Common North American Conifers

Eastern White Pine

This conifer is often grown as a Christmas tree. It can be found in the northern United States and Canada growing in moist soils. The cones are about 2 inches (5 cm) long and are blue-green in color. The needles are about 1 inch (3 cm) long, blue-green on the upper side, and whitish on the underside. This conifer is a large tree that can grow to nearly 100 feet (30 m).

Ponderosa Pine

The ponderosa pine is a large coniferous tree native to western North America. It can grow as tall as 82 feet, but the average height is 40 to 60 feet. Just like its name suggests, this tree has a ponderous appearance due to its size and the very long needles that grow from its branches. Large cones also hang from the branches of the ponderosa pine and are an important food source for various wildlife, such as birds and squirrels. The bark of this tree is thick and scaly—it grows so thick in fact that it can serve as protection from some forest fires! Ponderosa pines are most often used for timber, but are also popular Christmas trees because their slender form makes them easy to decorate!

Jeffrey Pine

Most often found in mountainous areas, Jeffrey pines (Pinus jeffreyi) are tall and grow in large groups or clusters. They have a distinct smell and provide a useful ingredient for turpentine. To thrive, the trees need to be in the right climate, soil and temperature. Jeffrey pines usually grow between 25 to 75 feet tall and can live for hundreds of years if they’re given the right conditions.

Virginia Pine

Virginia Pine (Pinus virginiana) is a medium-sized evergreen native to the eastern part of North America. Virginia pine grows in dry, sandy soils and can be found in New Jersey, Virginia, Georgia, and Missouri. It is also known as Scrub Pine or Jersey Pine. In addition to being used as a Christmas tree, it is used in pulpwood production.

Virginia pine has a shallow root system and thus has the unfortunate proclivity for falling over in strong winds.

Jack Pine

The Jack pine (Pinus banksiana) is native to Canada and the northern United States. You’ll recognize it by its height of approximately 20-30 feet, which makes it a good choice for smaller yards. Its needles are bundled in groups of two, and each needle is around two to four inches long. It’s conical shape also sets it apart from other coniferous trees: if you look closely you’ll see that its branches don’t just extend out horizontally—they also grow upward, much like the shape of a Christmas tree. In terms of its cones, they’re about two to three inches long and have a two-year life cycle. During the first year, the cone remains closed; during the second year, the cone opens up in the summer.

Lodgepole Pine

The Lodgepole pine, also known as Pinus contorta, is a conifer commonly found in western North America. This tree is very important for timber and paper production. Unfortunately, it is susceptible to bark beetles.

Thanks to this susceptibility, Lodgepole pines can be used for firewood as well. For example, in the late 1980s and early 1990s a beetle outbreak killed more than 90% of these trees in Jasper National Park. However, because of the different stages of maturity among these trees, only about 5% were actually lost from the park’s live tree stock. In addition to being great firewood and generally useful trees, they are also easily identified by their cones (which don’t open until they’ve been burned or heated).

Pitch Pine

The pitch pine is a medium-sized tree that grows in sandy soil. It is native to the eastern United States, including northern Florida; it is also found in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Pitch pines are three-needled pines.

Among conifers with which it might be confused are the similar shortleaf pine (P. echinata), which has leaves with only a slight twist, an open crown and bark with horizontal fissures; the very similar Pond pine (P. serotina) of southern coastal plain of the U.S., which differs primarily by having longer leaves twisted at right angles and bark without vertical fissures; and loblolly pine (P. taeda), also found in much of pinus rigida’s range but differing by having shorter leaves with less twist and more erect cones, among other differences.[6]

Red Spruce

Red Spruce (Picea rubens) is a species of spruce native to eastern North America, ranging from northeastern United States to southeastern Canada. It is the provincial tree of Nova Scotia and the state tree of West Virginia. Red Spruce is a minor component in the Appalachian spruce-fir forest.

Red Spruce prefers acid soils, but can be found on alkaline as well. It grows slower than some other spruces, reaching its full size in 250–300 years and 200 years to become mature.[citation needed]

The Red Spruce’s historical importance has been many fold. Early settlers used it for rope, twine and other cordage. It was also used for lumber for buildings and furniture; shingles; boxes; tubs; barrels and kegs (for storing food); wooden water pipes (before metal pipes came into use); musical instruments such as violins and guitars; firewood; pulp for paper making; excelsior (another word for packing material); Christmas trees; decorations such as wreaths; fence posts, ladders, tool handles, bows and arrows, clothespins, toys and novelties.[citation needed]

Sitka Spruce

Sitka spruce stands out in many ways. It is a very large tree, growing to over 200 feet. In addition to its impressive height, Sitka spruce also has an impressive width—it can grow up to 10 feet across in favorable conditions!

This conifer is native to the Pacific Northwest and grows along the coast of British Columbia down into California. Alaska chose Sitka spruce as its state tree because unlike many other species, it can withstand moose trampling on it!

Sitka spruce is an important lumber tree and used for home construction and boat building. The wood is also popular for making guitars!

This conifer makes a great Christmas tree because it stays fresh for a long time after being cut down.

Fraser Fir

The Fraser fir is a Christmas tree, one of the most popular species in North America. It has beautiful blue-green needles that are soft to the touch and it grows in the mountains of the southeastern United States. The needles are flat and arranged all around the twig in a spiral pattern, with no two rows up or down. They’re also about 1 inch long.

Fraser firs grow at high elevations, but they’re tough trees, so they can withstand wind speeds of up to 160 miles per hour!

Engelmann Spruce

Along with the blue spruce, this is a larger conifer native to the Rocky Mountains. Its range spans Canada, the United States and Mexico. The Engelmann can grow to heights of over 100 feet tall and its bark becomes deeply furrowed as it ages.

This tree likes well-drained soil conditions and frosty climates where temperatures regularly drop below zero degrees Fahrenheit. To thrive in your yard, it requires moist but not waterlogged soil.

Pacific Silver Fir

Pacific Silver Fir is a species of fir native to the Pacific Northwest. It grows at elevations of between 500 and 6,000 feet in the coastal mountains from north-central California to southern British Columbia and remains the dominant tree species up to 8,000 feet. Since it prefers damp conditions, Pacific Silver Fir is often found along streams and rivers. It has a conical shape when young and becomes more rounded with age. When mature, it can grow as tall as 250 feet. The wood of the Pacific Silver Fir is used for construction, pulp, and paper production. Because it thrives under cultivation and its wood is popular with lumber companies, this species is not currently threatened by human activity.

There are many conifers that grow in North America.

There are many types of conifers that grow in North America, but all of them have a few things in common. First, they all bear cones, which is how they propagate (in other words, make more trees). The cones are filled with edible seeds.

Conifers are also evergreen trees, meaning that their leaves don’t fall off in the winter like those of deciduous plants (like maple trees or rose bushes) do. Instead, their needles stay green year-round. Most coniferous plants have needle-like leaves—but not all! Some conifers have scale-like leaves instead.

Most conifers grow in the northern hemisphere—especially near the equator and at higher latitudes. They love to live in colder places—it’s possible you’ve seen some up close while skiing in the mountains!