Loblolly pine a key timber source

Four major southern pines dominate the softwood timber industry in the Southeastern U.S. on the Southeastern Coastal Plain and Piedmont inland foothills. They range from eastern Texas and Oklahoma, east to Florida and north to Delaware and southern New Jersey. The most important southern pine is Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda), with over 50 percent of commercial softwood production. Shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata), Slash Pine (Pinus elliottii) and Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) make up much of rest of the lumber and pulp and paper industries in the Southeast.

Six minor southern pine species are Sand Pine (P. clausa), Spruce Pine (P. glabra), Table Mountain Pine (P. pungens), Southern Pine or Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida), Pond Pine (P. serotina), and Virginia Pine (P. virginiana). Minor pines are generally harvested with major pines and can cross pollinate with the dominant pines. The Ocala National Forest has the largest stand of endemic Sand Pine in the world.