New Conservation Museum Will Highlight Longleaf Pine With Help of the Ecological Silviculture Lab
The National Museum of Forest Service History (NMFSH) is constructing the National Conservation Legacy Center (NCLC) in Missoula, Montana with the goal of preserving U.S. forest conservation history. According to an official release about the museum, the exhibits will feature “state-of-the-art participatory and immersion experiences with educational activities and events to inspire [visitors] to engage and understand the conservation of America’s natural resources.” As a cornerstone of American conservation, the museum will highlight the forests and tree species of the U.S.
The design and building materials are a principal component of the museum’s appeal, providing a chance to showcase mass timber and innovative wood products from across the country. Sixteen “tree support structures” will feature distinct species from across the U.S., including eastern white pine, American chestnut, redwood, white ash, and longleaf pine. In 2023, The Jones Center agreed to provide longleaf pine specimens to the museum. In October 2023, seven longleaf pines were harvested from The Jones Center, locally milled to NMFSH’s specifications, and shipped to Montana.
Researchers in the Ecological Silviculture Lab used a planer and sander finish cross sections of the seven selected trees. The team captured high-resolution photos of each cross section and delineated tree ring boundaries. Then, they conducted cross dating by comparing each tree ring series to a master chronology to determine each tree’s effective age. Because longleaf pines begin their life cycle in a grass stage, where they remain low to the ground without putting on growth rings that are easily detectable for anywhere between 3 and 15 years, determining the chronological age of a tree can be difficult. Instead, effective age is measured from the point the tree transitions from the grass stage to the bolting stage when it begins vertical growth.
The seven trees had effective ages ranging from 83-120 years old, meaning they began producing growth rings between 1903-1940. Ichauway was first established over the course of a decade from 1928-1938 through the consolidation of farms and land parcels for quail hunting. The property is characterized by 7,500 hectares of second-growth, naturally regenerated longleaf pine forest. In a study of canopy disturbance and tree recruitment at Ichauway, researchers found there was nearly continuous tree recruitment for over 150 years, with most tree recruitment (62%) occurring between 1910 and 1935.1 The lab found that most of these trees’ ages coincide with the period of greatest longleaf recruitment in Ichauway’s early history (1929 to the late 1930s), and a few began growth in the grass stage as far back as the late 1890s to early 1900s.
In addition to tree cross sections, The Jones Center will provide research, insight, and history of longleaf pine forest conservation. The Center hopes its contributions will bring meaningful impact and positive educational experiences to museum visitors.
Acknowledgements: Special thanks to Hallie Turner and the Ecological Silviculture Lab for their contributions to both the museum and this article.
1 Pederson, N., J.M. Varner III, B.J. Palik. 2008. Canopy disturbance and tree recruitment over two centuries in a managed longleaf pine landscape. Forest Ecology and Management
