This picture of our playground was taken in early February. Loblolly pines dominate the woods around our school. This native tree has great economic importance in the eastern part of our state. The Croatan National Forest supplies loblolly pines for lumber and paper mills. Loblolly pines are very common outside the national forest, too.
Loblollies thrive in our sandy soil and hot, humid summers.
They are very tall but their branches are relatively short and grow only near the top of the tree. This shape offers little resistance to the wind. They can grow to 110 feet in about 40 years. Most are then harvested commercially. They produce needles that grow in clumps of three.