Red pines

Red pine is a very old species, according to fossil records found in the Dakota sandstones in south Minnesota.

Red pine was a prominent species in the forests and barrens of the Lake States before European settlement. However, it declined in natural stands in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries due to harvesting and slashes burning.

Red pine is also referred to as Norway pine. It grows in the northern part of the Northeast and the Great Lakes region.

This very cold hardy, durable pine has a pyramidal or oval shape with heavy branches and grows to 50 or more feet tall and 23 feet wide. The wood is moderately heavy, moderately soft and moderately high in shock resistance.

The heartwood is darker than the sapwood and is pale red to reddish brown. Though handsome, red pine is best used in cold, demanding sites where more beautiful pines perform poorly.

The yellow-green needles are 6 inches long and arranged in pairs that form dense tufts along the branches.

Mature red pines trees are tolerant of low-intensity understory fires, and the species is considered to be fore adapted because of its very thick and insulated bark which protects the cambium from fire damage.
Red pines