Shore Pine

shore pine
beach pine
coast pine
lodgepole pine

Shore pine is a short-lived, native conifer [9,22,25,43]. At maturity,
depending on the site, shore pine reaches heights of 20 to 50 feet (6-15
m) and d.b.h.'s of 6 to 20 inches (15-50 cm) [16,26,40,46]. The trunk
is often twisted, and crown shape varies from dense and round to
irregular [17,19,27]. The bark of shore pine is furrowed and up to 1
inch (2.54 cm) thick [3,9,26]. Shore pine has many branches [4,9,26].
The short, narrow leaves occur in fascicles of two [3,17,19,26,44]. The
cones are persistent [19,22,33,44,49]. They are about 1.5 to 2 inches
(3.8-5.1 cm) long [19,49]. Cones of shore pine are typically
nonserotinous [9,10,26]. Serotiny tends to increase farther inland but
is erratic and unpredictable [26].

Shore pine occurs along the Pacific Coast from Yakutat Bay, Alaska,
south through the Coast Ranges to Mendocino County, California
[9,10,24,31,33]. In the eastern part of its range, shore pine occurs
intermittently with Rocky Mountain lodgepole pine in the Cascade Range
of northwestern Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska [38]. Shore
pine is also found in the Klamath Mountains of Oregon and California
[49].

More info for the terms: fire interval, fire regime, forest, presence, succession

Fire is not an important factor in forest succession where shore pine
occurs in southeastern Alaska [15]. Fire is infrequent in maritime
forest types and usually is of little ecological significance [25]. The
fire interval is 150 to 350 years but may not be cyclic [35]. The
coastal cedar-pine-hemlock biogeoclimatic zone of British Columbia has
little or no fire history. The presence of shade-tolerant firs and
hemlocks and fire0sensitive species, such as shore pine, indicate that
fire is rare in this area [34].

The coastal dunes where shore pine occurs in California are considered
fire-free [48].

The foliage of shore pine is moderately flammable. Shore pine has a
moderate to low degree of fire resistance [25].

FIRE REGIMES :
Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this
species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under
"Find FIRE REGIMES".

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More info for the term: phanerophyte

Phanerophyte

More info for the terms: bog, peat, shrubs, tree, xeric

Shore pine grows in a maritime climate throughout most of its range.
Annual precipitation, which falls year-round and mostly in the form of
rain, is 60 to 200 inches (1,500-5,000 mm) [15,26]. Shore pine occurs
from sea level to the subalpine zone (5,030 feet [1,525 m]) in Alaska
[3,45]. Shore pine occurs in peat bogs and muskegs on gentle slopes and
lowlands [11,19,40,42,49]. It is most common on poorly drained, deep
Histosols [11,42,45].

Conditions are xeric in the southern-most part of shore pine's
distribution, where it occurs in closed-cone pine and cypress
communities of California [48]. Shore pine habitat here includes
coastal dunes, seaside bluffs, and exposed rocky headlands; winds may be
strong and salty [48]. Soils are Inceptisols, Alfisols, and Ultisols;
best growth is on well-drained loams with a pH of 5 [16,26]. Here shore
pine occurs at elevations between sea level and 1,690 feet (0-507 m)
[33].

Overstory and understory tree species not mentioned in Distribution and
Occurrence include yellow-cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis), Mendocino
White Plains lodgepole pine, bishop pine (Pinus muricata), and common
juniper (Juniperus communis) [20,34,47]. Associated shrubs are
huckleberries (Vaccinium spp.), bog Labrador-tea (Ledum groenlandicum),
bog kalmia (Kalmia polifolia), northern twinflower (Linnaea borealis),
bunchberry dogwood (Cornus canadensis), and crowberry (Empetrum nigrum)
[1,8,41,46,47]. Commonly associated herbs are sedges (Carex spp.),
naked sedge (Calamagrostis nutkatensis), rusty menziesia (Menziesia
ferruginea), and narrowleaf cottonsedge (Eriophorum angustifolium)
[8,46,47]. Sphagnum moss (Sphagnum spp.) is a common associate in
Alaska [46,47].

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This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

205 Mountain hemlock
206 Engelmann spruce - subalpine fir
215 Western white pine
218 Lodgepole pine
223 Sitka spruce
224 Western hemlock
225 Western hemlock - Sitka spruce
226 Coastal true fir - hemlock
227 Western redcedar - western hemlock
228 Western redcedar
232 Redwood
255 California coast live oak

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This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

FRES23 Fir - spruce
FRES24 Hemlock - Sitka spruce
FRES26 Lodgepole pine
FRES27 Redwood
FRES28 Western hardwoods

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This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

More info for the term: forest

K001 Spruce - cedar - hemlock forest
K003 Silver fir - Douglas-fir forest
K004 Fir - hemlock forest
K006 Redwood forest
K008 Lodgepole pine - subalpine forest
K009 Pine - cypress forest
K013 Cedar - hemlock - pine forest

Shore pine is sensitive to fire and probably killed by most fires.

