November/December Newsletter

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N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 3 • A R B O R D AY. O R G

NURTURE THROUGH NATURE

Eastern White Pine Pinus strobus

THIS EVERGREEN HAS ALWAYS BEEN one of the most important trees in the American landscape. In colonial days, the best of the trees were set aside by the king for masts on British ships. Today it is still a valuable commercial tree but also favored in parks and spacious yards — both for its beauty and its fast growth. This popularity has also led to the eastern white pine being named the state tree of both Maine and Michigan.

NEEDLES: Long, slender, and bluegreen, sometimes reaching 5 inches in length. Grown in bundles of five that are soft and flexible.

CONES: Narrow, curved, about 5 inches long, and hanging downward. The scales are smooth and sometimes sticky with sap. BARK: Smooth and grayish-green

when young, darkening with age. At maturity, trunks are grayishbrown with deep furrows and broad, scaly ridges.

FORM: A large tree at maturity, reaching 80–100 feet or more in height with up to a 40-foot spread. The trunk is usually straight with a pyramid-shaped crown, especially when young. A whorl of branches is produced annually making it easy to tell the age of this tree. Older trees are often topped with a flattened leader that points away from the prevailing wind. WILDLIFE VALUE: Provides nesting sites for many birds

including woodpeckers, common grackles, mourning doves, chickadees, and nuthatches. The seeds are favored by black bears, rabbits, red squirrels, and many birds. While potentially damaging to the trees, the bark is eaten by mammals such as beavers, snowshoe hares, porcupines, rabbits, and mice.

PLANTING: Suitable in hardiness zones 3–8. Prefers full sun and moist, well-drained loam or sandy soil with an acidic pH range of 4.5– 6.5. Can be established in other soil conditions and partial shade, but growth will be slower. To purchase or learn more about this tree and others, visit arborday.org/whitepine or scan this QR code.

An official publication of

We guarantee delivery of healthy trees to our members. Please check ordering deadlines and shipping dates at arborday.org/shipping. If you need to contact us about your trees, call 888-448-7337, email us at info@arborday.org, or drop us a note at Member Services, Arbor Day Foundation, 211 N. 12th St., Lincoln, NE 68508. We want your tree planting efforts to be successful!

© 2023 Arbor Day Foundation. The Foundation sometimes exchanges mailing lists with selected organizations with offers of interest to our members. If you do not want your name included, just write, email us at privacy@arborday.org, or call Member Services and tell us not to exchange your name.

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ONE PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL SYSTEM IS EMBRACING HISTORY AND CELEBRATING TREES


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