WESTERN WHITE PINE 



(Pinus Monticola) 



THE silvery luster of the needles of this tree gives it the name silver 

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

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

 pine (Pinus strobus), which is sometimes called Weymouth pine. 

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

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

 pine (Pinus lambertiana) , which it resembles in some particulars but 

 not in all. It is thus seen that California is generous in bestowing names 

 on this tree, notwithstanding it is not abundant in any part of that state 

 and is unknown in most parts. 



The botanical name means "mountain 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 altitudes. 

 Its range lies in British Columbia, Montana, Idaho, Washington, 

 Oregon, and California. In the latter state it follows the Sierra Nevada 

 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 

 eastern tree is whiter; both are soft, but again the advantage is with the 

 eastern tree. The western pine generally 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 white pine has entered 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 yidd is some- 



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