White Pine is a towering, graceful evergreen that brings year-round beauty and ecological benefits to your yard. Its soft, feathery needles and majestic form make it a standout in any landscape, while also supporting local wildlife and improving air quality.
Quick Facts
- Height: approximately 50 feet in urban settings
- Spread: approximately 20 feet in urban settings
- Form: straight trunk with a high canopy and horizontal, upturned branches
- Leaves: bundles of five, bluish-green, long, flexible evergreen needles; new foliage emerges in spring
- Bark: smooth, grey-green when young; thick, scaly, furrowed, reddish-brown when mature
- New cones: small, yellow, cylindrical, male clusters near branch tips and small, light green with a tingeof red, female clusters at ends of branches
- Cones: females mature to long, brown, woody, often curved cones with rounded scales; emerge in early summer, mature in late summer and persist throughout the fall and winter
Distinguishing Feature
White Pine has long, slender needles grouped in clusters of five, creating soft, feathery sprays that sway gracefully in the wind.
Historical Fact
White Pine was once highly prized for shipbuilding because of its tall, straight trunks and strong, lightweight wood. Its timber was used for masts and planks and played an important role in early North American maritime history.
Why We Love It
White Pine is prized for its tall, stately shape and evergreen foliage, which provides year-round interest and privacy. Its adaptability and resilience make it ideal for both urban and suburban settings, and it offers habitat for birds and small wildlife. With proper care, it can be a long-lasting centerpiece in any yard or community planting project.
Did You Know?
- White Pine is the tallest native pine in eastern North America and a super canopy tree in Ontario forests, with its height helping shape forest structure and influence microclimates.
- They are important for wildlife, providing seeds and shelter year-round. Mature trees offer nesting sites for large birds of prey like owls, hawks and eagles, while smaller birds and mammals use the branches and cones for food and cover.
- Its soft, flexible wood is prized for construction, furniture and craft projects.
Plant Your Own!
Planting a white pine in your yard is a wonderful way to enhance the beauty of your property and provide habitat for native wildlife. Plant for less with LEAF’s subsidized Backyard Tree Planting Program!
LEAF (Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the protection and improvement of urban forests. We envision vibrant communities where everyone benefits from a healthy urban forest. For over 30 years we have been connecting people with trees through education, planting and stewardship.
