28 



Common Trees 



WHITE PINE 



Pinus Strobus, Linnaeus 



THERE is no tree in the World that surpasses the White 

 Pine in beauty, stateliness, individuality, and usefulness. 

 Reliable records show that the first American house was built 

 of White Pine. 



It is the only evergreen tree native to eastern North America 



WHITE PINE 

 One-third natural size. 



that has soft, slender, flexible, straight, bluish-green leaves 

 grouped in clusters of five. They are 3 to 5 inches long and 

 persist for 2 years. 



The cones are 5 to 10 inches long, short-stalked, narrowly 

 cylindrical, rarely hang long on the trees. The cone-scales 

 are thin, flat, and without prickles. 



The trunk is straight, when grown in dense stands is clear 

 of branches for many feet from the ground. The lateral 

 branches occur in whorls of 3 to 7 arranged in horizontal 

 layers. Upon falling they leave distinct circles of branch- 

 scars. The wood is soft, light brown, straight-grained, easily 

 worked. It is used for a wider range of purposes than any 

 American wood. 



The White Pine is native only to eastern North America. 

 It is found from Newfoundland west to Manitoba and Min- 

 nesota, southward to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Illi- 

 nois and along the mountains to Georgia. Formerly it made 

 up a large part of the forests throughout New York, but in 

 many places it has been completely cut out. It is generally 

 distributed in the northern part of the State and in the 

 Adirondacks up to 2,500 feet. In recent years it has been 

 planted widely in all parts of the State. White Pine is the 

 most important forest tree "in eastern North America and 

 probably in the World. 



