Eastern White Pine is the tallest native conifer in eastern North America and is the state tree of Maine and Michigan. It grows to over 100 feet tall and has a straight trunk up to four feet wide.
Like all pine trees, this tree is evergreen, so it keeps its leaves (needles) year-round. Each needle can grow up to five inches long. The needle bundles cluster into brush-like formations.
Pine trees aren’t the easiest trees to identify, let’s face it – they all look the same. But there’s an easy trick for Eastern White Pines, their needles are grouped in bundles of five. It is the only eastern pine with this characteristic.
The fruits of this tree are large brown pine cones, four to eight inches long. Each cone has seeds in it. Birds eat Eastern White Pine seeds, including two types commonly seen here: Black-capped Chickadees and White-breasted Nuthatches. Many species of birds also nest in Eastern White Pines; they are a favorite nest site of American Bald Eagles.
Squirrels, chipmunks, voles and mice eat pine needles as well as seeds. Cottontail rabbits eat the bark from larger trees, as do beaver.
Eastern White Pine needles contain five times the amount of Vitamin C (by weight) of lemons and make an excellent herbal tea. In the past, this tree was used for ships’ masts, because of its large, straight trunk. These days it is used extensively for furniture because it is very easy to carve and has less resin than other pines. There is widespread cultivation of Eastern White Pines for Christmas trees, because they grow well, especially in the tree’s native habitat.
Mature trees can easily be 200 to 250 years old and some have lived over 400 years.