Longleaf Pine Suitability Analysis:

McIntosh SEED Community Forest

A stand prioritization for longleaf pine regeneration was created through the use of the soils and
ecological communities datasets as well as recommendations from the forest consultant for the
property, Joe James.

Methods
Because individual forest stands are the spatial units for management and forestry practices, they
were the most appropriate units to prioritize longleaf pine regeneration sites. Both a soil suitability
and ecological community suitability raster were created based on the attributes in the table below. These rasters were zipcoded and combined in order to create the final combined suitability
raster. Those stands with the greatest combined suitable area relative to stand size were given the
highest priority. Joe James recommended that the clear-cut slash pine stands, which are currently
used as wildlife food plots, be the sites of regeneration. To incorporate his recommendations into
the prioritization scheme, the clear-cut stands were prioritized independently of the rest of the
stands on the property.
Suitability Condition

Soil type

Longleaf pine is listed as one of the most

common trees for that soil type

Ecological
Community

Longleaf pine is considered a dominant

tree species for that ecological community

Suitable Types
- Pelham
- Leefield

- Mascotte
- Stilson

Wet Pine and Savanna Flatwoods

Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland

Results
Two prioritizations were produced as a result of this procedure: (1) a priority value for each of the
stands on the entire property, and (2) a priority value for just those clear-cut stands. These related
but unique products provide information that can guide restoration work on the property in the
near and long-term future. In the short term, when cost and potential revenue loss from altering
management practices on existing pine stands are of most importance, the high priority clear-cut
stands are most suitable for longleaf pine regeneration. And in the long-term, if grander scale restoration efforts are of interest, those stands that have the highest priority value of the entire property should be considered.

(2) Clear-cut stands only

Dataset

(1) Entire Property

Overview