View source for Pinus strobus

{{Short description|Species of conifer in the pine family Pinaceae}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Speciesbox
| name =
| image = Pinus strobus trees.jpg
| image_caption = ''Pinus strobus'' group
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Farjon, A. |date=2013 |title=''Pinus strobus'' |volume=2013 |page=e.T42417A2978687 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T42417A2978687.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| display_parents = 3
| genus = Pinus
| parent = Pinus subsect. Strobus
| species = strobus
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]
}}

'''''Pinus strobus''''', commonly called the '''eastern white pine''', '''northern white pine''', '''white pine''', '''Weymouth pine''' (British), and '''soft pine'''<ref name=USFS>{{FEIS |type=tree |last=Carey |first=Jennifer H. |date=1993 |genus=Pinus |species=strobus |access-date=12 August 2013}}</ref> is a large [[pine]] native to eastern North America. It occurs from [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]], Canada, west through the [[Great Lakes region]] to southeastern [[Manitoba]] and [[Minnesota]], United States, and south along the [[Appalachian Mountains]] and upper [[Piedmont (United States)|Piedmont]] to northernmost [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] and very rare in some of the higher elevations in northeastern [[Alabama]].<ref name="PLANTS">{{PLANTS|symbol=PIST|taxon=Pinus strobus|access-date=22 January 2018}}</ref> It is considered rare in [[Indiana]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Plants Profile for Pinus strobus (eastern white pine) |url=https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile?symbol=PIST |access-date=2020-10-07 |website=www.plants.usda.gov |archive-date=2020-08-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200828231143/https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=PIST |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[Haudenosaunee]] maintain the tree as the central symbol of their multinational confederation, calling it the "[[Tree of Peace]]",<ref>{{cite book |last1=Graymont |first1=Barbara |title=The Iroquois |date=2009 |publisher=Infobase Publishing |page=21 |quote=The tree had four symbolic roots, the Great White Roots of Peace, spreading north, east, south, and west. If any other nation ever wished to join the League, it would have to follow the White Roots of Peace to the source and take shelter beneath the tree. Atop the tree, he placed an eagle to scream out a warning at the approach of danger. He symbolically planted the tree in the land of the Onondagas, the place of the Grre, the confederate lords, or peace chiefs, would sit beneath it and be caretakers of the Great Peace.}}</ref> where the Seneca use the name '''''o’sóä’'''''<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chafe |first1=Wallace |title=A Grammar of the Seneca Language |date=2015 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-28641-2 |page=18 |url=https://theswissbay.ch/pdf/Books/Linguistics/Mega%20linguistics%20pack/North%20American/Iroquoian/Seneca%20Language%2C%20A%20Grammar%20of%20the%20%28Chafe%29.pdf}}</ref> and the [[Mohawk people|Kanienʼkehá:ka]] call it '''''onerahtase'ko:wa'''''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mohawk Basic Knowledge |url=https://winddancer45.tripod.com/MohawkLanguage.html |access-date=10 September 2023}}</ref> Within the [[Wabanaki Confederacy]], the [[Mi'kmaq]] use the term '''''guow''''' to name the tree,<ref>{{cite web |title=Pine |url=https://www.mikmaqonline.org/servlet/dictionaryFrameSet.html?arg0=pine&method=searchFromEnglish |website=Mi'gmaq-Mi'kmaq Online Dictionary |publisher=Listuguj |access-date=10 September 2023}}</ref> both the [[Maliseet|Wolastoqewiyik]] and [[Passamaquoddy|Peskotomuhkatiyik]] call it '''''kuw''''' or '''''kuwes''''',<ref>{{cite web |last1=Francis |first1=Kmihqitahaman David A. |last2=Newell |first2=Kmihqitahaman-ona Wayne A. |title=Passamaquoddy-Maliseet Language Portal |url=https://pmportal.org/dictionary/kuw-ku-1 |access-date=10 September 2023}}</ref> and the [[Abenaki]] use the term '''''kowa'''''.<ref>{{cite web |title=White Pine |url=http://westernabenaki.com/dictionary/white_pine.html |website=Western Abenaki Dictionary |access-date=10 September 2023}}</ref>

It is known as the "Weymouth pine" in the United Kingdom,<ref name="Moore2008">{{cite book |author1=Moore, Gerry |author2=Kershner, Bruce |author3=Craig Tufts |author4=Daniel Mathews |author5=Gil Nelson |author6=Spellenberg, Richard |author7=Thieret, John W. |author8=Terry Purinton |author9=Block, Andrew |title=National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Trees of North America |publisher=Sterling |location=New York |year=2008 |page=77 |isbn=978-1-4027-3875-3}}</ref> after Captain [[George Weymouth]] of the [[British Royal Navy]], who brought its seeds to England from [[Maine]] in 1605.<ref>{{cite book |first=Elbert L. |last=Little |title=National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region |section=Eastern White Pine |page=296 |location=New York, New York |publisher=Alfred A. Knopf |date=1980}}</ref>

== Distribution ==
[[File:Pinus strobus Syvania.jpg|thumb|left|Native eastern white pine, [[Sylvania Wilderness]], [[Michigan]]]]
[[File:Pinus strobus range map 1.png|thumb|Partial distribution map of ''P. strobus'' in North America]]

