Managing Pine Stands for Straw Production

Landowners and managers are always looking for ways to maximize the production value of their planted pine stands. Marketing pine straw is an alternative management practice, which has the potential to do just that.

Pine straw is great for weed suppression in landscape and vegetable gardening beds and is also used widely in blueberry production. Not only does the breakdown of straw provide nutrients to plants, the breakdown of pine straw, coupled with bark, helps in sustaining acidic pH for greater blueberry yield. The greatest needle fall in Florida is during the autumn months of September through November. Harvest season for pine straw is typically done during the late winter months, as homeowners and garden centers will be looking for fresh straw during the spring. Longleaf, loblolly and slash pine are the species that produce the best yield, with longleaf being the prime commodity.

There are two major challenges to consider regarding pine straw production, timing of harvest and equipment/labor costs. Pine straw supports pine stands by recycling vital nutrients which help trees grow and combats soil erosion. For this reason, land managers should consider limiting straw harvest to no more than five times during the life of a stand. The optimal first year of harvest should be around year 8, when yield should be 100 – 150 bales an acre. The maximum yield would generally be at age 15. This harvest can be expected to garner 200 – 300 bales per acre.

Many land managers opt to contract with a pine straw company rather than taking on the raking and baling process themselves. In this scenario, payment from a company to a land manager is usually done on a per acre basis. Under a contract, a landowner can typically see $0.30 per bale of loblolly or slash straw, while longleaf straw could fetch $1.00 per bale. It is projected that a land manager taking on the role of raking, baling and selling could see $4.00 a bale for loblolly/slash straw and upwards of $7.00 for longleaf straw (UGA, 2009). For those who wish to harvest their own straw, mechanical harvesters are available, however, small scale woodlot managers may find the better option is to construct their own bailing device, as demonstrated by Dr. Barlow of Auburn University’s School of Forestry, Wildlife Sciences in the video below by using the pine straw baler plan.

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Whether you have a small or large pine operation, a management plan should be in place to ensure maximum success of a pine straw operation. In developing a plan, thoughtful consideration should be given to controlling weeds and brush, targeted fertilization of the stand, specific raking and baling techniques, and marketing options for the product.

Alternative management strategies in pine stand management can help you maximize profit and offset costs for your operation. For more information, please contact your local county extension office.

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More information on this topic is available by using the following links:

 

UF/IFAS Extension document; Overview of Pine Straw Production in North Florida: Potential Revenues, Fertilization Practices, and Vegetation Management Recommendations

Clemson University article:  Pine Straw: Considerations for Production on Your Land

Alabama Extension article: Harvesting Pine Straw for Profit: Questions Landowners Should Ask Themselves