J.C.,
This looks like a young, grafted cork-bark black pine. If this is the case, I would definitely NOT layer the tree; it just won't produce roots for you. If you don't like the little bit of reverse taper near the base; that is the graft union where the understock (non-corking) and scion wood (the corkbark variety) and you'll need to decide if you can live with it or not. If I had to guess, it looks like a Gan-Seki-Sho, or WabiSabi. Do check out Brent's site at
www.evergreengardenworks.com for more on corkers, but I don't think these varieties are in his catalog.
If it was my tree, I would do this instead:
1. Do not needle-pluck the lower branches. It will reduce your chances of back-budding, and you'll need some back-budding to avoid long, bare sections and the eventual need to replace those branches entirely.
2. "Nip" the ends off the upper branches and get the tree to produce adventageous buds closer to the trunk. Eventually, you'll replace the apex with the branch circled in green in the image.
3. Do a little wiring for shape this winter. If this is a corker, you'll need to add movement to branches while they are still young. Once they develop cork, you can't really wire them anymore.
4. Take your time and keep the tree strong. Corkers do not grow as fast as other JBP. Styling will come mainly from clip-and-grow. You will need to keep the tree back-budding for this to happen.
5. When you repot (and I'd wait until the tree is VERY rootbound), spread the roots and plant slightly deeper.
6. Call Wee-Tree and confirm that this is a corker...I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that it is.
Enjoy! It's got lots of potential.
Brian