''P. strobus'' is found in the [[nearctic]] [[temperate broadleaf and mixed forests]] [[biome]] of eastern North America. It prefers well-drained or sandy soils and humid climates, but can also grow in boggy areas and rocky highlands. In mixed forests, this dominant tree towers over many others, including some of the large broadleaf hardwoods. It provides food and shelter for numerous forest birds, such as the [[red crossbill]], and small mammals such as squirrels.<ref name=":0" />

Fossilized white pine leaves and pollen have been discovered by [[Brian Axsmith]], a [[paleobotanist]] at the [[University of South Alabama]], in the [[Gulf Coastal Plain]], where the tree no longer occurs.<ref name=usa>{{cite news |title=Dr. Brian Axsmith's Research Area |url=https://www.southalabama.edu/colleges/artsandsci/biology/axsmith_research.html |work=[[University of South Alabama]] |access-date=2020-05-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010144133/http://www.southalabama.edu/colleges/artsandsci/biology/axsmith_research.html |archive-date=2018-10-10 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Eastern white pine forests originally covered much of north-central and northeastern North America. Only 1% of the [[old-growth forest]]s remain after the extensive logging operations from the 18th century to early 20th century.

Old-growth forests, or virgin stands, are protected in [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]]. Other protected areas with known virgin forests, as confirmed by the Eastern Native Tree Society, include [[Algonquin Provincial Park]], [[Quetico Provincial Park]], Algoma Highlands in [[Ontario]], and [[Sainte-Marguerite River Old Forest]] in Quebec, Canada; [[Estivant Pines]], [[Huron Mountains]], [[Porcupine Mountains]] State Park, and [[Sylvania Wilderness]] Area in the [[Upper Peninsula]] of [[Michigan]], United States; [[Hartwick Pines State Park]] in the [[Lower Peninsula]] of [[Michigan]]; [[Menominee Indian Reservation]] in [[Wisconsin]]; Lost 40 Scientific and Natural Area (SNA) and [[Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness]] in [[Minnesota]]; [[White Pines State Park]], [[Illinois]]; [[Cook Forest State Park]], [[Hearts Content Scenic Area]], and [[Anders Run Natural Area]] in [[Pennsylvania]]; and the [[Linville Gorge Wilderness]] in [[North Carolina]], United States.

Small [[Grove (nature)|groves]] or individual specimens of old-growth eastern white pines are found across the range of the species in the USA, including in Ordway Grove, [[Maine]]; [[Ice Glen]], [[Massachusetts]]; and [[Adirondack Park]], New York. Many sites with conspicuously large specimens represent advanced [[Old field (ecology)|old-field]] [[ecological succession]]. The tall stands in [[Mohawk Trail State Forest]] and [[William Cullen Bryant Homestead]] in [[Massachusetts]] are examples.

As an [[introduced species]], ''P. strobus'' is now [[naturalization (biology)|naturalizing]] in the [[Divisions of the Carpathians#Outer Western Carpathians (subprovince)|Outer Western Carpathians]] subdivision of the [[Carpathian Mountains]] in Czech Republic and southern Poland. It has spread from specimens planted as [[ornamental tree]]s.

== Description ==
Like most members of the [[Pinus subgenus Strobus|white pine group]], ''[[Pinus]]'' subgenus ''Strobus'', the [[leaves]] ("needles") are coniferous, occurring in fascicles (bundles) of five, or rarely three or four, with a [[deciduous]] [[fascicle sheath|sheath]]. The leaves are flexible, bluish-green, finely [[serrated]], and {{cvt|5|-|13|cm|in|frac=4}} long.

The [[seed cones]] are slender, {{cvt|8|-|16|cm|in|frac=4}} long (rarely longer than that) and {{cvt|4|-|5|cm|in|frac=4}} broad when open, and have scales with a rounded apex and slightly reflexed tip, often resinous. The [[seed]]s are {{cvt|4|-|5|mm|in|frac=32}} long, with a slender {{cvt|15|-|20|mm|in|frac=8}} wing, and are dispersed by wind. Cone production peaks every 3 to 5&nbsp;years.

The branches are spaced about every 18 inches on the trunk with five or six branches appearing like spokes on a wagon wheel. Eastern white pine is self-fertile, but seeds produced this way tend to result in weak, stunted, and malformed seedlings. Mature trees are often 200–250 years old, and some live over 400 years. A tree growing near [[Syracuse, New York]], was dated to 458 years old in the late 1980s and trees in Michigan and Wisconsin were dated to roughly 500 years old.

