Historically, slash pines were a major resource for the naval stores industry. Pines produced turpentine and crude rosins that were used for a variety of purposes. Although the naval stores industry has all but disappeared from Florida, you can still find old slash pine stands with "cat-face" scars. The gum tappers formed the scars by injuring the tree with a triangular cut in the bark surface. While insects and disease can damage healthy slash pine stands, trees with "cat-face" scars are more susceptible to pine bark beetles and are vulnerable to mortality due to fire.

Flatwoods slash pines have been planted, grown, and harvested over millions of acres. It takes 30 years to become sawtimber size (greater than 9" in diameter). Slash pine is an excellent forestry investment. A good site can produce a well-stocked stand of about two cords of wood per acre per year.

Slash pine is a common associate of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda). The length and number of needles per fascicle, cones, and bark can be used to differentiate them. Slash pine has "brooms" of needles at the ends of rough twigs. Needles may be 5" to 11" long and are borne2 to 3 to a fascicle. Cones range from 5" to 8" in length. Loblolly has 3 needles per fascicle that are 6" to 10" long. Loblolly cones are 3" to 6" long, but they are light reddish-brown and persist for three years of growth. Also, loblolly cones are far pricklier than slash pine cones. Bark of slash pine has large, flat, orange-brown plates. Loblolly bark is thick and divides into irregular, dark brown scaly blocks.

There are two varieties. Slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. elliottii) is found in the Coastal Plain through north and central Florida. Southern slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. densa) is found in south Florida, West Indies, Guatemala, and Honduras in Central America.

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