THE HARD PINES OF THE NORTHEAST 



495 



The branchlets also have distinctive features. They are 

 smooth, purplish, tough, and usually wavy not stiff and 

 straight as those of the other pines. The bark on the 

 trunk is smoother and redder in color than that of any 

 other native pine. The cones are narrow and conical, 

 rather sharp-pointed, and persist for several years. 



Scrub pine may be regarded as a pioneer tree, for it 

 is one of the first trees to march out from its forest hab- 

 itat and reforest abandoned fields. There are thousands 

 of acres of farm land throughout its range which were 

 abandoned and have since been completely occupied by it. 

 The resultant trees cannot be placed in a class with the 

 forest giants, or sylvan monarchs, but they reach an 

 average size and will produce lumber which can be used 

 t o advantage 

 for ordinary 

 purposes. 



One of the 

 least known of 

 the hard pines 

 of the East is 

 the table 

 mountain pine. 

 For a long 

 while it was 

 thought that 

 this tree occur- 

 red only upon 

 the high tab'e 

 lands of the 

 southern Alle- 

 gheny Moun- 

 tains in North 

 Carolina, Ten- 

 nessee and the 

 Virginias. But 

 about the time 

 of the Civil 

 War a few 

 specimens 

 were discov- 

 ered in Penn- 

 sylvania. Now 

 it is known to 



occur in many places within the State, extending as far 

 north as Clinton county and northeast to Berks and 

 Schuylkill counties, these points being the northern limit 

 of the trees' entire range. 



This tree is also called "Poverty Pine" because it grows 

 and usually thrives on poor, rocky and shallow mountain 

 soil. It is an aggressive tree, and consequently becomes 

 a good competitor with other trees upon poor and ex- 

 posed situations ; but it makes its best growth when stand- 

 ing in mixture with hardwoods upon rather fertile soil. 



What is probably the largest known table mountain 

 pine tree in the world grew up on a mountain side near 

 Mont Alto, Franklin County, Pennsylvania. This speci- 

 men is 73 feet high, 23 inches in diameter at breast-high, 

 and free from branches for a distance of 40 feet above 



A TWO STORIED FOREST OF SCOTCH PINE IN EUROPE 



One of the major forest trees of continental Europe. This is what may be expected if 

 it is planted and properly cared for. 



the ground. It stood among a mixed stand of chestnut, 

 oak, and other hardwood trees. 



While this tree is typical of our highland forests, it is 

 found locally at low elevations. The writer recalls find- 

 ing the tree growing upon an island in the Susquehanna 

 River only about 200 feet above sea level, and its roots 

 washed almost continuously by the flowing water. Numer- 

 ous specimens occur upon the islands of the Susquehanna 

 River and the adjoining river hills of York and Lan- 

 caster counties in Pennsylvania. 



Few trees are easier to identify than the table mountain 

 pine. Its needles, which are present at all seasons of the 

 year, occur in pairs, are very stout, stiff and extremely 

 sharp-pointed. No other pine native to eastern North 



America has 

 such sharp - 

 pointed n e e - 

 dies. Its cones 

 are equally dis- 

 tinctive. They 

 are coarse in 

 a p p e a r a nee 

 and bear cone- 

 scales which 

 are armed with 

 stout spines. 

 They are from 

 three to four 

 inches long and 

 usually occur 

 in clusters of 

 three, five or 

 seven, and 

 s o m e t i m e s 

 ni ore. These 

 distinctive 

 cones often 

 persist for 

 many years. 

 No other pine 

 native to 

 North Amer- 

 ica has cones 

 similar to those 

 of the table mountain pine. The preference of this tree 

 for poor rocky soil and exposed situations may also help 

 to identify it. When grown in the open its lateral 

 branches persist on the main stem all the way down to 

 the ground, but if grown in dense mixed stands the trunk 

 becomes clean, and the resultant wood is quite satisfac- 

 tory for general use. 



The table mountain pine cannot be classified as a com- 

 mercial timber tree of much importance, but it should 

 not be despised for it has some merits. As forestry prac- 

 tice becomes more intensive this tree will be utilized in 

 protection forests on fteep mountain slopes where it will 

 help prevent erosion and build up productive forest con- 

 ditions and at the same time produce wood which may 

 be used to advantage for ordinary purposes. 



