Eastern White Pine

Basic Information
Tree ID: 
202
Family: 
Pinaceae (Pine)
Genus and species: 
Pinus strobus
Description: 
This eastern white pine sits on Science Hill near Ingalls Ice Rink. It is in a row of other eastern white pines that decorate the slope down to the parking lot of the ice rink.
Surveyors: 
Matthew Blair, Ijeoma Oleru, Michelle Mao
Location
Area: 
Prospect and Sachem
Collected Data
Tree shape: 
Pyramidal
Date of tree entry: 
02/04/2026
Height: 
4.20 m
Diameter at breast height: 
13.50 m

Bark
The pine tree's bark is smooth and light gray/brown colored with some green lighter patches indicating that the tree is young (North Carolina State University). As the tree gets older, the bark becomes reddish brown to dark gray with scaly, round long ridges and darker furrows (North Carolina State University).
Twigs & branches
The branches and twigs are whorled meaning that they stem from a single point that surrounds the stem of the tree (North Carolina State University).
Foilage
The pine tree has evergreen needle like foliage that are flexible and arranged in clusters on the branches (USDA NRCS).
Reproductive Structures
This tree is a conifer, a type of gymnosperm. As such, it carries both the male and female sporophylls on the same mature sporophyte. The sporophyte (2n) phase of the pine tree, which is the mature tree structure, is the longest phase. The gametophyte (1n) is much reduced in size and can come from either of the pine tree's two types of spores, the male microspore and female megaspore. These spores develop in different strobili, or-cone like reproductive structures. The male cones are smaller while the female cones are larger. In male cones, called staminate cones, meiosis occurs in the microsporocytes which creates haploid microspores. These microspores then undergo mitosis, creating pollen grains which are the gametophyte structure of the plant. This pollen grain is released in large quantities in the spring, carried by the wind to fertilize other trees. When the male pollen grain lands on a female cones, fertilization occurs, defined as the start of pollen tube growth. In this process, a single haploid sperm nuclei joins with the haploid nucleus of an egg cell (The City University of New York Staff 2025). Female cones are called ovulate cones. A cone contains two ovules on each of its many scales. Female cones have a micropyle near the base of the sporophyll which opens to allow a pollen tube to grown. In each ovule, a megasporocyte will undergo meiosis creating a total of four cells. Only one of these cells survives and develops into a multicellular gametophyte. This cell surrounds the archegonium (pl. archegonia), or a reproductive structure with an egg. In the development of the female gametophyte, a sticky trap captures wind-carried pollen near the micropyle. This creates the pollen tube. Then, one of the sperm nuclei from the pollen tube will penetrate the egg, fuse with nucleus, and the now diploid egg will lead to the establishment of the embryo. The embryo is protected by a seed coat of tissue and though many fertilization events can occur in an ovule, typically only one embryo remains (The City University of New York Staff 2025).
Seasons
  • White pine in winter.
  • White pine in late winter/early spring.
  • White pine in spring.
Research
Natural range of distribution: 
Habitat: 
As seen on the map, the Pinus strobus occurs naturally from Newfoundland west to the Great Lake region, from southeast Manitoba to Minnesota, from the south along the Mississippi Basin to the Appalachian Mountains, and in northernmost Georgia and Mississippi. In the northern portion of its range, it occurs at sea level and in the Southern portion is can occur at elevations up to 1,500 m. In southern regions, the Pinus strobus exists in well-drained soils and cool, humid climates (The American Conifer Society 2025). Songbirds and small mammals feed off of the seeds of the Eastern White Pine while deers, rabbits, and gophers eat from its bark, foliage, and roots (USDA Forest Service). Bald eagles also tend to build nests in the Eastern White Pine (USDA Forest Service).
Origin, history, and uses: 

There are many uses of the white pine.  Historically, the white pine originated in and was abundant throughout northeast North America.  However, due to logging operations from the 18th to early 20th century, only about one percent of those original forests remain.  Interestingly, the white pine was exclusively reserved for the mast of ships in the British Royal Navy.  In the Americas, since the white pine was common and easy to cut, it was often used in colonial home construction as panelling, flooring, or furniture (The American Conifer Society 2025).  

The tar created from the white pine also deserves special attention.  This tar, created by burning the tree’s roots, branches, or small trunks, can be mixed with beer to remove tapeworms and nematodes or with sulfur to treat dandruff.  Turpentine can also be produced through processing this pine tar (The American Conifer Society 2025).

Today, Pinus strobus is largely cultivated as an ornamental plant for use in gardens or parks.  It is used frequently for this decorative purpose because it is low-maintenance and grows quickly.  Smaller forms of the Pinus strobus are often used as Christmas trees.  Those from the eastern region hold their needles long after being harvested, maintaining the Christmas tree appearance.  Their branches are also often used in wreaths or as festive garland because of their soft needles (The American Conifer Society 2025).

Phenology: 
As the seasons changed from winter to spring, old pine cones fell from the tree and new pine cones began to grow.
References: 

American Conifer Society. 2025. “Conifer Database - Strobus.” Conifersociety.org. 2025. https://conifersociety.org/conifers/pinus-strobus.

North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. (n.d.). Pinus strobus. NC State Extension. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/pinus-strobus/

The City University of New York Staff. 2025. “Biology 2e, Biological Diversity, Seed Plants, Gymnosperms.” OpenEd CUNY. 2025. https://opened.cuny.edu/courseware/lesson/736/student-old/?task=2.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. (n.d.). Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) fact sheet. https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/factsheet/pdf/fs_pist.pdf

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. (n.d.). Pinus strobus. Fire Effects Information System. https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/tree/pinstr/all.html

Westveld, M., & Lancaster, K. F. (1955). Natural reproduction of eastern white pine in the northeastern United States(Station Paper No. 67). U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/28887

Media and Arts

The Pine on Prospect

Oh great pine upon the hill 

Passing by gives such a thrill

Your needles shoot out far and wide 

Imbuing in all a sense of pride

Ever green, ever tall

All our eyes, on you they fall

Once the mast in many a mighty ship

Now you fill gardens 

Your branches we sometimes clip 

And as you grow your bark will harden 

But those needles ever green 

Well they create a quite a scene

So we made this piece for you 

To show you how much you do 

Mean to those who pass you by 

As you reach up toward the sky

The clay it comes from nature too 

Like the tar that’s made from you 

Like the ornaments on a Christmas tree 

This small object we hope will be 

A powerful testament to all that we see 

As we climb up that hill 

And feel that familiar thrill 

And learn about the tree of life 

Well, to us, no other pine tree could suffice 

Of this we dare opine 

To think about this, oh wondrous pine

On the hill on prospect street

All other trees you have them beat 

AttachmentSize
Image icon older_more_mature_pine_cone_in_winter.jpg4.11 MB
Image icon pine_cones_falling_in_late_winter.jpg5.16 MB
Image icon new_pine_cones_growing_in_spring.jpg3.1 MB
Shrub Canopy Area: 
13.20sq.m.