Slash Pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.)

Abstract

Slash Pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) (Fig. 1) is one of the most important tree species throughout the entire Southeast and South Central United States, but especially east of the Mississippi River. It is the third most important in volume use of the southern yellow pines (Pinus subsect. Australes), following loblolly (Pinus taeda L.) and short leaf pine (Pinus echinata Mill.) and accounts for more than 11.5 billion cubic feet on the ground, of which some 0.7 billion cubic feet is harvested annually (Scheffield et al. 1983). It is an extremely useful species because of its fast growth rate and multiple uses: pulp, poles, and lumber; and has had a long and colorful history of use for gum naval stores (Schultz 1983). As the subject of research and breeding efforts, slash pine has an impressive set of credentials that stands well among any of the pine species, as can be seen in its extensive bibliography (Hu et al. 1985).