Cumulative effects of water in pines

[Robert Sobczak]

Not literally,
but the water has
finally receded away.

Here's a look at how long they were wet:

http://www.gohydrology.org/2011/12/cumulative-effects.html

[Swamp Hunter]

I have a question about pines in Southwest and Southcentral Florida if anyone can help.   In the Loop Road area of the Big Cypress, the pine heartwood is very hard and full of resin. It burns very well and is commonly called lighter or lighterwood.  It will even burn after sitting underwater. Before the roadbed was raised, you could see stumps cut off even with the road that have been there for years.  ENP also has lighterwood.

After recently working in the Bear Island region further north, I noticed that I could not find any lighterwood for my campfire. The center was soft and old dead heartwood was rotten.

Now further north again in Hendry County and the pines on my property have a hard lighterwood center.  The wood will last forever it appears and will not rot. 

Are these different pine species?  What species of pine grows in Bear Island?  Are mesic and hydric pines actually a different tree or a different habitat of the same tree?  http://www.fws.gov/verobeach/MSRPPDFs/MesicPineFlat.pdf

[Gary M]

Dale,

Here's the story I was told, it makes sense but I have no real knowledge of how true it is.  I was told this by a guy who cut and sold "lighter" as a job when he was "out of work"... which was most of the time.  Coincidentally, he "lived" out on Loop for periods of time - it was one place where he could afford the rent.

If a pine dies suddenly, like by being struck by lightning or from wind damage in a storm, but does not fall, all of the resin in the tree will slowly fall down into the stump, where it will solidify and you are left with lighter.  However, if the pine dies slowly, like by pine borer infestation, it will rot away like most other trees.

And, by the way, there are two subspecies of slash pine down here in S. FL.  The Dade County pine is the subspecies that the early builders liked because it made such good, rot resistant board.  Its sub name is something like Pinus ellioti "densa".  I don't know where the other "non densa" stuff starts to grow, but it could be what you are seeing at Bear Island, but I kinda think its more up north, maybe near Lake O.

Does that help?.