Family: Pinaceae (pines)
Status: Promoted as a commercial timber resource.
Description:
A large evergreen tree with rough, thick grey-brown bark, deeply
ridged on old trees. The leaves are reduced to needles, carried in clusters
of three (this helps to distinguish them from some other pine species). Male
flowers are in cylindrical yellow clusters which release large amounts of pollen
on the wind. Female flowers develop into large woody cones with overlapping
scales.
Preferred habitat and impacts:
It has been widely planted as a street tree and as rural windbreaks,
and sometimes as commercial timber plantations, and most of these original plantings
have produced young plants nearby. Pines are capable of invading intact bush,
and are a significant weed of grassy remnant vegetation in farming areas.
The dense shade and thick carpet of shed needles prevents anything from growing
under them.
Pines are extremely flammable and may create a fire hazard close to buildings.
Dispersal:
Dumping of seed-bearing rubbish. Seed usually does not spread far
from the parent tree, but cockatoos feeding on the seeds can move cones for
some distance, and strong winds can carry the winged seed up to 1 km.
Look-alikes:
Other pine species are very similar, but are not as widely planted,
so are less frequently encountered as weeds. However, where a plantation of
other pines occurs, they are just as likely to be invasive.
Pines may be confused with native conifers such as the cypress pine (Callitris rhomboidea), which is uncommon on the south coast, or other natives with needle-like foliage such as the native cherry (Exocarpos cupressiformis) and she-oaks (river oak, Casuarina cunninghamiana, swamp oak, Casuarina glauca and Allocasuarina species). The large (7-15cm long) woody cones and the resinous, piney smell distinguish the pines.
Control:
Remove seedlings produced by existing pine plantings and consider
replacing old windbreaks with native trees and shrubs. Young seedlings are easy
to hand-pull. Cut and paint larger ones, ringbark or stem inject for large plants.
Larger plants do not usually re-sprout if just cut down, without herbicides,
but smaller plants may occasionally re-sprout from the stump.