White Pine (Pinus strobus)

White Pine is a big pine variety tree that hails from the eastern part of North America. This evergreen tree variety is recognized as the Tree of Peace to the Native American. This hardy, precious tree is also recognized as the Weymouth pine tree in the United Kingdom. The White Pine tree has a fast growth rate and performs well in full sun as well as in partial shadow. This tree variety grows well in moist, well-drained, acidic, arid, and damp soils. When the tree is fully grown, it attains an oval, pyramidal form with its widespread branches.

Features

A full-grown White Pine tree is capable of attaining a height that ranges from 50 feet to 80 feet, with the widespread branches that spread between 20 feet and 40 feet. The normal tree grows to a maximum height of 135 feet in the wild.

The leaves of the White Pine tree are in fascicles of five, with a deciduous cover. They are supple, bluish-green in color, delicately notched, and have the length that ranges from 5 cm to 13 cm. These leaves continue in tree for 18 months, from the spring season to the next autumn season, while they shed by abscission.

The tree produces flowers from April to May, and they are in pink, yellow, or unremarkable colors.

The fruits of the White Pine tree are elongated cones and are slender, with the length, ranging from 8 cm to 16 cm, with the breadth between 4 cm and 5 cm when open. They have scales with a circular apex and somewhat a deflexed tip. The seeds of the fruits have a length, ranging from 4 mm to 5 mm, with a slender wing with the size that ranges from 15 mm to 20 mm. The pollination is through the wind and the tree offers fruits once in three years.

Uses

The wood of the White Pine tree is strong and it is used in sailing ships. The seeds of the tree are the favorite food for black bears, red squirrels, rabbits, and several birds, particularly red Crossbills. The bark of the tree is eaten by creatures, such as snowshoe hares, beavers, porcupines, mice and rabbits. The tree offers nesting sites for several birds, including common grackles, woodpeckers, chickadees, mourning doves and nuthatches.

The average lifespan of the White Pine tree ranges from 100 years to 200 years.