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Pinus strobus, commonly denominated theeastern white pine,northern white pine,white pine,Weymouth pine(British), andsoft pineis a largenative to eastern. It occurs from, Canada west through theto southeasternand, United States, and south along theand upperto northernmostand perhaps very rarely in some of the higher elevations in northeastern.
Thedenominated it the "". It is known as the "Weymouth pine" in the United Kingdom,after Captainof the, who brought its seeds to England fromin 1605.
Pinus strobusis found in theof 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, and small mammals such as.
Eastern white pine forests originally covered much of north-central and north-eastern North America. Only one percent of theremain after the extensive logging operations of the 18th century to early 20th century.
Old growth forests, or virgin stands, are protected in. Other protected areas with known virgin forests, as confirmed by the Eastern Native Tree Society, include,, and Algoma Highlands in, Canada;,,State Park, andArea in theof, United States;in theof;in; Lost 40 Scientific and Natural Area (SNA) andin;,;,, andin; and thein, United States.
Smallor individual specimens of old growth eastern white pines are found across the range of the species in the USA, including in Ordway Pines,; Ice Glen,; and,. Many sites with conspicuously large specimens represent advanced. The tall stands inandinare examples.
As an,Pinus strobusis nowin thesubdivision of theinand southern Poland. It has spread from specimens planted as.
Like most members of the,subgenusStrobus, the("needles") are in fascicles (bundles) of 5, or rarely 3 or 4, with a. They are flexible, bluish-green, finely, 5–13cm (2–5in) long, and persist for 18 months, i.e., from the spring of one season until autumn of the next, when they.
Theare slender, 8–16cm (31⁄4–61⁄4in) long (rarely longer than that) and 4–5cm (11⁄2–2in) broad when open, and have scales with a rounded apex and slightly reflexed tip. Theare 4–5mm (5⁄32–3⁄16in) long, with a slender 15–20mm (5⁄8–3⁄4in) wing, and are dispersed by wind. Cone production peaks every 3 to 5years.
The branches are spaced about every 18 inches on the trunk with 5-6 branches appearing like spokes on a wagon wheel.
While eastern white pine is self-fertile, seeds produced this way tend to result in weak, stunted, and malformed seedlings.
Mature trees are often 200–250 years old, and some live to over 400 years. A tree growing nearwas dated to 458 years old in the late 1980s and trees inandwere dated to approximately 500 years old.