PLANTING RED PINE 



"T 1 HE red, or Norway pine (Finns 

 rcsinosa), as it is sometimes called 

 was first described in 1755 by Duha- 

 mel. It usually attains an average 

 height of 70 to go feet and a diameter 

 three feet from the ground of 15 to 

 24 inches. The stem is straight, 

 scarcely tapering, covered by a red- 

 dish-brown bark, which in old trees 

 readily separates on the surface into 

 thin, flat, loose scales, giving the trurk 

 a conspicuous appearance. The 

 branches are coarse, extending hori- 

 zontally or slightly declined, forming 

 a broad based or conical head. Tin- 

 leaves in twos protruding from close, 

 elongated, persistent, conspicuous 

 sheaths, are slender, flexible, dark 

 green, and lustrous, 5 to 6 inches long. 

 The cones are borne near the extrem- 

 ity of the shoots at right angles to tin- 

 stem, maturing the second year, and 

 i to 3 inches long ; in shape ovate to 

 oblong conical ; when opened broadly 

 oval or roundish ; scales not hooked or 

 pointed, thickened at the apex. 



RANGE. 



The natural range of the red pine is 

 from Nova Scotia and New Bruns- 

 wick westward to Manitoba, and 

 Southward to the Great Lake region. 

 It extends somewhat further north 

 than the white pine, being found on 

 the height of land well north of Lake 

 Winnipeg, but not so far north as the 

 jack pine. In the east it extends 

 through northern New England and 

 New York, southward to eastern Mas- 

 sachusetts and the nnvntains of Penn- 

 sylvania. It does not. however, ex- 

 tend as far south as the white pine. 

 It is found most abundantly and grows 

 to its largest size in the northern por- 

 tion of the Lake States, often forming 

 pure forests many acres in extent. 



One peculiarity of this tree is that 

 it prefers to grow in groves unmixed 

 with other trees, although some white 

 pines are occasionally mixed with the 

 red. It is also found frequently grow- 



ing in groves of mature jack pine, 

 having come in under its partial shade, 

 and when once beyond the critical pe- 

 riod it rivals the jack pine and may 

 finally overtop it. 



The red pine is adapted for planting 

 in the natural pine regions of New 

 England, the St. Lawrence Valley, 

 Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. 



SHA'ICAL QUALITIES. 



The red pine type is found on loamy, 

 sandy plains and on the ridges of 

 sandy and gravelly loam. In regions 

 where the hardwood, white pine, red 

 pine and the jack pine types are pres- 

 ent they become more xerophytic in 

 character in the order named. It is 

 frequently found, however, growing 

 to the very edge of the swamps where 

 their root system can reach the water 

 level. The red pine is a light-demand- 

 ing species, bearing less shade than 

 white pine but more than jack pine. 

 The seedlings in order to grow must 

 have plenty of light. The young stand 

 in the natural forest, as a rule, forms 

 rather heavy shade, but the mature 

 forest is decidedly open. In fully 

 stocked stands under 100 years old 

 there is not enough light admitted to 

 permit a dense undergrowth, but soon 

 after 115 years brush growth appears 

 and gradually extends throughout the 

 stand. This intolerance of shade is 

 a disadvantage in competing with 

 other species, but as soon as the tree 

 gets started its rapid growth enables 

 it to keep its crown free to the light. 

 The rapidity of growth of red pine, in 

 its earlier stage of development, is an 

 imnortant feature. The rate of growth 

 in height will varv, for seedlings, ac- 

 cording to the amount of light thev 

 receive. Under partial shade the 

 growth is extremely slow. If the seed- 

 lings are in dense clumps they will 

 grow faster than when scattered. Dur- 

 ing the first fifteen years after natural 

 seeding on sandy soil, the red pine 

 grew .<)~ feet per year, while the jack 



