REFORESTATION IN MASSACHUSETTS. 27 



It associates usually with white pine, growing in scattered 

 groups throughout the stand. More rarely it is found in com- 

 pany with hardwoods, such as oaks and birches. 



Red pine is a rather poor seeder, not beginning to bear until 

 about twenty-five years old, and then giving only light crops at 

 four or five year intervals. The seed will not germinate in thick 

 grass or sod, and the seedlings require much light. A bare 

 mineral soil containing some moisture is best. The percentage 

 of germination is high. 



In rate of growth red pine is more rapid than white, especially 

 when young, though it is more short-lived in the long run. It 

 reaches a diameter of 23 inches and a height of 80 to 90 feet in 

 one hundred and twenty-five years, producing merchantable 

 timber. Sixty years will produce good small stock. 



No serious insect pests or fungous diseases attack this species, 

 and it is remarkably free from rot. Light ground fires do not 

 injure it so much as they do white pine, especially as the tree 

 grows older. 



The wood is used for general construction, bridge timbers, 

 shipbuilding, car construction and flooring. 



Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida). 



This tree grows on dry sandy soils, and is especially suited 

 to planting in such localities. When pure it forms very thin 

 stands, owing to its extreme intolerance, and it must be above 

 all other species in mixture, or it will die. 



It is a prolific seeder, and succeeds well under the above 

 conditions, and is also a fairly rapid grower, reaching at times 

 a height of 80 feet and a diameter of 30 inches. 



It is not subject to attack by insects or fungi, and is probably 

 the most resistant to fire of any conifer in Massachusetts, sur- 

 viving repeated burnings. 



The wood is used largely for fuel, being brittle and not 

 strong. 



Scotch Pine (Pinus sylvestris). 



This tree is the common pine of northern Europe, occupying 

 there the same place that the white pine does in this country 

 as a timber tree. Its growth, however, more closely resembles 



