American Forest Trees 



ONE IIUNDKKD-FIIJST TAl'ICR 

 WESTEEN WHITE PINE 



(Piniis Monticola — Dougl.) , 



The silvery luster of the needles of this tree gives it the name 

 silver pine, by which many people knovp it. It appears in literature 

 as mountain "Weymouth pine, the reference being to the eastern 

 white pine {Pinus strobns), which is sometimes called Weymouth pine. 

 Finger-cone pine is a California name; so is mountain pine, and soft 

 pine. In the same state it is called little sugar pine, to distinguish 

 it from sugar pine (Pinus lamhcrti- 

 ana) , which it resembles in some 

 particulars but not in all. It is 

 thus seen that California is gener- 

 ous in bestowing names on this tree, 

 notwithstanding it is not abundant 

 in any part of that state and is un- 

 known in most parts. 



The botanical name means "moun- 

 tain pine," and that describes the 

 species. It does best among the 

 mountains, and it ranges from an 

 altitude of from 4,000 feet to 10,000 

 on the Sierra Nevada mountains. 

 Sometimes trees of very large size 

 are found near the upper limits of 

 its range, but the best stands are in 

 valleys and on slopes at lower alti- 

 tudes. Its range lies in British Co- 

 lumbia, Montana, Idaho, Washing- 

 ton, Oregon, and California. In the 

 latter state it follows the Sierra Ne- 

 vada mountains southward to the San 

 Joaquin river. 



This species has been compared 

 with the white pine of the East 

 oftener than with any other species. 

 The weights of the two woods are 

 nearly the same, and both are light. 

 Their fuel values are about the same. 

 The strength of the eastern tree is a 

 little higher, but the western species 

 is stiffer. The woods of both are 

 light in color, but that of the east- 

 ern tree is whiter; both are soft, but 

 again the advantage is with the 

 eastern tree. The western pine gen- 

 erally grows rapidly and the annual 

 rings are wide; but, like most other 

 species, it varies in its rate of 

 growth, and trunks are found with 

 narrow rings. The summerwood is 

 thin, not conspicuous, and slightly 

 resinous. The small resin passages 

 are numerous. The heartwood is 

 fairly durable in contact with the 

 soil. 



The western wliite pine has en- 

 tered many markets in recent years, 



but it is difficult to' determine what the annual cut is. Statistics often 

 include this species and the western yellow pine under one name, or at 

 least confuse one with the other, and there is no way to determine ex- 

 actly how much of the sawmill output belongs to each. The bulk of 

 merchantable western white pine lumber is cut in Idaho and Montana. 

 The stands are seldom pure, but this species frequently predominates 

 over its associates. When pure forests are found, the yield is some- 

 times very high, as much as 130,000 feet of logs growing on a single 

 acre. That quantity is not often equalled by any other forest tree. 



FOREST GROWTH WESTERN WHITE PINE, MONTANA 



though redwood and Douglas fir sometimes go considerably above it. 



The western white pine 's needles grow in clusters of five and are 

 from one and a half to four inches long. The cones are from ten to 

 eighteen inches long. The seeds ripen the second year. Eeproduction 

 is vigorous and the forest stands are holding their own. Trees about 

 one hundred and seventy-five feet high and eight feet in diameter are 



met with, but the average size is 

 one hundred feet high and two to 

 three feet in diameter, or about the 

 size of eastern white pine. 



The wood is useful and has been 

 giving service since the settlement 

 of the country began, fifty or more 

 years ago. Choice trunks were split 

 for shakes or shingles, but the wood 

 Is inferior in splitting qualities to 

 either eastern white pine or Califor- 

 nia sugar pine, because of more 

 knots. The western white pine does 

 not prune itself early or well. Dfead 

 limbs adhere to the trunk long after 

 the sugar pine would shed them. In 

 split products, the western white 

 pine's principal rival has been the 

 western red cedar. The pine has 

 been much employed as mine timbers 

 in the region where it is abundant. 

 Miners generally take the most con- 

 venient wood for props, stuUs, and 

 lagging. A little higher use for 

 pine is found among the mines, 

 where it is made into tanks, flumes, 

 sluice boxes, water pipes, riffle 

 blocks, rockers, and guides for stamp 

 mills. However, the total quantity 

 used by miners is comparatively 

 small. Much more goes to ranches 

 for fences and buildings. It is serv- 

 iceable, and is shipped outside the 

 immediate region of production and 

 is marketed in the plains states east 

 of the Eocky mountains, where it is 

 excellent fence material. 



A larger market is found in man- 

 ufacturing centers farther east. 

 Western white pine is shipped to 

 Chicago where it is manufactured 

 into doors, sash, and interior finish, 

 in competition with all the woods in 

 that market. It is said to be of 

 frequent occurrence that the very 

 pine which is shipped in its rough 

 form out of the Eocky mountain re- 

 gion goes back finished as doors and 

 sash. When the mountain regions 

 shall have better manufacturing facilities, this will not occur. In the 

 manufacture of window and hothouse sash, glass is more important 

 than wood, although each is useless without the other. The principal 

 glass factories are in the East, and it is sometimes desirable to ship 

 the wood to the glass factory, have the sash made there, and the 

 glazing done ; and the finished sash, ready for use, may go back to the 

 source of the timber. 



The same operation is sometimes repeated for doors; but in recent 

 years the mountain region where this pine grows has been supplied 



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