Longleaf Tree Farm Tour · October 20, 2026
Behind the Bale: A Walk Through Our Longleaf
A Lexington County Forest Landowners Association and Clemson Extension field meeting on our tree farm in Pelion: eight stands, from fresh cutover to 32-year-old longleaf.
From the field
- 1 year
How long pinestraw stays good on the ground before the sun bleaches it out.
- Late Fall / Early Winter
When the needles drop and the straw is at its reddest. Straw raked in June fell about seven months earlier.
- 605 trees per acre
Planted 6 by 12 feet, with rows wide enough for a raking crew.
- 10 years
Roughly from planting to the first bale, once the canopy closes and shades out the grass.
- No hardwoods
We remove hardwoods from our stands. Nobody wants leaves mixed into their pinestraw.
- Early 1900s
Billy's great-grandfather harvested pine gum for turpentine and rosin in south Georgia.
“In pinestraw, we're not managing trees alone. We're managing canopy.”
In a timber stand you thin the trees so the rest are free to grow. In a pinestraw stand you keep the canopy closed, so nothing grows on the floor but needles.
Many similarities to row crops, not purely timber management
A timber stand gets attention every few years. A pinestraw stand needs something every year, and the needle drop is the crop.
Heard on the tour
How long can you keep raking a stand?
As long as it stays healthy. Some landowners are still raking 45-year-old longleaf that's never been thinned.
Why not thin it?
It opens the canopy, the grass comes back, and you lose a couple of years of raking.
Lease by the bale or by the acre?
By the acre, you know what you'll be paid. By the bale, crews tend to skip the thin spots.
Thanks for riding along
Thank you to the Lexington County Forest Landowners Association, Clemson Extension and everyone who came out.
If you own land and have questions about longleaf or pinestraw, we're happy to help. Give us a call at (803) 394-0361.