Missouri’s Pines – The Shortleaf
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Shortleaf pine covered much of the southern 1/3 of the State of Missouri. it is our only native pine tree. It was always mixed with oak and hickory but there were much larger and older stands. It has been seeded and seedlings planted in Missouri since about 1945 and is making a comeback over it’s native range. Shortleaf Pine is a yellow pine with lots of knots.
ROLF has many stands of Shortleaf Pine, some older pine and many offspring seedlings. The North Fork river is unique in that there are places where the Shortleaf pine runs all the way down to the river.
About 75% of all pines in Missouri were cut down and floated down a streams to mills, were they were cut and shipped all over the USA between 1880 and 1910.