{{Gallery
|File:Pinus strobus needles3.jpg|Leaves (needles) of new shoots in late summer
|File:Pinus strobus Cone.jpg|A mature seed cone that has opened and released its seeds
|File:Eastern White Pine Pinus strobus Bark Vertical.JPG|Closeup of bark
|File:Malecones.jpg|[[Pollen cone]]s and young needles in late June
|File:Pinus strobus branches.jpg|Branch pattern
|File:Large eastern white Pine in Southern Ontario, Canada.jpg|Large white pine in [[Southern Ontario]], Canada
|File:Mature_White_Pine.jpg|Mature White Pine Cook Forest State Park
|File:Pinus strobus MHNT.2022.4.2.jpg|Cones and seeds
}}

=== Dimensions ===
[[File:Pinus strobus JPG1b.jpg|thumb|right|Measuring the circumference of an eastern white pine]]

The eastern white pine has been described as the tallest tree in eastern North America, perhaps sharing the prize with the deciduous [[Liriodendron tulipifera|tulip tree]] whose range overlaps with eastern white pine in a few areas. In natural [[pre-colonial America|precolonial]] stands, the pine was frequently reported to have grown as tall as {{cvt|70|m|ft}} or more. No means exist for accurately documenting the height of trees from these times, but eastern white pine may have reached this height on rare occasions. James Brown of [[Arniston, Midlothian|Arniston]], a forester and later Inspector of Woods and Forests, [[Port Elgin, Ontario]], Canada wrote in 1882:
 
''“In its native habitats this pine grows to very large dimensions. We have measured many of them as they lay felled on the ground and taking a number of them we found the stems average 150 feet long by 2 feet 9 inches diameter at 5 feet up from the bottom. This may be taken as an average of the size of the trees as they stand in their native parts ; but we have found many of them that measured 210 feet long with stems from 5 to 7 feet in diameter at 4 feet up from the bottom and on counting the annular layers on the stumps from which they were cut we found them to range between 350 and 425 which may be taken as representing the years of their age.”''<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brown |first1=James |title=The Forester: Or, A Practical Treatise on the Planting, Rearing, and General Management of Forest-trees |date=1882 |publisher=William Blackwood and Sons |location=Edinburgh and London |page=341 |edition=5th |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ymIDAAAAYAAJ&dq=pinus+strobus+210+feet+length+lay&pg=PA341 |access-date=21 March 2025}}</ref> 

Even greater heights and diameters have been reported in numerous early town and county histories, lumber journals, and popular, but unverifiable, accounts such as Robert Pike's ''Tall Trees, Tough Men''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pike |first1=Robert E. |title=Tall Trees, Tough Men |date=1999 |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |location=New York , London |isbn=0-393-31917-2 |page=23 |edition=3rd |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D_doBQAAQBAJ&dq=robert%20pike%20tough%20men%20tall%20trees%20pine&pg=PA23 |access-date=21 March 2025}}</ref>

Total trunk volumes of the largest specimens are around {{cvt|28|m3}}, with some past giants possibly reaching {{cvt|37|to|40|m3}}. Photographic analysis of giants suggests volumes closer to {{cvt|34|m3}}.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

==== Height ====
''P. strobus'' grows about {{cvt|1|m|ft}} annually between the ages of 15 and 45 years, with slower height increments before and after that age range.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Beck, D.E. |year=1971 |title=Height-Growth Patterns and Site Index of White Pine in the Southern Appalachians |journal=Forest Science |volume=17 |issue=2 |pages=252–260 |url=http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/saf/fs/1971/00000017/00000002/art00024 |access-date=2014-03-17 |archive-date=2014-03-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140317212325/http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/saf/fs/1971/00000017/00000002/art00024 |url-status=live }}</ref> The tallest presently living specimens are {{cvt|50|–|57.55|m|ftin}} tall, as determined by the [[Native Tree Society]] (NTS).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nativetreesociety.org/ |title=NTS—Native Tree Society |access-date=2009-11-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180817101700/http://www.nativetreesociety.org/ |archive-date=2018-08-17 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Prior to their exploitation, it was common for white pines in northern Wisconsin to reach heights of over {{cvt|200|ft|m|order=flip}}.<ref>{{cite book |last=Curtis |first=John |title=The Vegetation of Wisconsin: An Ordination of Plant Communities |year=1959 |publisher=The University of Wisconsin Press |location=Madison, WI |pages=[https://archive.org/details/vegetationofwisc0000curt/page/204 204]–205 |url=https://archive.org/details/vegetationofwisc0000curt |url-access=registration |isbn=9780299019402}}</ref> Three locations in the Southeastern United States and one site in the Northeastern United States have trees that are {{cvt|55|m|ft}} tall.{{where|date=September 2022}}{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}Common height of 80 feet or more.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Grimm |first=William Carey |title=The Book of Trees |publisher=The Stackpole Company |year=1966 |location=Harrisburg, Pennsylvania |pages=41 |language=en}}</ref>

The southern Appalachian Mountains have the most locations and the tallest trees in the present range of ''P. strobus''. One survivor is a specimen known as the "Boogerman Pine" in the [[Cataloochee (Great Smoky Mountains)|Cataloochee Valley]] of [[Great Smoky Mountains National Park]]. At {{cvt|57.55|m|ftin}} tall, it is the tallest accurately measured tree in North America east of the [[Rocky Mountains]]{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}, though this conflicts with citations for [[Liriodendron tulipifera]]. It has been climbed and measured by tape drop by the NTS. Before [[Hurricane Opal]] broke its top in October 1995, Boogerman Pine was {{cvt|63|m|ft}} tall, as determined by Will Blozan and Robert Leverett using ground-based measurements.

