gutters and poke through their screened in pool or play area. Granted, it is a valid unwanted attribute, but you cannot have good without bad, just yet anyway. On most pines, the lower branches will fall off as the pine grows taller. This is when growing in a stand and those branches are not getting proper sun exposure.

Most Pines (or conifers for that matter) have no life expectancy and can live for 100's of years (in optimal growing environments) growing thicker in girth and taller in stature as the years move along. Some have shallow roots while others are more stable. When the wind blows one can watch them sway with it, side to side. Sure, when suddenly the wind gusts blow over 80 mph and a few trees snap in the stand, they appear dangerous to the uneducated. Especially when they are within striking distance from your home or property. This is understandable. I think that education about Pine Trees is a needed teaching and I hope to shed a little light in this short write up about Pine Tree.

One of the many benefits of the pine is the shade they produce (though not as prominent as an oak tree or other hardwood decurrent tree). Just a small stand of 20-50 in your back yard can shield your home from the suns rays and save you money on your electric bill by cooling the area. They reduce the heat index, think about this or test it out yourself if able by standing in even a small pine stand and then walk into the area where there are no trees. one can't help but notice the difference in temperatures.

The most beneficial aspect of the pine tree that has been proven and researched by the University of Florida is that pines are the top rated trees for a healthier environment. They will filter pollutants better and faster than any other tree on the planet. If you live in a city where there are few trees larger than 10-12" in caliper size and a canopy of 50 ft wide, and then vacation in or near a pine forest, you will literally feel the difference and notice the cleaner air. Or you can see the smog in the concrete jungle compared to the very clear air of mountain covered in pines.

Yes, they can be hazardous as I have learned and witnessed over the last two years in my full time job. Florida had experienced a severe drought from late 2005-2007 (still recovering, not yet back to optimal water table height) and the pines that were used to the usual rainy seasons became weakened as they thirsted. When a pine tree or any tree becomes weakened, it is vulnerable to many things such as disease and pests. One particular pest we have in Florida (and in Georgia) is the Southern Pine Beetle. This tiny little creature lives all over but normally will only attack stressed pine trees. When they do, they do not go further than just under the bark layer to chew the wood and reproduce. The problem is that they create a fungus that prevents the tree from receiving its nutrients, thus choking the tree. It is not 100% failure when pine beetles enter a pine tree but the rate of death is extremely high. Once they are in the tree, there is little that can be done. So within a matter of a few weeks, the tree dies from lack of nutrients on the xylem and phloem. the heartwood is not effected yet. Once they do conquer the tree to death, larger pine beetles enter in to eat the dead wood and ultimately termites are the final beings. The bark falls off and usually the tree looks like a skeleton as the needles have since blown away or fallen beside the tree. You can see if a pine tree has pine beetles by examining the base and looking for sawdust at the base and lower parts of bark crevices. This is a sure indication that it is infested and probably wont be long before the tree is dead. If the needles are still green and you see no signs of death, then maybe that tree was healthy enough to withstand the pine beetle invasion. I have one that is about 24" in caliper with pine beetles. Has had them for at least 3 years and the tree is still growing strong. So there are exceptions to the rule.

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