Pinus strobus

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Pinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine,

white pine, northern white pine, Weymouth pine, and soft Pinus strobus
pine[1] is a large pine native to eastern North America. It Eastern White Pine
occurs from Newfoundland west through the Great Lakes
region to southeastern Manitoba and Minnesota, and south
along the Appalachian Mountains and upper Piedmont to
northernmost Georgia and perhaps very rarely in some of the
higher elevations in northeastern Alabama, and is planted in
areas near its natural range where summer temperatures are
fairly moderate.[2]

This tree is known to the Native American Haudenosaunee

(Iroquois nation) as the Tree of Peace. It is known as the
Weymouth pine in the United Kingdom,[3] after George
Weymouth who brought it to England in 1620.
Group of Pinus strobus trees

Contents Conservation status

1 Distribution
2 Description
2.1 Dimensions Least Concern (IUCN 2.3)
2.1.1 Height
2.1.2 Diameter Scientific classification
3 Mortality and disease Kingdom: Plantae
3.1 Blister rust
4 Uses Phylum: Pinophyta
4.1 Masts Class: Pinopsida
4.2 Lumber
4.3 Foods and medicines Order: Pinales
4.4 Cultivation
4.4.1 Cultivars Family: Pinaceae
4.4.2 Christmas trees Genus: Pinus
5 Symbolism
6 References Subgenus: Strobus
7 External links Species: P. strobus
Binomial name
Distribution Pinus strobus
L.
Pinus strobus is found in the Nearctic Temperate broadleaf
and mixed forests Biome of eastern North America. It
prefers well-drained soil and cool, humid climates, but can also grow in boggy areas and rocky
 highlands. In mixed
forests, this dominant
tree towers over all
others, including the
large broadleaf
hardwoods. It provides
food and shelter for
numerous forest birds,
Native eastern white pine, such as the Red
Sylvania Wilderness, Michigan Crossbill, and small
mammals such as
squirrels. Partial distribution map of Pinus
strobus in North America
Eastern white pine forests originally covered much of
northeastern North America. Only one percent of the
old-growth forests remain after the extensive logging operations that existed from the 18th
century into the early 20th century.

Old-growth forests, or virgin stands, are protected in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Other protected areas with known virgin forests, as confirmed by the Eastern Native Tree
Society, include: Algonquin Provincial Park, Quetico Provincial Park, and Algoma Highlands,
Ontario; Huron Mountains, Estivant Pines, Porcupine Mountains State Park, and the Sylvania
Wilderness Area in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan; Hartwick Pines State Park in the Lower
Peninsula of Michigan; Menominee Indian Reservation, northeastern Wisconsin; the Lost 40
Scientific and Natural Area (SNA) near Blackduck, and Boundary Waters Canoe Area
Wilderness, Minnesota; White Pines State Park, Illinois; Cook Forest State Park, Hearts Content
Scenic Area, and Anders Run Natural Area, Pennsylvania; and the Linville Gorge Wilderness,
North Carolina.

Small groves or individual specimens of old-growth eastern white pines are found across the
range of the species, including: Ordway Pines, Maine; Ice Glen, Massachusetts; and numerous
sites in Adirondack Park, New York. Many sites with conspicuously large pines represent
advanced old field succession. The tall white pine stands in the Mohawk Trail State Forest and
at the William Cullen Bryant Homestead in Massachusetts are old field examples.

As an introduced species, Pinus strobus is now naturalizing in the Outer Eastern Carpathians
subdivision of the Carpathian Mountains, in the Czech Republic and southern Poland. It has
spread from specimens planted as ornamental trees in gardens and parks.

Description
Like all members of the white pine group, Pinus subgenus Strobus, the leaves ('needles') are in
fascicles (bundles) of five (rarely 3 or 4), with a deciduous sheath. They are flexible, bluish-
green, finely serrated, and 5–13 cm (2.0–5.1 in) long, and persist for 18 months, i.e. from the
spring of one season to the autumn of the next, when they are shed by abscission.

The cones are slender, 8–16 cm (3.1–6.3 in) long (rarely longer than that) and 4–5 cm
 (1.6–2.0 in) broad when
open, and have scales
with a rounded apex and
slightly reflexed tip. The
seeds are 4–5 mm
(0.16–0.20 in) long, with
a slender 15–20 mm
(0.59–0.79 in) wing, and
are wind-dispersed. Cone
production peaks every 3
to 5 years.

