Pond pine--Pinus serotina

Also known as marsh or bay pine, pond pine occurs on sites with a high water table in north Florida and along the eastern Atlantic shoreline.Even though it is associated with wet sites, pond pine cones are serotinous and will only disperse its seeds once fire has opened the resinous cones. Research has shown that the intensity of heat does not greatly reduce the viability of the seeds within the cone. Even badly charred cones have seeds that are capable of germination. This is important considering how drought often produces intense fires due to the high level of forest floor debris present. Pond pine can also sprout from stumps and even stems, often resulting in low quality wood.

On upland sites, pond pine may be difficult to distinguish from loblolly in the sapling stage, due to its surprising growth, but more often, pond pine is limited to the pocosin sites where it grows very slowly. Pond pine is mostly marketed for pulpwood. It can reach saw timber classes, but its knotty structure and propensity for red heart often reduces the value of the lumber to the extent that stands are liquidized for pulp.