Most Common North American Pine Species

Loblolly Pine

The most common tree in North America, the loblolly pine is a fast-growing, popularly used for lumber and pulpwood. The tree grows up to 100 feet in 30 years, with a straight trunk that can be 80 percent of its height.

The name “loblolly” refers to the species’ low-lying habitat—namely wetland areas.

Slash Pine

The slash pine, which is native to the southeastern United States, grows to heights of around 80 feet. The trunk of the tree is long and straight with a conical shape. In addition, its bark is dark brown in color and very thick.

Eastern White Pine

Eastern white pine, the tallest eastern conifer, is native to most of northeastern North America. It has five needles per fascicle (bundle) and cones that are slender and hang down. It is a softwood with fine grain and even texture, making it easy to work with and suitable for many applications. The uses include framing lumber, trim, doors, interior paneling, flooring, siding and crafts. Eastern white pine is more resistant to decay than other pines but does not accept preservatives well.

This species is not native to Wisconsin but was widely planted in the state in the 1800s for its timber value. In some areas it has been out-competed by faster-growing tree species but can still be found growing as a minor component of many northern forests. This species grows best on moist sites in light shade or full sun where there is plenty of room for its large size; white pine can grow over 100 feet tall!

Ponderosa Pine

The ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) is a large, striking pine tree native to the western United States. Its needles grow in clusters of three and have a distinctive spicy-citrus scent. This tree is considered to be a shade-intolerant species, which is why you’ll often find it in more open areas such as grasslands. Most commonly found at altitudes of 3,000 to 6,000 feet above sea level, this tree can grow up to 100 feet tall if given an ideal setting. However, you will occasionally see younger trees with a more shrublike appearance than the typical towering conifer shape.

Western White Pine

Western White Pine likes to grow in shady places, and they have long, straight and smooth trunks. This species has short needles that grow in bundles of five. The leaves are very slender and bright green or yellowish-green. Western White Pine’s large, dark brown cones have a length of 2 to 4 inches and a width of 1 to 1 1/2 inches. Each cone has thick scales with prickles on the end which can help distinguish it from other pine species. It is important to know that this tree gets its name from the way its bark peels off in long white strips when it is young. When it gets older though, it becomes covered with plates of dark grey bark with deep furrows between them.

Western White Pine is an important source of lumber used for building houses and furniture. Its wood was valued by Native American tribes for making baskets because the inner bark peeled easily into strips.

This pine can be found growing at low elevations near water sources on moist mountain slopes throughout Idaho’s western panhandle and central mountains as well as northeastern Oregon near Joseph, Oregon.

Western White Pine prefers moist soils such as those found at higher elevations where snow melt waters infiltrate into the soil.

Pines are the most common North American trees.

Pines are the most common trees in North America, but they also grow in Northern Europe and Asia. The word pine comes from the Latin word pinus and is a coniferous tree that can grow up to 90 meters tall. Pines have needles instead of leaves and their cones instead of flowers. Because they are so common, there are many species within the Pinus genus including Pinus strobus (white pine) and Pinus virginiana (Virginia pine). All pines are evergreens that keep their needles year round; however, some species will shed the older needles each year with new growth in spring.