P. strobus foliage Mature trees can easily

be 200 to 250 years old.
Some white pines live over 400 years. A tree growing near P. strobus cone
Syracuse, New York was dated to 458 years in the late 1980s
and trees in both Wisconsin and Michigan have approached
500 years in age.

Dimensions
The eastern white pine, Pinus strobus, has the distinction of
being the tallest tree in eastern North America. In natural
pre-colonial stands it is reported to have grown to as tall as
70 m (230 ft). There is no means of accurately documenting
the height of trees from these times, but eastern white pine
may have reached this height on rare occasions. Even greater
heights have been attributed to the species referenced in
popular accounts such as Robert Pike's "Tall Trees, Tough
Men", but such accounts are unverifiable.

Total trunk volumes of the largest white pines are around

28 m3 (990 cu ft) with some past giants reaching a possible
37 or 40 m3 (1,300 or 1,400 cu ft). Photographic analysis of
giant pines suggests volumes closer to 34 m3 (1,200 cu ft).

Height
Measuring the circumference of a
Pinus strobus grows approximately 1 m (3.3 ft) per year white pine
between the ages of 15 and 45 years, with slower height
increments before and after that age range.[4] The current tallest eastern white pines reach
between 50–57.55 m (164.0–188.8 ft), as determined by the NTS—Native Tree Society.[5] Three
locations in the Southeastern United States and one site in the Northeastern United States have
been identified with trees reaching 55 m (180 ft) tall.

The southern Appalachians have the most locations and the tallest trees in the present day range
of Pinus strobus. One survivor is a specimen known as the "Boogerman Pine" in the
Cataloochee Valley, of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. At 57.55 m (188.8 ft) tall, it is
the tallest accurately measured tree in North America east of the Rocky Mountains. It has been
climbed and measured by tape drop by the NTS. Before it lost its top in Hurricane Opal in
October 1995, the Boogerman Pine was 63 m (207 ft) tall, as determined by Will Blozan and
Robert Leverett using ground-based measurement methods.

The tallest eastern white pines in Hartwick Pines State Park of northern Michigan reach
45–48 m (148–157 ft) in height.

In the Northeasern U.S., 8 sites in four states currently have trees over 48 m (157 ft) in height, as
confirmed by NTS. The Cook Forest State Park of Pennsylvania has the largest collection of
45 m (148 ft) eastern white pines in the Northeast, with 110 trees measuring that height or more.
The park's "Longfellow Pine" is the tallest eastern white pine in the Northeast currently. It has a
height of 55.96 m (183.6 ft), determined by being climbed and measured by tape drop.[6]

The Mohawk Trail State Forest of Massachusetts has 83 trees reaching 45 m (148 ft) in height or
more, of which six exceed 48.8 m (160 ft). This is the largest collection of 45 m (148 ft) tall
eastern white pines in New England. The "Jake Swamp Tree" located here is 51.54 m (169.1 ft)
tall.[7] It is the tallest accurately measured tree of any species within New England.[8] Precise
measurements are maintained on this tree by NTS.

A private property in Claremont, New Hampshire has about sixty white pines in the 45 m
(148 ft) height range. Beyond the above locations, sites with 45 m (148 ft) specimens typically
have from one to fifteen trees, with most sites having less than ten trees.

Diameter

Diameters of the larger pines range from 1.0-1.6 m (3–5 ft), which translates to a circumference
(girth) range of 3.1–5.0 m (10.2–16.4 ft). However, singled-trunk white pines in both the
Northeast and Southeast with diameters over 1.45 m (4 ft 9 in) are exceedingly rare. Notable big
pine sites of 40 ha (99 acres) or less will often have no more than 2 or 3 trees in the 1.2 to 1.4 m
(3 ft 11 in to 4 ft 7 in) diameter class.

