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Pitch Pine-Oak Forest |
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System: Terrestrial
SubSystem: Forested Uplands State Protection: Not Listed Federal Protection: Not Listed State Rarity Rank: S4 
A State Rarity Rank of S4 means: Apparently secure in New York State. Global Rarity Rank: G4G5
A Global Rarity Rank of G4G5 means: Apparently or Demonstrably Secure globally - Uncommon to common in the world, but not rare; usually widespread, but may be rare in some parts of its range; possibly some cause for long-term concern due to declines or other factors. More information is needed to assign a single conservation status. Did you know? The pitch that was produced from pitch pine (Pinus rigida) sap was used to seal seams in ships and preserve wood during the American colonial period. The pitch can be obtained by scraping it off the tree in areas that have been wounded naturally, or by cutting marks along the tree's bark. Therefore, unlike other pines, few pitch pines were logged during this time period. If the cuts were made infrequently, the tree was not damaged. |
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| State Ranking Justification | [-] |
There are about a hundred occurrences statewide (number may be artificially elevated by development fragmentation). Several documented occurrences have good viability and several are protected on public land or private conservation land. This community has a restricted statewide distribution (correlated to pine barrens and sandy soils). Most examples are moderate in size and a few are high quality. Several pitch pine-oak forests are threatened by fire suppression.
| Short-term Trends | [-] |
The acreage of pitch pine-oak forest in New York has probably declined slightly in recent decades due to fire suppression, disturbance by off-road vehicles, trash dumping, and development. The number of pitch pine-oak forests may have increased slightly from historical numbers as formerly large matrix examples were fragmented by development into numerous large and small patches.
| Long-term Trends | [-] |
The acreage of pitch pine-oak forests in New York has probably declined substantially from historical numbers due to fire suppression, fragmentation, disturbance by off-road vehicles, trash dumping, and development. The number of pitch pine-oak forests may have increased substantially from historical numbers as formerly large matrix examples were fragmented by development into numerous large and small patches.
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New York Natural Heritage Program. 2013. Online Conservation Guide for Pitch Pine-Oak Forest. Available from: http://www.acris.nynhp.org/guide.php?id=9978. Accessed June 19th, 2013. 
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