Click on the thumbnail to see a slideshow of some examples of the crown.

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The crown of an approximately 50 year old longleaf pine. This tree is still growing in height and has yet to form the characteristic "flat top" seen in older trees.
Crown of an old-growth longleaf pine tree in the foreground. By comparing to the younger longleaf pine in the right-hand side of the picture, note how the top of the older tree's crown has become flat, large, and gnarled. Also note the abandoned red-cockaded woodpecker cavity about halfway up the tree.
Flat-topped crowns of old-growth longleaf pine trees. Note how the mature longleaf pine are relatively equal in height.
Old-growth, flat-topped longleaf pine near the ridgeline of Chimney Peak outside Jacksonville, AL. Note how the upper branches in the crown have become large and gnarled looking.
View from the canopy of the longleaf pine forest. As is typical across the range, longleaf pine dominates the scene.
Looking skyward. Note how the canopy is relatively open and dominated by longleaf pine.
Although temporarily smokey, the canopy of the longleaf pine forest provides a refuge to many animals escaping the passing flames below.
Aerial view showing a longleaf stand in south Alabama shortly after a prescribed burn. The orange areas are scorched needles on the longleaf trees. Needles turn orange and die when they reach about 140*F. Although "hotspots" like this may occur, the majority of the forest canopy does not reach lethal temperatures.
Intense heat from forest fires may scorch the needles off of mature lonleaf pines such as this one. Usually though, longleaf pines are able to survive this needle scorching.
Intense heat from a passing fire scorched the needles off this 50 foot tall longleaf pine. One month later, needles are starting to green back up.
Old-growth crown of longleaf pine found at the Boyd Tract in Southern Pines, NC. Note how the majority of the tree's crown has been broken off but the tree still lives.
Additional picture of a longleaf pine with its crown broken off. This tree near Moultrie, GA lost part of its crown during a storm in 1998.

 

The Longleaf Pine Crown

Perhaps responding to the disadvantage of the being the tallest tree in an environment dominated by lightning, trees often cease vertical growth when they reach 70 years of age or 60 to 100 feet in height.  At this point, older trees begin to develop a characteristic "flat top".  The branches in these flat-topped crowns begin to thicken with time and crowns take on a gnarled appearance.  It's not unusual to see 100 year old (+) trees missing ½ of their crown, lost to lightning, wind or ice storms.

Longleaf pines do not compete well with each other or with other tree species for limited resources.  Stands of longleaf pine are made up almost exclusively of longleaf pine.  Also, unlike many forest types, the crowns of longleaf pine are usually widely spaced forming an "open canopy" that allows a great deal of sunlight to reach the forest floor.  Because of this, the old adage that "prior to European settlement of the U.S., a squirrel could jump from tree to tree for hundreds of miles and never touch the ground" likely did not apply in longleaf pine forests. Instead, squirrels had to run down the tree, along the ground for several yards and run up the next tree. (The large size of the fox squirrel played an important evolutionary role here.)

Although the sparse crowns of longleaf pine generally do not provide much refuge from winged predators, many animals and insects may seek temporary refuge in the crowns when fire sweeps across the forest floor.  Longleaf pine crowns provide an excellent vantage point for the keen eyes of numerous predatory birds (such as the southeastern kestrel) scanning the forest floor for food.