User:Crbrurris21/Table mountain pine

Introduction
Table Mountain pine, Pinus pungens, also called hickory pine, prickly pine, or mountain pine, is a small pine native to the Appalachian Mountains in the United States.

Description
Pinus pungens is a tree of modest size (6–12 meter's (20–39 ft)), and has a rounded, irregular shape. The needles are in bundles of two, occasionally three, yellow-green to mid green, fairly stout, and 4–7 centimeters long. The pollen is released early compared to other pines in the area which minimizes hybridization. The cones are very short-stalked (almost sessile), ovoid, pale pinkish to yellowish buff, and 4–9 centimeters long; each scale bears a stout, sharp spine 4–10 millimeters long. Sapling trees can bear cones in as little as 5 years.

Buds ovoid to cylindric, red-brown, 6–9 millimeters resinous.

Morphology
Pinus pungens is a native, slow-growing conifer. It is often small in stature and exceedingly limby. It rarely grows beyond 66 feet (20 m) tall, though the tallest individual recorded was 95 feet (29 m). Pinus pungens is typically around 16 inches (40 cm) DBH. The maximum recorded DBH was 34 inches (94 cm). The trunks of Pinus pungens are often crooked and have irregularly shaped cross-sections. Older trees tend to be flat-topped, while young trees can vary in form from that of a large bush when open-grown, to slender with relatively small limbs when grown in a dense stand. Table Mountain pine typically has long, thick limbs on much of the trunk. Even in closed stands, where branches are smaller and limited to the upper trunk limbs continue to occupy the lower regions

Male cones are 1.5 cm long. Female cones are sessile, range from 4.2-10 cm long. Cone scales are tough and armed with broad, upwardly curving spines

Taxonomy
Table Mountain pine known as Pinaceae Pinus pungens is a Gymnosperm that belongs to the

Pinus pungens belong to the authority of Lamb. 1761- 1842.

Distribution
Pinus pungens is distribution is centered to the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States. Its distribution is primarily in the Blue Ridge and Valley-and-Ridge provinces of the Appalachian Highlands although its range extends from central Pennsylvania, southwest to eastern West Virginia and southward into North Carolina, Tennessee, and the extreme northeast corner of Georgia. There are many outlying populations of Pinus pungens to the east of the Appalachians and a few to the west

Habitat
Pinus pungens prefers dry conditions and is mostly found on rocky slopes, favoring higher elevations. Averaging in the height of ~300-1700 meters.

Toxicity
As of current knowledge the species Pinus pungens is not fully known in nature the level of tannins found inside the needles is at a level to be consider toxic, it is still not recommended to ingest any type of pine needles as some have high enough levels to cause sickness in in extremes cases death.

Fire Ecology
Fire histories developed for 2 Pinus pungens communities in southwestern Virginia revealed that between 1758 and 1944, fires burned approximately every 5 to 10 years during the dormant seasonable. Lack of Pinus pungens and increasing dominance of trees belonging to the Fagaceae (Oaks & Beeches) appear to coincide with fire exclusion practices initiated after 1950 resulting in a lack of regeneration of Pinus pungens.

Fire Adaptations
Pinus pungens has adaptations to fire that are consistent with both long- and short-return-interval fire regimes. Medium-thick to thick bark, a large rooting habit, self sufficient self-pruning limbs, and pitch/sap production to seal wounds are characteristics of Pinus pungens that suggest it is adapted to survive frequent, low-severity fire up to lower end medium intensity fire. One Major is the use of Pinus pungens fire adaptation is the use of fire to open long dormant serotinous cones that open and spread seeds after high heat exposure.

Fire Regime
Pinus pungens was historically subject to a full range of fire types: frequent low-severity surface fires, mixed-severity fires, and stand-replacement fires. Fire occurs infrequently on contemporary Appalachian landscapes where Pinus pungens is common.

Pine Regeneration
Current Age structure of Pinus pungens suggest fire is an important influence on stand structure and regeneration as it regulates and clears the land periodically. This can be seen in areas of the Chattahoochee National Forest, Georgia where large DBH Table Mountain pines have not regenerated due to lack of needed conditions to rejuvenate both the soil and trees.

Areas can range of ages for the study area between 1 to 124 years. Large Gaps in years of trees are the result of lack of fire to both open the cones and get rid of old dead. There were few individuals in the 20- to 35-year age classes

Conservation Status
Pinus pungens is considered Secure in the state Virginia, Apparently Secure in North Carolina, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Its considered Vulnerable in Georgia, Critically Imperiled in New Jersey, and Exotic in Illinois.