Posted this in the Turkey Forum but figured it would get some more replies here.

We burned some mature pines a few weeks ago that hadn’t been burned in several years and apparently it got hotter than we thought in a few places. I was told some trees were brown. I don’t know if the entire tree was brown or just part as I haven’t laid my eyes on it yet.

Question is, how much damage can a mature, 20+ year old lob-lolly pine take before it dies? Will it survive if only part of the canopy is brown? What about if all of the canopy is brown?

Ive never seen a pine with a fully brown top come back.

That’s what I figured. Now I’m just wondering how much green has to be left for it survive. I guess time will tell.

They can take a lot unless beetles get in them when they are weakened. I had a really bad wind change on a small burn and browned them up good.A couple acres got the worst of it but there was some green at top. They seemed to be recovering but then beetles moved in.The rest of the tract recovered.

I have seen trees with what seemed like a single green needle come back.

If all of the canopy is brown it’s gonna be hard to recover. I think it could handle anything up to about 60% scorched. M

I’ve seen trees survive you would think had no chance. Depends on soil moisture and other stresses it takes after the fire.

If it has a "little green" at the top it will usually come back.
May be slow, and it may be stunted, but will usually live.

God Bless,
David B.

Not sure why, but I thought this post would be related to the fee clinic

Y’all must of had a bunch of ladder fuel.

This. Sometimes you gotta scorch it so folks know it’s been burned😉

Just hope we keep getting rain and it doesn’t turn off dry or they’re toast, usually from bugs.

Man I’ve been wanting to burn, even marked and had forestry commission out but my place has been too wet for a dozer to make firebreaks. Forestry guy told me if it burns through all the bark layers around the tree is when they are likely to not make it but usually 10-15 yo trees are kind of the cut off to worry about; anything older would be ok.

In the next few weeks be checking to see if the trees cast their needles. If they hang on to the scorched needles I would get concerned. I have seen many recover from over 90% needle scorch but like mentioned above recovery depends on weather following the fire event.

Pine is very resilient, 75% or less, I think you are good. After that it will be heavily dependent on soil moisture and environment of course

If the fire crowned and jumped the whole time, it is very doubtful. They will be under so much stress and beetles will smell them from the next state.

They will come back (for the most part) but the problem is, it weakens them. A problem we’ve had with too hot fires is trees dying intermittently and also allowing for Ips beetles to start. That’s the thing with burning, but I wish we still burned in spots.