The Loblolly Pine tree, Pinus taeda, is a fast-growing member of the yellow pine group. It is also called yellow pine, North Carolina pine, and oldfield pine and is the most commercially important forest species in the southern United States. Loblolly Pine trees can grow up to 100 feet tall and up to three feet in diameter; however, along the coast they seldom rise more than 50 feet.
This evergreen conifer has pine needles that are 6 to 9 inches long. The Loblolly Pine is a stately tree and is often chosen to use for convenient landscape screening. In urban areas, stands of loblolly pines are used as wind and noise barriers. It is particularly prized for its straight trunk, which contains no knots for up to 30 feet. It thrives in a variety of soils, including well-drained upland areas with poor nutrient concentrations to poorly drained lowland areas and abandoned fields.