Economical sustainability of pinestraw raking in slash pine stands in the southeastern United States

Raking pinestraw for use as landscape mulch has gained popularity over the last two decades in the southern U.S. as an intermediate income source for forest landowners, despite uncertainties associated with its long term impact on soil fertility. A Reed model was utilized to ascertain the effects of pinestraw raking on the profitability of slash pine stands. A model that estimates yearly needlefall was employed to determine the nutrient removals due to pinestraw raking. The land expectation value (LEV) for the intensively yearly raked unthinned and thinned stands was $6091 ha− 1 and $5142 ha− 1, respectively. Corresponding removals of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) were 12 Mg ha− 1 and 233 kg ha− 1, and 11 Mg ha− 1 and 182 kg ha− 1 for unthinned and thinned stands, respectively. Stands intensively managed for pinestraw raking were more profitable than those extensively managed, although nutrient removals were greater under the intensive management scenario. Extensively managed and raked stands were more efficient in terms of nutrient removal and economic revenues. From a land stewardship perspective, managing for pinestraw on higher productivity stands may be more efficient in terms of realizing increased economic returns for similar levels of nutrient removal.