of New York 



31 



JACK PINE 



Pinus Banksiana, Lamb. 



THE JACK PINE, also called Gray Pine and Scrub Pine, is 

 a slender trunked tree of the Northwoods, where it 

 covers vast areas of barren lands and extensive sand dunes. 



The leaves are needle-shaped, % to 1 J4 inches long, rather 

 stout, generally curved and twisted, and occur in clusters of 

 two. 



The flow- 

 ers appear in 

 May and 

 June. The 

 staminate are 

 arranged i n 

 crowded 

 clusters at the 

 base of the 

 season's 

 growth; the 

 pistillate oc- 

 cur in clus- 

 ters of 2 to 4 

 on the new 



JACK PINE 

 One-half natural size. 



growth. 



The fruit is an oblong, conical, strongly curved cone 1 Yi - 

 2 inches long, without stalks, usually stands erect, and may 

 persist for years. The cone scales are thick at apex and armed 

 with small prickles, which usually fall off early. 



The twigs are slender, at first yellowish green, later dark 

 purplish brown. On main stem the bark is dark brown, 

 slightly tinged with red, and peels off into narrow scales. 



The wood is light, soft, weak, pale brown to orange. 

 Sapwood is thick and whitish. It is used for pulpwood and 

 manufactured into ties, slack cooperage, and lumber. 



The Jack Pine is a small forest tree, rarely exceeding 50 

 feet in height and 1 8 inches in diameter. Exceptional speci- 

 mens reach a height of 70 feet. It is found from Nova 

 Scotia westward to British Columbia and south through 

 New England to New York, northern Illinois, Michigan, 

 and central Minnesota. Its east and west range is 2,500 miles 

 and its north and south extension is 1,500 miles. This tree 

 is found locally in the sandy, barren soils of northern New 

 York. It is nowhere abundant, but is rather common along 

 the lower Ausable in Essex and Clinton counties. 



The Jack Pine is usually found on dry sandy soil and 

 rocky ridges. It grows rapidly in youth, is well adapted 

 to reclaim sandy waste areas, and serves well as a nurse tree 

 for more valuable species. 