Rodents eat the seeds of shore pine [27], and porcupines consume the
cambium [3]. Shore pine is of slight importance to big game but
provides important edge habitat for other animals [6,42,44]. Alaskan
brown bears travel through corridors of shore pine while traveling to
feeding areas. Shore pine provides nesting habitat for yellowlegs in
Alaska [11].

More info for the terms: association, codominant, forest, hardwood

Shore pine is a dominant species in the northern part of its range.
Farther south, shore pine is a codominant or subdominant species. In
mixed stands, shore pine may form scrubby thickets or sparse to dense
groves. Other vegetation is usually sparse [1,48].

Shore pine is listed as an indicator in the following published
classifications:

Provisional plant community types of southeastern Alaska [1]
A classification system for California's hardwood rangelands [2]
Preliminary forest plant association management guide [11]
Preliminary forest plant associations of the Stikine Area, Tongass
National Forest [42]
The Alaska vegetation classification system [46]
The closed-cone pine and cypresses [48].

More info for the term: tree

Tree

Shore pine is a useful species for watershed stabilization [22]. It has
shown potential in shelterbelt plantings because of its branching habit
and winter hardiness [22,28]. Road construction should be avoided on
shore pine sites where possible because of the exceptionally deep, wet
soils [11]. Shore pine sites are important because they absorb
excessive rainfall and regulate waterflows [11]. Shore pine is valued
for the rapid early growth of seedlings [22].

Shore pine is a primary host to lodgepole pine dwarf mistletoe
(Arceuthobium americanum); however, infection by this parasite has been
observed only in a few coastal areas of British Columbia [14,21]. Shore
pine is a host to hemlock dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium tsugense), which
can cause localized infections [5,30].

AK CA HI OR WA BC

Native Americans boiled the inner bark of shore pine for food [16].
Coastal Native Americans used the pitch of shore pine to treat open
sores and chewed the buds to relieve sore throats [3].

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More info for the term: seed

Male and female strobili are initiated late in the growing season.
Development continues in the spring [26]. Pollen shedding begins in mid-
to late May [9,10,26]. Cones mature between September and October, with
seed dispersal following shortly afterward [22,26,40].

More info for the terms: root crown, secondary colonizer

Tree without adventitious-bud root crown
Secondary colonizer - off-site seed

More info for the terms: fresh, seed, stratification

Shore pine does not reproduce by sprouting [40].

Shore pine begins producing cones between 5 and 10 years of age [10,22].
Good seed crops usually occur every other year [10]. Owen and Molden
[50] discuss development of lateral shoot terminal buds. Shore pine
produces large amounts of flowers and pollen [3,9,49].

Percentage of sound seed ranges from 75 to 79 percent [9]. Fresh seed
requires no stratification, but stored seed requires 20 to 30 days
stratification. Seeds are viable for up to 17 years in cold storage
[22]. Seed falls approximately 200 feet (60 m) from the source under
normal conditions [9]. Shore pine requires absorbent soils, light, and
warm temperatures for germination [8,22].

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This species can be found in the following regions of the western United States (according to the Bureau of Land Management classification of Physiographic Regions of the western United States):

1 Northern Pacific Border
3 Southern Pacific Border

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More info for the terms: bog, climax

Facultative Seral Species

Shore pine occurs in extreme habitats that are unfavorable to other,
potentially competitive species [9,49]. Windthrow and landslides are
common [15].

Shore pine is a climatic climax in bog woodlands, reproducing under its
own canopy [36]. Shore pine is considered a climax species in many
areas [6,41,46].

Shore pine is shade intolerant [25,26,40].

Pinus boursieri Carr.
Pinus tenuis Lemmon

The currently accepted scientific name of shore pine is Pinus contorta
Dougl. ex Loud var. contorta [24,33]. Shore pine is one of four
varieties of lodgepole pine. The other three varieties are [9,24]:

Rocky Mountain lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia),
Sierra lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. murrayana),
Mendocino White Plains lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. bolanderi).

This write-up will focus on shore pine.

Shore pine survives strong, salty winds on dry crests and wet
depressions. Shore pine has helped stabilize recent sand dune expansion
in California [20].

More info for the term: fuel

The wood of shore pine is light, brittle, coarse grained, and has a high
specific gravity [18,33]. Shore pine is occasionally used as fuel and
produces 8,730 British thermal units per pound [18].