The tallest specimens in [[Hartwick Pines State Park]] in Michigan are {{cvt|45|–|48|m|ft}} tall.

In the northeastern USA, eight sites in four states currently have trees over {{cvt|48|m|ft}} tall, as confirmed by the NTS. The [[Cook Forest State Park]] of [[Pennsylvania]] has the most numerous collection of {{cvt|45|m|ft}} eastern white pines in the Northeast, with 110 trees measuring that height or more. The park's "Longfellow Pine" is the tallest presently living eastern white pine in the Northeast, at {{cvt|55.96|m|ftin}} tall, as determined by tape drop.<ref>Luthringer, D.J. 2009. Big Trees of Cook Forest. Pennsylvania Forests 100(3):8-12.</ref> The [[Mohawk Trail State Forest]] of Massachusetts has 83 trees measuring {{cvt|45|m|ft}} or more tall, of which six exceed {{cvt|48.8|m|ft}}. The "Jake Swamp Tree" located there is {{cvt|51.54|m|ftin}} tall.<ref>Jake Swamp Tree: 51.54m in August 2008.</ref><ref>The Jake Swamp Tree was climbed and measured by tape drop in November 1998 and October 2001. It was scheduled to be climbed and measured a third time in November 2008.</ref> The NTS maintains precise measurements of it. A private property in [[Claremont, New Hampshire]], has approximately 60 specimens that are at least {{cvt|45|m|ft}}, with the tallest being {{cvt|50.63|m|ft}}.<ref>https://wokq.com/old-strong-and-tall-heres-where-the-largest-tree-in-new-hampshire-lives/}</ref>

==== Diameter ====
[[Diameter at breast height|Diameters]] of the larger pines range from {{cvt|1.0|-|1.6|m|ftin}}, which translates to a circumference (girth) range of {{cvt|3.1|-|5.0|m|ftin}}. However, single-trunked white pines in both the Northeast and Southeast with diameters over {{cvt|1.45|m|ftin}} are exceedingly rare. Notable big pine sites of {{cvt|40|ha}} or less often have no more than two or three trees in the 1.2- to 1.4-m-diameter class. Common diameter of 2-3 feet.<ref name=":0" />

[[File:White pine shedding old foliage in autumn.jpg|thumb|left|White pine boughs, showing annual yellowing and [[abscission]] of older foliage in the autumn, upstate New York, USA]]

Unconfirmed reports from the colonial era gave diameters of virgin white pines of up to {{cvt|8|ft|m|order=flip}}.<ref name=ling>{{cite journal |last=Ling |first=H. |date=2003 |title=The Eastern White Pine |journal=Native Plant Society of NJ Newsletter Winter 2003 |pages=2–3}}</ref>

== Mortality and disease ==
[[File:InsectsAffectingWhitePine.jpg|thumb|An illustration dated 1902, showing a variety of insect pests affecting eastern white pine]]

Because the eastern white pine tree is somewhat resistant to fire, mature survivors are able to reseed burned areas. In pure stands, mature trees usually have no branches on the lower half of their trunks. The [[white pine weevil]] (''Pissodes strobi'') and white pine blister rust (''[[Cronartium ribicola]]''), an introduced fungus, can damage or kill these trees.

=== Blister rust ===
Mortality from white pine blister rust in mature pine groves was often 50–80% during the early 20th century. The fungus must spend part of its lifecycle on alternate hosts of the genus ''[[Ribes]]'', the native gooseberry or wild currant. Foresters proposed that if all the alternate host plants were removed, white pine blister rust might be eliminated. A very determined campaign was mounted, and all land owners in commercial pine-growing regions were encouraged to uproot and kill all native gooseberry and wild currant plants.<ref name=ling /><ref name=lombard>{{cite book |last1=Lombard |first1=K. |first2=J. |last2=Bofinger |date=1999 |title=White Pine Blister Rust |publisher=[[New Hampshire Division of Forests and Lands]] |url=https://extension.unh.edu/sites/default/files/migrated_unmanaged_files/Resource000413_Rep435.pdf |access-date=2023-01-06 |archive-date=2023-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106191741/https://extension.unh.edu/sites/default/files/migrated_unmanaged_files/Resource000413_Rep435.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The ramifications for wildlife and [[habitat]] ecology were of less concern at the time than timber-industry protection.<ref name=":0" />

Today, native wild currants are relatively rare plants in New England, and planting wild currants or wild gooseberries is strongly discouraged, or even illegal in some jurisdictions. As an alternative, new strains of commercial currants have been developed that are highly resistant to white pine blister rust. Mortality in white pines from rust is only about 3% today.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