Unconfirmed reports from colonial America gave diameters

of virgin white pines of up to 2.4 m (8 ft).[9]

Mortality and disease

Because the eastern white pine tree is somewhat resistant to
fire, mature survivors are able to re-seed burned areas. In
pure stands mature trees usually have no branches on the
lower half of the trunk. The white pine weevil (Pissodes
White pine boughs, showing
strobi) and White Pine Blister Rust (Cronartium ribicola), an
yellowing and abscission of older
introduced fungus, can damage or kill these trees.
foliage in the autumn. Upstate
New York, USA.
Blister rust
Mortality from White Pine Blister Rust in mature pine
groves was often 50–80% during the early 20th century. The
fungus must spend part of its life cycle on alternate hosts of
the Ribes genus, the native gooseberry or wild currant.
Foresters proposed that if all the alternate host plants were
removed that White Pine Blister Rust might be eliminated. A
very determined campaign was mounted and all land owners
in commercial pine growing regions were encouraged to
uproot and kill all native gooseberry and wild currant plants.
[9][10] The ramifications for wildlife and habitat ecology
were of less concern at the time than timber industry
protection.

Today native wild currants are relatively rare plants in New

England, and planting wild currants or wild gooseberries is
strongly discouraged, or even illegal in some jurisdictions. An illustration dated 1902,
As an alternative, new strains of commercial currants have showing a variety of insect pests
been developed which are highly resistant to White Pine affecting eastern white pine
Blister Rust. Possibly due to hard work of the foresters,
mortality in White Pines from rust is only about 3%
today.[10]

Uses
Masts
During the age of sailing ships, tall white pines with high quality wood were known as mast
pines. Marked by agents of the Crown in colonial times with the broad arrow, they were
reserved for the British Royal Navy.

The British built special barge-like vessels which could carry up to 50 pine trunks destined to be
ship masts. The wood was often squared immediately after felling to fit in the holds of ships
better.[9] A 30 m (100 ft) mast was about 91 cm × 91 cm (3 ft × 3 ft) at the butt and 61 cm
× 61 cm (2 ft × 2 ft) at the top, while a 37 m (120 ft) mast was a giant 1.2 m × 1.2 m (4 ft × 4 ft)
at the bottom and 76 cm (30 in) at the top. The original masts on the USS Constitution (Old
Ironsides) were single trees but later they were laminated to better withstand cannonballs.

Marking of large specimens by the Crown was very controversial in the colonies, and their de
facto seizure was a point of great contention among the colonists and played a significant role in
the events leading to the American Revolution. During the American Revolution it became a
great sport for the patriots to see how many of the King’s trees one could cut down and haul
off.[11][12]

An unusual large, lone, white pine was found in colonial times, in coastal South Carolina along
the Black River (far south of its normal range), and the king's mark was put upon this particular
tree, giving rise to the town of Kingstree.
Lumber
Eastern white pine is now widely grown in plantation
forestry within its native area. The species was imported in
1620 to England by Captain George Weymouth, who planted
it for a timber crop, but had little success because of White
Pine Blister Rust disease.

Old growth pine in the Americas, of various Pinus species,

was a highly desired wood since huge, knot-free boards were
the rule rather than the exception. Pine was common and
easy to cut, thus many colonial homes used pine for Board of Pinus strobus
paneling, floors and furniture. Pine was also a favorite tree of
loggers since pine logs can still be processed in a lumber
mill a year or more after being cut down. In contrast, most hardwood trees such as cherry,
maple, oak, and ash must be cut into 1” thick boards immediately after felling or large cracks
will develop in the trunk which can render the wood worthless.[9]

Freshly cut eastern white pine is creamy white or a pale straw color but pine wood which has
aged many years tends to darken to a deep rich tan. Occasionally one can find light brown pine
boards with unusual yellowish-golden or reddish-brown hues. This is the famous "pumpkin
pine". It is generally thought that slow growing pines in old-growth forests accumulate colored
products in the heartwood, but genetic factors and soil conditions may also play a role in rich
color development.[11]

Although eastern white pine was frequently used for flooring in buildings constructed before the
U.S. Civil War, the wood is soft and consequently you will find cup-shaped depressions from
normal wear and tear on almost every old white pine floor. George Washington realized this
would happen and wisely made his Mount Vernon floors out of yellow pine which is much
harder.[9]

This wood is also favoured by pattermakers for its easy working.

Foods and medicines

Eastern white pine needles contain five times the amount of Vitamin C (by weight) of lemons
and make an excellent herbal tea. The cambium is edible. It is also a source of resveratrol.
Linnaeus noted in the 18th century that cattle and pigs fed pine bark bread grew well, but he
personally did not like the taste. Caterpillars of Lusk's Pinemoth (Coloradia luski) have been
found to feed only on Pinus strobus.

