Scientific Name
Pinus strobus
The Eastern white pine tree is native to the northeastern and north central regions of the United States, extending south along the Appalachian Mountains. In the Midwest, it prefers cooler climates and only just barely reaches down into the northern edges of Illinois and Indiana. The state tree of Maine (“The Pine Tree State”) and Michigan, it can grow higher than 150 feet, though it seldom breaks 100 feet in urban settings; it’s the tallest conifer native to the Eastern U.S. It provided one of the principal sources of timber in colonial times, during which almost all the old growth was cut. However, it’s very aggressive at colonizing disturbed or abandoned sites, so it was never in danger of being eradicated in its native habitat. This tree is also grown for its timber on plantations in its native range. The slender straight needles of this tree grow in bundles of five that are 2-to-4-inches long, are very touch-friendly and give the foliage a finer texture than the two-needle pines have. The needles only remain on the tree for two seasons; replaced any more frequently, and this would almost be a deciduous pine! The slender seed cones, 4-to-5-inches long, with a cylindrical and sometimes curved form, are on the long side among those produced by common pine trees in the Colorado region. Eastern white pine is a fast-growing tree and is long-lived, easily reaching 250 years of age and possibly twice that. Its ornamental qualities make it a landscaping favorite, though it would prefer more humidity and cooler summers than the Colorado climate offers.