==Conservation status in the United States==
Old white pines are treasured in the United States. An American National Natural Landmark, [[Cook Forest State Park]] in Pennsylvania, contains the tallest known tree in the Northeastern United States, a white pine named Longfellow Pine.<ref>{{cite web |last=Luthringer |first=Dale |url=http://www.nativetreesociety.org/fieldtrips/penna/old_growth_forests_in_pa.htm |title=Old Growth Forests in the Pennsylvania Wilds |access-date=2019-10-15 |archive-date=2019-09-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190919171724/http://www.nativetreesociety.org/fieldtrips/penna/old_growth_forests_in_pa.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Some white pines in Wisconsin are over 200 years old.<ref>{{cite web |last=Johnson |first=Christopher and Barbara |url=https://www.americanforests.org/magazine/article/menominee-forest-keepers/ |title=Menominee Forest Keepers |access-date=2019-10-15 |archive-date=2019-10-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191015193908/https://www.americanforests.org/magazine/article/menominee-forest-keepers/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Although widely planted as a landscape tree in the Midwestern states,<ref>Ruh, G., Creswell, T. (2017 Feb.) Tree Diseases: White Pine Decline in Indiana. Purdue Extension. https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/BP/BP-34-W.pdf | https://web.archive.org/web/20200702142925/https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/BP/BP-34-W.pdf</ref> native White pine is listed as "rare or uncommon" in [[Indiana]].<ref name="PLANTS" /><ref>Indiana Department of Natural Resources. (9 March 2020). Endangered, Threatened, and Extirpated Plants of Indiana. https://www.in.gov/dnr/naturepreserve/files/np-etrplants.pdf | https://web.archive.org/web/20200702141630/https://www.in.gov/dnr/naturepreserve/files/np-etrplants.pdf</ref>

== Historical uses ==

=== Lumber ===
In the 19th century, the harvesting of [[Midwestern United States|Midwestern]] white pine forests played a major role in America's [[Territorial evolution of the United States|westward expansion]] through the [[Great Plains]]. A quarter-million white pines were harvested and sent to lumber yards in Chicago in a single year.<ref>{{cite book |last=Cronon |first=William |title=Nature's Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West |year=1991 |publisher=W. W. Norton and Company |location=New York, NY |pages=183 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7OCQAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA183 |isbn=9780393072457}}</ref>

The white pine had aesthetic appeal to contemporary [[Naturalism (philosophy)|naturalists]] such as [[Henry David Thoreau]] ("There is no finer tree.")<ref>{{cite book |last=Thoreau |first=Henry David |title=The Writings of Henry David Thoreau: Journal |year=1861 |pages=33 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u_URAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA33}}</ref> Beyond that, it had [[logging|commercial applications]]. It was considered "the most sought and most widely utilized of the various forest growths of the [[Northwest Territory|northwest]]."<ref name="Hotchkiss 1861 752">{{cite book |last=Hotchkiss |first=George Woodward |title=History of the Lumber and Forest Industry of the Northwest |year=1861 |pages=752 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U5c4AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA752}}</ref> Descriptions of its uses are quoted below from a 19th-century source:

{{Quote box
|quote = Being of a soft texture and easily worked, taking paint better than almost any other variety of wood, it has been found adaptable to all the uses demanded in the building art, from the manufacture of packing cases to the bearing timber and finer finish of a dwelling. Of light weight, it has borne transportation to the farms of the west, where it is used for building purposes in dwellings, barns, and corn cribs, while as a fencing material it has no superior. Aside from those conditions which demand a dense strong timber, such as ship-building or in wagon-making, white pine has been found adaptable to all the economic uses in which lumber is required, not excluding its use in coarser articles of furniture. No wood has found greater favor or entered more fully into supplying all those wants of man which could be found in the forest growths.<ref name="Hotchkiss 1861 752" />
|qalign = left
|align = center
|width = 65%
}}

The species was imported in 1620 to England by Captain [[George Weymouth]], who planted it for a timber crop, but had little success because of white pine blister rust disease.

Old-growth pine in the Americas, of various ''Pinus'' species, was a highly desired wood since huge, knot-free boards were the rule rather than the exception. Pine was common and easy to cut, thus many colonial homes used pine for paneling, floors, and furniture. Pine was also a favorite tree of loggers, since pine logs can still be processed in a lumber mill a year or more after being cut down. In contrast, most hardwood trees such as cherry, maple, oak, and ash must be cut into 1" thick boards immediately after felling, or else large cracks will develop in the trunk which can render the wood worthless.<ref name=ling /><ref name=":0" />

Although eastern white pine was frequently used for flooring in buildings constructed before the [[U.S. Civil War]], the wood is soft and tends to cup over time with wear. [[George Washington]] opted for the much harder [[southern yellow pine]] at Mount Vernon, instead.<ref name=ling />

=== Mast pines ===
During the 17th and 18th centuries, tall white pines in the [[Thirteen Colonies]] became known as "[[mast (sailing)|mast]] pines". Marked by agents of [[the Crown]] with the [[Broad arrow#Use in the American colonies|broad arrow]], a mast pine was reserved for the British [[Royal Navy]]. Special barge-like vessels were built to ship tall white pines to England. The wood was often squared to better fit in the holds of these ships.<ref name=ling /> A {{convert|100|ft|m|order=flip|adj=on}} mast was about {{cvt|3|x|3|ft|m|order=flip}} at the butt and {{cvt|2|x|2|ft|m|order=flip}} at the top, while a {{convert|120|ft|m|order=flip|adj=on}} mast was {{cvt|4|x|4|ft|m|order=flip}} by {{cvt|30|in|m|order=flip}} on its ends.

