490 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



Many interesting things may be said about these five 

 pine trees, but before an attempt will be made to describe 

 some of their interesting habits we want to find out if we 

 really know these trees. In order that we may be positive 

 about our acquaintance with them these two simple keys 

 have been prepared. They will enable anyone to identify 

 these five pines with certainty. The one key is based upon 

 leaf characteristics, and the other upon cone features. 



The jack pine extends farther north than any other 

 American species of pine. It reaches within one and 

 one-half degrees of the 

 Arctic Circle and extends 

 southward to the southern 

 shores of Lake Michigan. 

 Its north and south range 

 is about 1,600 miles, and its 

 east and west distribution 

 covers about 2,500 miles. 



Jack pine is almost a 

 trans - continental species, 

 extending from Nova Sco- 

 tia northwestward to the 

 southeast corner of the 

 Yukon region. It is dis- 

 tinctly a tree of the north 

 woods, that is, a Canadian 

 tree, reaching its best de- 

 velopment in northern On- 

 tario and Quebec, and in 

 Manitoba, Saskatchewan 

 and Alberta. Some of the 

 finest stands occur west of 

 Lake Winnipeg. 



The jack pine is rather 

 scrubby towards the limit 

 of its distribution. In the 

 northern part of its range 

 it is a mere shrub, and in 

 the extreme southern part 

 of its distribution it is a 

 small tree of little commer- 

 cial value. 



Jack pine is also known 

 as "Bank's Pine" and 

 "Gray Pine." It is easy to 

 identify it for it has a num- 

 ber of striking distinguish- 

 i n g characteristics. Its 

 needles are very short, 

 usually less than one and one-half inches long. They 

 occur in bundles of two and are often somewhat clus- 

 tered at the end of the twigs. No other pine native to 

 eastern North America has such short needles. Just 

 why this tree has such short needles is a debatable ques- 

 tion. It may be the result of evolution, or we may speak 

 of it as special adaptation to the environment in which 

 the tree lives. Throughout the entire region in which 

 this tree is native the snowfall is heavy. If the tree pro- 

 duced long needles, it is quite probable that large quan- 



A CLUSTER OF NINETEEN PITCH PINE CONES 



Such a large cluster is very rare. The cones usually occur 



singly or a few in a cluster. They often persist 



for many years. 



titles of snow would be held upon the tree, and as a con- 

 sequence enormous pressure would be developed upon 

 the branches, with the result that many tree crowns 

 would be completely crushed. The development of short 

 and smooth needles prevents the accumulation of large 

 quantities of snow on the leaves, and thus prevents pos- 

 sible great damage by snow pressure. 



The cones are equally as distinctive as the needles. 

 Unlike those of most other pines they occur near the 

 end of the season's growth. They are from one and one- 

 half inches to two inches 

 long, bear no stem, are lop- 

 sided in form, and pointed 

 at the apex and conical in 

 outline. As a rule, they are 

 held in an erect position 

 upon the branches and may 

 remain closed for many 

 years. One of the most 

 distinctive features of the 

 cone is the fact that they 

 are more or less curved, 

 that is, lop-sided, and per- 

 sist for many years after 

 they reach maturity. 



We have been taught 

 that the jack pine is an in- 

 ferior tree. The name 

 "Jack" at once conveys an 

 impression of inferiority. 

 While it is not one of the 

 most important commer- 

 cial timber trees of the 

 northeast, yet it has many 

 merits, and the longer and 

 better we know it the more 

 will we appreciate it. One 

 of its commendable habits 

 is that of pioneering. After 

 an area has been lumbered 

 over heavily or burnt over 

 repeatedly, jack pine is one 

 of the first trees to go in 

 upon the area and establish 

 itself. It leads the way to 

 natural re-forestation and 

 makes possible a successful 

 establishment of other val- 

 uable forest trees. 

 Jack pine has other good points. Among its merits 

 are rapid growth when young, and its adaptability to 

 poor sandy soil.- When young the tree grows far more 

 rapidly than most of the eastern evergreen trees. The 

 growth of a season is not laid on in one continuous oper- 

 ation, but is usually laid on in installments. The trees 

 grow for a while, then rest and later grow again. All 

 this takes place in the same season. The total growth 

 of a season is considerably greater than that of many 

 other trees. In a mixed plantation of white pine, red 