Pine tar is produced by slowly burning pine roots, branches, or small trunks in a partially
smothered flame. Pine tar mixed with beer can be used to remove tapeworms (flat worms) or
nematodes (round worms). Pine tar mixed with sulfur is useful to treat dandruff, and marketed in
present day products. Pine tar can also be processed to make turpentine.[13]

Native American traditional uses

The name “Adirondack” is an Iroquois word which means
tree-eater and referred to their neighbors (more commonly
known as the Algonquians) who collected the inner bark of
this tree, Picea rubens, and others during times of winter
starvation. The white soft inner bark (cambial layer) was
carefully separated from the hard, dark brown bark and
dried. When pounded this product can be used as flour or
added to stretch other starchy products.[14][15]

The young staminate cones were stewed by the Ojibwe

Indians with meat and were said to be sweet and not pitchy.
In addition, the seeds are sweet and nutritious, but not as
tasty as those of some of the western nut pines.[14]

Pine resin (sap) has been used by various tribes to

Closeup of bark
waterproof baskets, pails, and boats. The Chippewa also
used pine resin to successfully treat infections and even
gangrenous wounds.[14] This is because pine resin apparently has a number of quite efficient
antimicrobials. Generally a wet pulp from the inner bark was applied to wounds, or pine tar
mixed with beeswax or butter and used as a salve was, to prevent infection.

Cultivation
Pinus strobus is cultivated by plant nurseries as an ornamental tree, for planting in gardens and
parks.[16] The species is low-maintenance and rapid growing as a specimen tree. With regular
shearing it can also be trained as a hedge. Some cultivars are used in bonsai. [17]

Cultivars

Cultivars have been selected for small to dwarf mature forms, and foliage color
characteristics.[17] They include:

Pinus strobus Nana Group — ave. 91 cm (3 ft) tall by 1.2 m (4 ft) wide. MBG: Pinus
strobus (Nana Group) (http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-
garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/a700/pinus-strobus-nana-group.aspx)
Pinus strobus 'Macopin' — 30 to 91 cm (1 to 3 ft) tall & wide. MBG:Pinus strobus
'Macopin' (http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden
/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/a690/pinus-strobus-macopin.aspx)
Pinus strobus 'Paul Waxman' — 61 to 152 cm (2 to 5 ft) tall & wide. MBG: Pinus
strobus 'Paul Waxman (http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening
/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/b257/pinus-strobus-paul-waxman.aspx)

Christmas trees

Smaller specimens are popular as live Christmas Trees. Eastern white pines are noted for
holding their needles well, even long after being harvested. They also are well suited for people
with allergies, as they give little to no aroma. A standard 1.8-meter (6 ft) tree takes
approximately 6 to 8 years to grow in ideal conditions. Sheared varieties are usually desired
because of their stereotypical Christmas Tree conical shape, as naturally grown ones can become
too thick for larger ornaments, or grow bushy in texture.[18] The branches of the Eastern White
Pine are also widely used in making holiday wreaths and garland because of their soft, feathery
needles.

Symbolism
Eastern White Pine is: the provincial tree of Ontario, Canada;[19] and the state tree of Maine and
Michigan, United States. Its "pine cone and tassel" is the state flower of Maine.[20]

Sprigs of Eastern White Pine were worn as badges as a symbol of Vermont identity during the
Vermont Republic and appears in a stained glass window at the Vermont State House, on the
Flag of Vermont and the naval ensign of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The tree is known to the Native American Haudenosaunee (Iroquois nation) as the Tree of
Peace.

