posted 8 years ago
Hey Bonnie,
I thought I'd add my two cents to your post.
I regularly work in the Forests of Arkansas and Missouri and spend a lot of time in the Big Pine woods. Loblolly pine is a really impressive species, but I'm not sure it is the ideal one for your needs. If you were planting your pecans in a spot that was similar to where you'd find them in a natural forest, commonly in riparian areas and flood plains, you'd be in good shape to pair them with Loblolly...the thing the state website you looked at might not have mentioned is the native range of loblolly, while vast, was generally restricted to mesic sites. In dry and upland areas several other species of pine compete better with periodic drought. When you mentioned the pine woods of Arkansas you were spot on that many of the privately owned plantations were loblolly...but that is mainly due to their agressive growth characteristics and the extensive breeding work that has been done to create several hybrid generations of the species that produce traits desired in the wood products industry. In the historic forests of Arkansas, and most commonly on the Ouachita National Forest today, Short leaf pine is the most common upland pine species in the pine forests of the Arkansas and Oklahoma Ozarks. Short leaf is uncommon in private plantations becuse it grows much slower than Loblolly does. The other thing one will notice when comparing range distributions maps of the two species is the northern restriction of Loblolly. When you said you get ice, I imediately thought loblolly was wrong for you. The tree form, branch attachment, long delicate needles and fast growth of loblolly all create a tree that falls apart top to bottom in heavy ice. Short leaf pines grow successfully into Missouri and withstand ice considerably better.
In short, I'd suggest looking at planting short leaf pine on your site. Shortleaf are native to Oklahoma, they commonly grow to canopy height of 60-90, they have a desireable form and can live for hundreds of years. Ontop of that Shortleafs tolerate ice better than loblolly and commonly grew in savanah and woodland densities that would be of a similar tree spacing to what you would need to give enough sunlight to your pecans.
Just some thoughts. Hope they help
j