Eastern White Pine

Basic Information
Tree ID: 
151
Family: 
Pinaceae
Genus and species: 
Pinus strobus
Description: 
Located in the south-east corner of the Marsh Botanical Gardens, standing tall over a bed of its fallen needles. The Eastern White Pine is the official tree of Maine and Michigan! Try pinching off a small amount of the trees resin, it smells fantastic.
Surveyors: 
Charlie Edwards, Anna Stouffer, Jed Burde
Location
Area: 
Marsh and Farnam Gardens
Collected Data
Tree shape: 
Pyramidal
Date of tree entry: 
02/06/2024
Height: 
19.20 m
Diameter at breast height: 
0.55 m

Bark
The bark is grey-brown color with broad ridges on this individual and other mature trees, but younger trees have thin and smooth bark. Some mature trees develop thick enough bark to be fire resistant
Twigs & branches
Foilage
Eastern White Pines are evergreen conifers with thin needles that grow in clusters of 5.
Reproductive Structures
Eastern White Pine cones are monoecious so a single tree can produce both male and female cones. Male cones have scales that overlap until ready to reproduce when they open and release pollen into the wind. Female cones begin green then develop to brown and can grow up to 8 inches.
Seasons
  • February 6
  • April 2
Research
Natural range of distribution: 
Habitat: 
Eastern White pines have a native range in the eastern portion of North America, ranging from Georgia to Quebec. Given their large distribution, this species is tolerant of a variety of soils, though they are most competitive in sandy, washed-out soils, as they grow in the cool, humid environment. White pines are a long-lived species than can grow for over 200 years and reach heights of 150 feet. Within their ecosystem, white pines provide and arboreal habitat for birds and small mammals such as squirrels and a shaded wooded habitat for larger fauna like deer who like to feed on the seeds.
Origin, history, and uses: 

The Eastern White Pine has spread to live in a range across the eastern portion of North America, from as far south as Georgia to its northern edge in Quebec and from the Atlantic Ocean to as far west as Manitoba and Minnesota.

Some of the oldest uses of this species by humans is by the Haudenosaunee who would mix the resin with beeswax to seal their canoes. Other indigenous americans would eat the inner bark when food was scarce during harsh winters and would drink the boild bark to treat a cough. Eruopean conquest brought widespread explotation of Eastern White Pines for constructing ships for the British Royal Navy. Additionaly, its timber has long been used for toys, boxes, furniture and other similar carpentry purposes. Because of their conical shape, they’re commonly  grown as Christmas trees and for ornamentallandscaping. 

Phenology: 
White pines reproduce in late spring, generally between May and June. As conifers, they do not lose foliage in winter.
References: 

University of Maine. (2017b, February 16). Eastern White Pine Fact Sheet. Signs of the Seasons: A New England Phenology Program. https://extension.umaine.edu/signs-of-the-seasons/indicator-species/pine…

Wendel, G. W., & Smith, H. C. (n.d.). Eastern White Pine. Southern Research Station. https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/misc/ag_654/volume_1/pinus/strobus.htm#…

Broaddus, J., & Price, D. (2004, November). Eastern White Pine. Eastern white pine. https://www.bellarmine.edu/faculty/drobinson/EasternWhitePine.asp#:~:tex…

 

Comments

Charlie Edwards on February 6, 2024:
Charlie Edwards on April 20, 2024: