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Are My Pine Trees Ready to Thin?
| Name | Robert M. Franklin | | Situation | Forestry is changing in South Carolina and world-wide. This is especially true in the Lowcountry. Five years ago there were six major pulpwood users actively purchasing wood in the area between Savannah, Charleston and Columbia. Today, there are only two. That, coupled with large tracts of cropland converted into pine plantations, has reduced the demand and price landowners receive for their pulpwood. Many landowners are sitting on their pulpwood waiting for prices to recover before selling. As a result, pine plantation growth rates are declining, tree health and vigor suffers and landowners are losing money on their forestry investment. Not only that, but farm income needs help. According to Marion Barnes, Colleton County Agriculture Extension agent, “Farmers retired large amounts of marginal cropland in the mid 1980’s and planted pine trees on it in hopes of making a significant amount of money when the trees were finally harvestable. That’s happening now and the prices aren’t there. Bob Franklin, Area Forestry & Wildlife agent with the Clemson Extension Service says, “ Sitting on the wood and doing nothing increases the chances of having problems with pine bark beetles as tree vigor declines. In addition, if you don’t thin the trees when they are biologically ready, growth rates decline and it can take you a lot longer to get to the more valuable, solid wood products stage. When looking at pine trees as an investment, time is money,” Franklin adds.
| | Response | In response to these concerns, the Clemson Extension Service in Colleton County put together a workshop, “Are My Pines Ready to Thin?” on May 8, 2003 on Pete Brooker’s property in Colleton County between Lodge and Ehrhardt. The program was held in the field inside an unthinned pine plantation where Clemson Extension Forester Dr. Larry Nelson and Bob Franklin covered how to determine if a pine plantation was biologically and commercially ready to be thinned. In addition, concerns about insects & diseases, mid-rotation vegetation control and timber marketing were addressed. | | Impact | Thirteen landowners and managers from Bamberg, Colleton and Hampton Counties attended. They owned or managed a total of 9,081 acres of land in the surrounding Lowcountry region. All who participated indicated an increase in knowledge on the subject of thinning pine plantations from “average” to “good.” In addition, they indicated that the knowledge gained in this field workshop would help them save $44,000 and/or earn $128,000 in the future when thinning the pine plantations on their property. One landowner commented, “The information I learned today will help me earn more money managing my pine trees while at the same time improve my plantation’s health and wildlife habitat!” Another landowner said, “The forestry and wildlife programming that is being done by Clemson in Bamberg and Colleton County is excellent! We need more of this type of hands-on educational programming in natural resources statewide!" This was echoed by another landowner who said, “It’s great to see Clemson putting on these types of practical programs that can help landowners to help themselves. Clemson is truly the people’s University!”
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Last update5/9/2008
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