White pine

Pinus strobus

Foliage Type:

needle

Arrangement:

fascicle of 5's

Distinguishing features: needles - 3" to 5" long, dark bluish green, slender and flexible, marked ventrally by 3 to 5 rows of stomates appearing as whitish lines cones - 4" to 8" long, narrowly oblong, often slightly curved bark - on young stems thin and smooth, dark green, soon furrowed; on old trees 1" to 2" thick, deeply and closely fissured into narrow, roughly rectangular blocks crown of middle age and old trees consists of several horizontal or ascending branches, gracefully plumelike in outline

Habitats:	dry mesic sites mesic sites wet mesic sites
Often confused with:	Red pine Jack pine
Ecological Value:	seeds eaten by a variety of animals including: game birds, squirrels, rabbits, hares, chipmunks, coyote, and black bear twigs and needles food for deer, moose, but usually under starving conditions
Did You Know?	White pine is the largest of the northeastern conifers and from the beginning of logging in this country it has been the most valuable species. grows to be 80 - 100 feet tall and 2 to 3 & 1/2 feet in diameter. The largest tree found was 220 feet tall and 6 feet in diameter. stands have been logged extensively; few virgin pine stands remain. blister rust "deforms" trees, but can be controlled by removing currants within 1/4 mile can grow up to 4 feet in height and up to 1 inch in diameter each year on the best sites. can live to be 450 years old. develops one whorl of branches each year, making it easy to estimate the age of a tree.
Uses / Ethnobotanical uses:	used as a stimulant by the Ojibwe lumber, primarily house construction turpentine, tar, pitch medicinal oil "forest wool" from needles