The Forestry Corner

Welcome to the inaugural publication of The Forestry Corner. This monthly column is jointly produced by the Wyoming State Forestry Division and the Wyoming Tree Farm Committee, a landowner advocacy group, associated with the American Forest Foundation.

The mission of this periodic column is to provide interesting information about trees and forests, management assistance and to answer important and frequently asked questions. We hope the information provided will stimulate interest and support for science based sustainable forest and tree management for a variety of settings; large acreages, small acreages and the urban environment.

The column is an invitation for you to seek additional information about the forest and tree health and management. Some columns will be stand alone and some will cover a portion of a broader topic and will be continued in future editions of this newspaper.

We’ll start with some general information about the trees that are most dominate in the forested areas of NE Wyoming; the Bearlodge Mountains and Black Hills. In this article we will start with our most common tree: the ponderosa pine. Other common trees will be covered in future articles.

The ponderosa pine or western yellow pine is by far the most common tree in our area. It’s also the most abundant and utilized pine tree west of the Mississippi River.

Of the numerous species of pine trees in the United States and North America, the ponderosa pine has by far the most widely spread natural distribution. They extend from British Columbia and Alberta in the north to central Mexico in the south and are found in their selected habitats in every state in between.

From the west they inhabit the coastal ranges of California, Oregon and Washington, and to the east, river escarpments and Sand Hills in central Nebraska and every state in between. Ponderosa pine tolerate more variance in moisture, elevation, soils and temperature than any other North American pine.

Did you know that some of our pine trees can live well over 300 years old? The growing conditions of where the tree is located and many other factors can dictate how long a tree can live. Most of our pine trees are much younger. Good vigorous growth can be maintained well past 100 years of age.

To maintain good healthy growth, ponderosa pine trees need room to grow. When trees are young, we suggest 12 feet between the stems.

As the trees mature, foresters look at the spacing between crowns, selecting the best trees and removing the poorer growers. This spacing allows good sunlight and less competition for water and nutrients.

Ponderosa reproduce from seed. Generally, every three years we have a good cone crop. These pine trees can produce seed as early as seven years old, but do not hit their prime till 60 to 160 years old, and can produce seed through their maturity of over 300 years old.

Each cone can have over 30 seeds. The seeds don’t spread far. Most seed fall within 120 feet of their tree. Many animals and birds eat these nutritious seeds and contribute to the distribution. Not every seed produces a tree. Here in the Bear Lodge, soil disturbance may be needed to develop conditions for germination.

Whichever way it’s done; by wind or animals, ponderosa pines are spreading. Pastures that have been open for years have pine tree encroachment occurring. With active management we can continue to produce healthy pine forests.

Information from Silvics of North America Vol. 1: Conifers

Watch for our next edition of The Forestry Corner.

Submitted by Ed Mignery, Wyoming Tree Farm Committee, Chairman and Jeremy Dedic, Wyoming State Forestry Division, Assistant District Forester, District #1