Red Pine
Red
pine, commonly called Norway pine, is a sun-loving tree that is a pioneer
in the process of ecological succession. New red pine seedlings will only
grow to healthy mature trees if they are established in open sunny conditions
free from over-topping competition, so stands of red pine trees typically
grow up together in an even-aged
structure.
Historically, red pine primarily occupied dry, sandy sites prone to regular low-intensity fires, which were started either by lightening or indigenous communities. As red pine trees age, they develop a thick layer of bark that, unlike most other tree species, can help red pine trees withstand the heat of some fires, so historic red pine stands did not typically contain a wide diversity of species. More details on the characteristics of red pine are available from the USDA Forest Service Manual of Silvics.
Today,
red pine is a very popular woodlot species in Wisconsin. It is relatively
easy to manage, long-lived, and valuable for pulp and sawtimber products.
Red pine has been planted widely in monoculture (one tree species) plantations
on a very wide range of site types, some of which are considerably more
productive than the sites that red pine historically occupied.
Red pine is not able to regenerate in the shade of its own canopy. In order to establish new red pine seedlings on a site, it is necessary to remove the overstory shade and control understory competition. Most commonly, red pine is regenerated either through a seed-tree harvest or through a clearcut harvest. Without these types of disturbances, red pine will eventually die out and be replaced by species that are able to regenerate in the shade, such as maple or fir.
Dick
and Charlotte Thompson of Walworth County manage a significant amount
of red pine on several of their woodlots across Wisconsin. The Thompsons
focus their red pine management on the production of timber products.
When focused on red pine timber products, a typical management regime
would be to plant between 550-to-800 red pine seedlings per acre, begin
thinning harvests (the removal of some of the trees to promote the growth
of the remaining trees) when the trees are between 25-to-35 years old,
thin every 10 years, and, if possible, maintain the stand until it is
between 90-to-125 years old when the entire stand would be harvested and
a new stand would be regenerated. If the new stand is being established
by natural regeneration
techniques (e.g. a seed-tree) then more than 1,000 seedlings per acre
is a desirable initial stocking, but the rest of the management regime
would be very similar.
Failure to thin red pine will result in stands of tall but thin trees
that are stressed, less healthy, less valuable for wildlife, aesthetics,
and timber, and more prone to wind damage. Thinning harvests should retain
the best formed, most healthy, and most vigorous trees in the stand while
removing poorly formed, diseased, and slow growing trees. More exact guidelines
for managing red pine are available through the DNR’s
Silviculture and Aesthetics Handbook.