Eastern White Pine

LEAVES: Evergreen needles in clusters of 5, soft flexible, 3-sided, 2½”-5″ long, and bluish green. This is the only pine native to Pennsylvania with 5 needles per cluster.

TWIGS: Slender, flexible, with rusty hairs when young, later smooth. Buds egg- shaped, usually less than ½” long, gray-brown.

FRUIT: Cones 5″-8″ long, without prickles, slightly curved, resinous; each scale usually bears 2 winged seeds as do all our native pines.

BARK: Young trunks and branches greenish brown, later darker grooved and scaly.

GENERAL: Eastern white pines are large trees. At present they usually reach 50′-90′ high but the original “Penn’s Woods” saw white pines reaching 150′ and more. It is one of the most valuable timber trees, found in moist or dry woodlands throughout the state and often planted as an ornamental in large open areas. Many birds, squirrels, chipmunks and mice feed on the seeds and soft needles. Inner bark of white pine is a preferred winter food of porcupine and deer browse the twigs.