By 1719, [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire]], had become the hub of pine logging and shipping. Portsmouth shipped 199&nbsp;masts to England that year. In all, about 4500&nbsp;masts were sent to England.<ref name=NEF2019>{{cite AV media |people=Asselin, Ray (producer, narrator) |date=2019 |title=Eastern White Pine: The Tree Rooted in American History |medium=Motion picture |publisher=New England Forests |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQs7novlvtA |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/bQs7novlvtA |archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live |access-date=2021-03-11}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

The eastern white pine played a significant role in the events leading to the [[American Revolution]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-04-13 |title=The New Hampshire Pine Tree Riot of 1772 |url=https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/new-hampshire-pine-tree-riot-1772/ |access-date=2020-07-28 |website=New England Historical Society |language=en-US |archive-date=2020-07-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728213200/https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/new-hampshire-pine-tree-riot-1772/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=nizalowski>Nizalowski, E. 1997. The mystery of the Pumpkin Pine. Newark Valley Historical Society, Newark, NY.</ref><ref>Sloane, E. 1965. A Reverence for Wood. Balantine Books, NY.</ref> Marking of large white pines by the Crown had become controversial in the colonies by the first third of the 18th century. In 1734, the King's men were assaulted and beaten in [[Exeter, New Hampshire]], in what was to be called the [[Mast Tree Riot]]. Colonel [[David Dunbar (colonel)|David Dunbar]] had been in the town investigating a stock pile of white pine in a pond and the ownership of the local timber mill before caning two townspeople.<ref>{{cite book |title=American Canopy: Trees, Forests, and the Making of a Nation |first=Eric |last=Rutkow |date=24 April 2012 |publisher=Scribner |page=30 |location=New York |isbn=978-1-4391-9354-9}}</ref> In 1772, the sheriff of [[Hillsborough County, New Hampshire]], was sent to the town of [[Weare, New Hampshire|Weare]] to arrest mill owners for the illegal possession of large white pines. That night, as the sheriff slept at the Pine Tree Tavern, he was attacked and nearly killed by an angry mob of colonists. This act of rebellion, later to become known as the [[Pine Tree Riot]], may have fueled the [[Boston Tea Party]] in 1773.

After the Revolutionary War, the fledgling United States used large white pines to build out its own navy. The masts of the [[USS Constitution|USS ''Constitution'']] were originally made of eastern white pine.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brooks |first=Rebecca Beatrice |title=Construction of the USS Constitution |website=historyofmassachusetts.org |date=June 27, 2017 |url=https://historyofmassachusetts.org/uss-constitution-construction/ |access-date=2021-03-08 |archive-date=2021-03-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210317010239/https://historyofmassachusetts.org/uss-constitution-construction/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The original masts were single trees, but were later replaced by laminated spars{{citation needed|date=June 2015}} to better withstand cannonballs.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}

In colonial times, an unusually large, lone, white pine was found in coastal South Carolina along the [[Black River (South Carolina)|Black River]], far east of its southernmost normal range.{{citation needed|date=March 2021}} The king's mark was carved into it, giving rise to the town of [[Kingstree, South Carolina|Kingstree]].<ref name="Williamsburg Hometown Chamber">{{cite web |title=History of Williamsburg County |publisher=Williamsburg HomeTown Chamber |url=http://www.williamsburgsc.org/history.htm |access-date=November 10, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120131184534/http://www.williamsburgsc.org/history.htm |archive-date=January 31, 2012}}</ref>

Eastern white pine is now widely grown in [[plantation]] [[forestry]] within its native area.

== Contemporary uses ==

=== Lumber ===
[[File:PinusStrobusBoard.jpg|thumb|Board of ''Pinus strobus'']]

=== Timber framing ===
Eastern white pine has often been used for timber frames, and is available in large sizes. Eastern white pine timbers are not particularly strong, so timbers increase in size to handle loads applied. This species accepts stains better than most, but it has little rot resistance, so should be used only in dry conditions.<ref name=":0" />

=== Characteristics ===
Freshly cut eastern white pine is yellowish white or a pale straw color, but pine wood which has aged many years tends to darken to a deep, rich, golden tan. Occasionally, one can find light brown pine boards with unusual yellowish-golden or reddish-brown hues. This is the famous "pumpkin pine". Slow growing pines in old-growth forests are thought to accumulate colored products in the heartwood, but genetic factors and soil conditions may also play a role in rich color development.<ref name=nizalowski />

This wood is also favored by patternmakers for its easy working.<ref name=":0" />

=== Ecology ===
Cottontail, snowshoe rabbits, porcupines, can eat the bark. Red squirrels can eat the cones by extracting the seeds. Seeds are eaten by crossbills, pine siskin, and white tailed deer.<ref name=":0" />

=== Foods and medicines ===
Eastern white pine needles exceed the amount of [[vitamin C]] of lemons and oranges<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Durzan |first=Don J |date=2009-02-02 |title=Arginine, scurvy and Cartier's "tree of life" |journal=Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine |volume=5 |pages=5 |doi=10.1186/1746-4269-5-5 |issn=1746-4269 |pmc=2647905 |pmid=19187550 |doi-access=free }}</ref> and make an excellent [[herbal tea]]. The [[Vascular cambium|cambium]] is edible. It is also a source of [[resveratrol]]. [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]] noted in the 18th century that cattle and pigs fed pine [[bark bread]] grew well, but he personally did not like the taste.

