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 (again 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 scanning the forest floor for food (such as the southeastern kestrel).

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