References
1. Carey, Jennifer H. 1993. Pinus strobus. In:
Fire Effects Information System, [Online].
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest
Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station,
Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). 2013,
August 12 (http://www.fs.fed.us/database
/feis/plants/tree/pinstr/all.html) accessed 12
August 2013
2. USDA: Native distribution map for Pinus
strobus (http://plants.usda.gov
/java/profile?symbol=PIST&
mapType=nativity&
photoID=pist_002_ahp.tif#), accessed
1.13.2013
3. Moore, Gerry; Kershner, Bruce; Craig Tufts;
Daniel Mathews; Gil Nelson; Spellenberg,
Richard; Thieret, John W.; Terry Purinton;
Block, Andrew (2008). National Wildlife
Federation Field Guide to Trees of North
America. New York: Sterling. p. 77.
ISBN 1-4027-3875-7.
4. Beck, D.E. (1971). "Height-Growth Patterns
and Site Index of White Pine in the Southern
Appalachians"
(http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content
/saf/fs/1971/00000017/00000002/art00024).
Forest Science 17 (2): 252–260.
5. NTS—Native Tree Society
(http://www.nativetreesociety.org)
6. Luthringer, D.J. 2009. Big Trees of Cook
Forest. Pennsylvania Forests 100(3):8-12.
7. Jake Swamp Tree: 51.54m in August 2008.
8. The Jake Swamp Tree was climbed and
measured by tape drop in November 1998 and
October 2001. It was scheduled to be climbed
and measured a third time in November 2008.
9. Ling, H. 2003. The Eastern White Pine.
Native Plant Society of NJ Newsletter Winter
2003 pp 2–3.
10. Lombard K. and J. Bofinger. 1999. White
Pine Blister Rust. NH Div. of Forests and
Lands.
11. Nizalowski, E. 1997. The mystery of the
Pumpkin Pine. Newark Valley Historical
Society, Newark, NY.
12. Sloane, E. 1965. A Reverence for Wood.
Balantine Books, NY.
13. Erichsen-Brown, C. 1979. Medicinal and
Other Uses of North American Plants. Dover
Publications, NY.
14. Native American Ethnobotany (University of
Michigan - Dearborn)
(http://herb.umd.umich.edu
/herb/search.pl?searchstring=Pinus+strobus),
accessed 1.13.2013
15. Fernald, M., A. Kinsey, and R. Rollins. 1943.
Edible Wild Plants. Harper & Row, NY.
 16. from Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Native Plant Information Network (NPIN)
(http://www.wildflower.org/plants
/result.php?id_plant=PIST); species account,
horticultural information, + photographs .
accessed 1.13.2013
17. MBG—Missouri Botanical Garden Kemper
Center for Home Gardening: Pinus strobus
(eastern white pine)
(http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org
/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder
/plant-details/kc/e710/pinus-strobus.aspx) .
accessed 1.13.2013
18. Christmas tree.org
(http://www.christmastree.org/trees
/e_wht_pn.cfm)
19. Ontario symbols (http://www.sd71.bc.ca
/Sd71/Edulinks/Canada/Ontindex.htm) .
accessed 1.13.2013
20. Netstate.com: Maine State Flower
(http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/flowers
/me_pine_cone_tassel.htm)

Conifer Specialist Group (1998). Pinus strobus. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened
Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org (http://www.iucnredlist.org). Retrieved on 12
May 2006.
Pinetum.org: Cone photo from Arboretum de Villardebelle (http://www.pinetum.org/cones
/PNStrobus.htm)
Eastern Native Tree Society - Boogerman Pine photo gallery (http://www.uark.edu
/misc/ents/fieldtrips/gsmnp/boogerman/boogerman.htm)
The Monday Garden: The Eastern White Pine (http://www.inmygarden.org/archives
/2005/01/great_americans_17.html)

External links
Pinus strobus (http://www.eol.org/pages/1061748) at
Wikimedia Commons
the Encyclopedia of Life
has media related to
USDA Plants Profile for Pinus strobus (eastern white
Pinus strobus.
pine) (http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=pist)
EFLORAS—Flora of North America: Pinus strobus
treatment (http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=200005357)
EFLORAS: P. strobus Distribution map (http://www.efloras.org
/object_page.aspx?object_id=5250&flora_id=1)
Gymnosperm Database: Pinus strobus (http://www.conifers.org/pi/Pinus_strobus.php)
Bioimages.vanderbilt.edu: Pinus strobus images (http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages
/species/frame/pist.htm)
Pinus strobus — U.C. Photo gallery (http://calphotos.berkeley.edu
/cgi/img_query?query_src=photos_index&where-taxon=Pinus+strobus)

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pinus_strobus&oldid=653272849"

Categories: IUCN Red List least concern species Pinus Hardwood forest plants
Trees of Canada Trees of the Eastern United States Flora of the Appalachian Mountains
Trees of the Northeastern United States Trees of Southeastern Canada
Trees of the Great Lakes region (North America) Trees of the North-Central United States
Trees of Ontario Trees of the Southeastern United States Trees of the United States
Plants described in 1753 Provincial symbols of Ontario Symbols of Michigan
Symbols of Maine Plants used in traditional Native American medicine
Plants used in Native American cuisine Least concern flora of the United States
Garden plants of North America Plants used in bonsai Ornamental trees

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