Pine tar is produced by slowly burning pine roots, branches, or small trunks in a partially smothered flame. Pine tar mixed with beer can be used to remove [[tapeworm]]s (flat worms) or [[nematode]]s (round worms). Pine tar mixed with sulfur is useful to treat dandruff, and marketed in present-day products. Pine tar can also be processed to make [[turpentine]].<ref>Erichsen-Brown, C. 1979. Medicinal and Other Uses of North American Plants. Dover Publications, NY.</ref>

; Native American traditional uses
The name "Adirondack", an [[Iroquois]] word that means tree-eater, referred to their neighbors (more commonly known as the [[Algonquian peoples|Algonquians]]) who collected the inner bark of ''P. strobus'', ''[[Picea rubens]]'', and others during times of winter starvation. The white, soft inner bark (cambial layer) was carefully separated from the hard, dark brown bark and dried. When pounded, this product can be used as flour or added to stretch other starchy products.<ref name=umich>{{cite web |url=http://herb.umd.umich.edu/herb/search.pl?searchstring=Pinus+strobus |title=Pinus strobus |website=Native American Ethnobotany, University of Michigan – Dearborn) |access-date=2013-01-13 |archive-date=2013-05-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130525055404/http://herb.umd.umich.edu/herb/search.pl?searchstring=Pinus+strobus |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Fernald |first1=M. |first2=A. |last2=Kinsey |first3=R. |last3=Rollins |date=1943 |title=Edible Wild Plants |publisher=Harper & Row |location=New York}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

The young staminate cones were stewed by the [[Ojibwe]] Indians with meat, and were said to be sweet and not pitchy. In addition, the seeds are sweet and nutritious, but not as tasty as those of some of the western nut pines.<ref name=umich />

[[Pine resin]] (sap) has been used by various tribes to waterproof baskets, pails, and boats. The Ojibwe also used pine resin to successfully treat infections and even gangrenous wounds,<ref name=umich /> because pine resin apparently has a number of quite efficient antimicrobials. Generally, a wet pulp from the inner bark, or pine tar mixed with beeswax or butter was applied to wounds and used as a salve to prevent infection.

=== Cultivation ===
''P. strobus'' is cultivated by [[plant nursery|plant nurseries]] as an [[ornamental tree]], for planting in gardens and parks.<ref>{{NPIN |PIST |access-date=2013-01-13}}</ref> The species is low-maintenance and rapid-growing as a specimen tree. With regular shearing, it can also be trained as a [[hedge]]. Some cultivars are used in [[bonsai]].
<ref name=mbg>{{cite web |url=http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/e710/pinus-strobus.aspx |website=Missouri Botanical Garden Kemper Center for Home Gardening |title=''Pinus strobus'' (eastern white pine) |access-date=2013-01-13 |archive-date=2013-03-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130304010953/http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/e710/pinus-strobus.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Cultivars ====
[[Cultivar]]s have been selected for small to dwarf mature forms, and foliage color characteristics.<ref name=mbg /> They include:
*''P. strobus'' Nana group – {{cvt|3|ft|cm|order=flip}} tall by {{cvt|4|ft|m|order=flip}} wide [http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/a700/pinus-strobus-nana-group.aspx MBG: ''Pinus strobus'' (Nana Group)]
**''P. strobus'' 'Macopin' – {{cvt|1|to|3|ft|cm|order=flip}} tall & wide. [http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/a690/pinus-strobus-macopin.aspx MBG:''Pinus strobus'' 'Macopin']
**''P. strobus'' 'Paul Waxman' – {{cvt|2|to|5|ft|cm|order=flip}} tall & wide. [http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/b257/pinus-strobus-paul-waxman.aspx MBG: ''Pinus strobus'' 'Paul Waxman']<gallery>
File:Pinus strobus 'Pendula' at the Morris Arboretum.jpg|Pinus strobus 'Pendula'
File:Pinus Strobus 'Pigmaea'.jpg|Pinus Strobus 'Pigmaea'
File:Pinus Strobus 'Diggy'.jpg|Pinus Strobus 'Diggy'
</gallery>

==== Christmas trees ====
Smaller specimens are popular as live [[Christmas trees]]. Eastern white pines are noted for holding their needles well, even long after being harvested. They also are well suited for people with allergies, as they give little to no aroma. A standard {{convert|6|ft|m|adj=on|order=flip|sp=us}} tree takes around 6 to 8 years to grow in ideal conditions. Sheared varieties are usually desired because of their stereotypical Christmas tree conical shape, as naturally grown ones can be sparse, or grow bushy in texture.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.christmastree.org/trees/e_wht_pn.cfm |title=Christmas tree.org |access-date=2010-11-29 |archive-date=2010-11-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101120115917/http://christmastree.org/trees/e_wht_pn.cfm |url-status=live }}</ref> The branches of the eastern white pine are also widely used in making holiday wreaths and garlands because of their soft, feathery needles.

