Virginia Pine (Pinus virginiana Mill.) Provenance and Progeny Performance in Oklahoma

One hundred and twenty-three open-pollinatedfamilies from 38 stands of Virginia pine were tested in Oklahoma. Height and survival data at age 5 for two Christmas tree plantations and at age 5 and 7 for two progenytest plantations were analyzed In the Christmas tree tests, four Stan& ftom North Carolina, three from Tennessee, andone each from Alabama, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Virginia were identified as good seed sources for Christmas tree production. The progeny test analyses identified two start& from each of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Georgia, and one each from Kentucky and South Carolina as good seed sources based on age 7data. One standfrom each ofNorth Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee were .exceptional in both test types. Signijicantfamily in stand differencesfor both height and survival suggests that selection of the bestfamilies in the best stands will be an important component of improvement of Virginia pine for Christmas tree production. Based on both height and survival data, and a regression of height on average yearly minimum temperature at the source, the bestpet$orming sources andfamilies werefrom North Carolina, eastern Tennessee, northern Georgia, northern South Carolina, southern Virginia, andsoutheast Kentucky, all located near or between minimum temperature isotherms of 0’ and 5’F. These sources are recommendedfor use in Oklahoma. South J. Appl. For. 22(4):209-215. Vrrginia-pine (Pinus virginiana Mill.) is naturally distributed over much of 16 eastern states of the United States. Its range extends from central Pennsylvania and New Jersey southward to mid-Alabama and along the east coast from New York to Virginia (Figure 1). Within its natural range, Virginia pine occurs at elevations from 30 to 760 m in areas with annual precipitation ranging from 90 to 140 cm (Williston and Balmer 1980), but its best growth is below 520 m (Kellison and Zobel 1974). It grows best on north and east facing slopes but it is also often found on ridge tops and on south and west facing slopes (Slocum . and Miller 1953). Virginia pine usually occurs on soils derived of crystalline rock, sand, and shales (Fowells 1965), and cannot tolerate poor drainage (Fenton and Bond 1964). Nom: C.G. Tauer is the corresponding author and can be reached at Oklahoma State University, Department of Forestry, 008 Ag Hall, Rm. C, Stillwater, OK 74078-6013-Phone: (405) 744-5462; Fax: (405) 744-9693; E-mail: ctauer@okstate.okway.edu. Approved for publication by the Director, Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station. Manuscript received April 16,1997, accepted October 13, 1997. Virginia pine is a small tree usually reaching 9 to 12 m in height (Harlow and Harrar 1958). It is not a good lumber species and is generally used for paper pulp. Over the last few decades, Virginia pine has become accepted among tree farmers as well as buyers in the Southern states as a quality Christmas tree. Virginia pine has become a preferred species for Christmas tree production in the southeast United States. The Southern Cooperative Technical Committee (1982) reported that among the 13 species grown for Christmas trees in the southern states, Virginia pine is in the top four (others include eastern white pine, P. strobus L., Scats pine, P. sylvestris L., and Fraser fir, Abies fraseri [Pursh] Poir.), with a short rotation of 4-6 yr. Virginia pine has gained popularity as a Christmas tree due to its high survival rate, rapid juvenile growth, positive response to shearing, and relatively good growth on poor soils where other species may not survive (Belanger and Bramlett 1975). Brown (1979) reported that Virginia pine has been accepted as a Christmas tree from Georgia to Texas. McKinley (1989) agrees that Virginia pine Reprinted from the Southern ]oumal ofApplied Foresfry, Vol. 22, No. 4, November 1998. Not for further reproduction.