Eastern White Pine

The largest tree on the East Coast, white pine remained unrivaled as timber tree for 300 years. Extensive forests of trees 150 ft tall astounded the first settlers. Those abundant 400-year-old pines were turned into fortunes by the wealthiest Massachusetts families. It was white pine (along with fish and fur) that the early New England could produce for export. Tall, straight, and lightweight, white pine was ideal for sailing ship masts. As they did not have a tree of such grandeur in Europe, the British had to put together two Scots pines ("Riga firs") for each tall mast. When the news about the discovered "Weymouth pine" arrived during the reign of King William and Mary, the largest trees, stamped with the "King's Broad Arrow," were immediately reserved for the British Navy. The decree on white pine was sabotaged, so that the British Crown even attempted a spy system to protect the trees. The controversy over white pine fanned the flames of the American Revolution. The image of the tree embellished the first flag of the revolutionary forces. Today, after the extensive logging operations of the past three centuries, less than one percent of the old-growth forests remain. None of primeval forests witnessed by the first settlers have survived.

In contrast to pitch pine, white pine does not withstand the fire. Presence of old white pines tells us that an area must have escaped the large fires of the 20th century. The soft, thin, and flexible blue-green needles of this pine are in clusters of 5. On young growth, the bark is thin, smooth, greenish-brown; on older trees, it becomes deeply fissured and dark. Cones ripen in two years. Mature ones are to 8" long. As in other pines, seeds are winged, wind-dispersed. Cone production peaks every 3-5 years. Deer, gray and red squirrels, mice, and 16 species of songbirds are white pine seed consumers. Native Americans dried the soft inner bark to make flour, stewed young cones, and ate the nutritious seeds. Pine resin (sap) was used by tribes to treat infections and also to waterproof baskets, pails, and boats.

Eastern White Pine

Pinus strobus