=== Water filtration ===
White pine xylem has been used as a filter to clean certain bacteria from contaminated water.<ref>{{Cite web |title=MIT engineers make filters from tree branches to purify drinking water |url=https://news.mit.edu/2021/filters-sapwood-purify-water-0325 |access-date=2021-10-26 |website=MIT News {{!}} Massachusetts Institute of Technology |date=25 March 2021 |language=en |archive-date=2021-10-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026231012/https://news.mit.edu/2021/filters-sapwood-purify-water-0325 |url-status=live }}</ref> Hemacytometer tests revealed that at least 99.9% of bacteria tested were rejected after being passed through white pine xylem.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Boutilier |first1=Michael S. H. |last2=Lee |first2=Jongho |last3=Chambers |first3=Valerie |last4=Venkatesh |first4=Varsha |last5=Karnik |first5=Rohit |date=2014-02-26 |title=Water Filtration Using Plant Xylem |journal=PLOS ONE |language=en |volume=9 |issue=2 |pages=e89934 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0089934 |issn=1932-6203 |pmc=3935949 |pmid=24587134 |bibcode=2014PLoSO...989934B |doi-access=free}}</ref>

== Symbolism ==
The [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|
indigenous]] [[Iroquois|Haudenosaunee]] (Iroquois Confederation) named it the "[[Tree of Peace]]". Since 2017, it has appeared on the [[Flag of Montreal|flag]] and [[Seal of Montreal|seal]] of the city of Montreal to represent the indigenous peoples of the area.

The eastern white pine is the [[Provincial tree emblems of Canada|provincial tree]] of [[Ontario]], Canada.<ref>{{cite web |title=Eastern white pine |url=https://www.ontario.ca/page/eastern-white-pine |website=Ontario.ca |access-date=20 January 2022 |archive-date=20 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120185340/https://www.ontario.ca/page/eastern-white-pine |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the United States, it is the [[List of U.S. state trees|state tree]] of [[Maine]] (as of 1945)<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/maine/state-tree/white-pine |title=White Pine |date=September 20, 2014 |website=State Symbols USA |access-date=March 29, 2023 |archive-date=March 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329124443/https://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/maine/state-tree/white-pine |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Michigan]] (as of 1955).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/michigan/state-tree/eastern-white-pine |title=Eastern White Pine |date=October 10, 2014 |website=State Symbols USA |access-date=March 29, 2023 |archive-date=March 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329124436/https://statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/michigan/state-tree/eastern-white-pine |url-status=live }}</ref> Its "pine cone and tassel" is also the [[List of U.S. state flowers|state flower]] of Maine, and is prominently featured on the state's license plates.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/flowers/me_pine_cone_tassel.htm |website=Netstate.com |title=Maine State Flower |access-date=2006-07-16 |archive-date=2006-12-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061214071457/http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/flowers/me_pine_cone_tassel.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Sprigs of eastern white pine were worn as badges as a symbol of [[Vermont]] identity during the [[Vermont Republic]] and are depicted in a stained-glass window in the [[Vermont State House]], on the [[Flag of Vermont]], and on the [[naval ensign]] of the [[Commonwealth of Massachusetts]] and the state of Maine. The [[1901 Maine Flag]] prominently featured the tree during its brief tenure as Maine's state flag. The [[Maine State Guard]] also use the tree in their uniform badges.

== See also ==
*[[Central Appalachian dry oak–pine forest]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}
*[http://www.pinetum.org/cones/PNStrobus.htm Pinetum.org: Cone photo from Arboretum de Villardebelle]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050220054146/http://www.inmygarden.org/archives/2005/01/great_americans_17.html The Monday Garden: The Eastern White Pine]

== External links ==
*{{Commons category-inline|Pinus strobus}}
*{{eFloras|1 |family=Pinaceae |first=Robert |last=Kral}}
*[http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=5250&flora_id=1 EFLORAS: ''P. strobus'' Distribution map]
*{{Gymnosperm Database |family=Pinaceae |genus=Pinus |species=strobus}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150923200806/http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/species/frame/pist.htm Bioimages.vanderbilt.edu: ''Pinus strobus'' images]
*{{CalPhotos|Pinus|strobus}}
*[http://www.euforgen.org/species/pinus-strobus/ ''Pinus strobus''] - information, genetic conservation units and related resources. [[European Forest Genetic Resources Programme]] (EUFORGEN)
*{{PFAF|Pinus strobus}}

{{US state flowers}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q157230}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Pinus|strobus]]
[[Category:Hardwood forest plants]]
[[Category:Trees of Northern America]]
[[Category:Plants described in 1753]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]
[[Category:Provincial symbols of Ontario]]
[[Category:Symbols of Michigan]]
[[Category:Symbols of Maine]]
[[Category:Plants used in traditional Native American medicine]]
[[Category:Plants used in Native American cuisine]]
[[Category:Garden plants of North America]]
[[Category:Plants used in bonsai]]
[[Category:Ornamental trees]]