Virginia Pine is a scrappy, adaptable tree of poor, rocky, or disturbed soils in the central Appalachians and Piedmont, often the first tree to colonize old fields and eroded slopes. It typically has a somewhat irregular, picturesque form and provides important early successional habitat for wildlife. The small prickly cones persist on branches for several years. In Christmas tree farms throughout the South, Virginia Pine is one of the most commonly harvested species.
Habitat
Rocky ridges, clay hills, abandoned fields, and dry, infertile soils of the Appalachians and Piedmont.
Diet
Seeds consumed by pine siskins, pine warblers, and small mammals; dense thickets provide shelter for white-tailed deer and rabbits.
How common
Common
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