Pinus resinosa, known as red pine (also Norway pine in Minnesota), is a pine native to Eastern North America, with a distribution from Pennsylvania and the Great Lakes region to Manitoba and Newfoundland. It is an adaptable species, and is a valuable forestry species in its native range. One of only two American members of subsection Pinus, the species is characterised by low genetic diversity.
Description
Red pine is a coniferous evergreen tree characterized by tall, straight growth. It usually ranges from in height and in trunk diameter, exceptionally reaching tall. The crown is conical, becoming a narrow rounded dome with age. The bark is thick and gray-brown at the base of the tree, but thin, flaky and bright orange-red in the upper crown; the tree's name derives from this distinctive character. Some red color may be seen in the fissures of the bark. The species is self pruning; there tend not to be dead branches on the trees, and older trees may have very long lengths of branchless trunk below the canopy.
The leaves are needle-like, dark yellow-green, in fascicles of two, A genetic study of nuclear microsatellite polymorphisms among populations distributed throughout its natural range found that red pine populations from Newfoundland are genetically distinct from most mainland populations, consistent with dispersal from different glacial refugia in this highly self-pollinating species.
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File:Pinus resinosa1.jpg|An old tree in Itasca State Park, Minnesota
File:PinusFlower.jpg|alt=Pollen cones|Pollen cones in spring
File:Jack Pine needles and Red Pine cones 2016-06-02 074.jpg|alt=Cone |Cone (scale in cm)
File:Red pine in the autumn.jpg|alt=Red pine boughs, showing yellowing and abscission of older foliage in the autumn|Red pine boughs, showing yellowing and abscission of older foliage in the autumn.
File:WisconsinScenery.jpg|Tree roots anchor the structure and provide water and nutrients. The ground has eroded away around the roots of this young red pine tree.
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Distribution and habitat
It occurs from Newfoundland west to Manitoba, and south to Pennsylvania, with several smaller, disjunct populations occurring in the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia and West Virginia, as well as a few small pockets in extreme northern New Jersey and northern Illinois. It can be found in a variety of habitats, predominantly in cool-temperate, hemiboreal and southern-mid boreal forests, with sparse populations found further north and south.
It produces extremely large quantities of turpentine-rich resin to heal injuries and ward off/kill pests, with its scientific epithet resinosa (meaning "resinous" or "full of resin" in Latin) reflecting such quality.
As a pioneer tree, red pines use their partially fire-resistant bark to survive small-to-medium forest fires. These fires clear out leaf litter and competing trees/saplings, allowing the pine's offspring to grow with more sun access.
Uses
The wood is commercially valuable in forestry for timber and paper pulp, and the tree is also used for landscaping. Turpentine is used as a strong solvent, paint thinner and varnish, but it is extremely volatile and can cause fires/poisioning when mishandled. In its raw form, red pine resin can also be used as a fire starter and natural bandage due to its flammability and antiseptic properties respectively.
In culture
The red pine is Minnesota's state tree. In Minnesota the use of the name "Norway" may stem from early Scandinavian immigrants who likened the American red pines to the Scots pines back home.
References
External links
- Interactive Distribution Map of Red Pine at plantmaps.com