Tree ID please

[albertj03]

Can anyone tell me what kind of trees these are? They are some kind of pine that grows very tall and straight as you can see in the pics. My wife's father planted a large stand of them a long time ago and intended to have them harvested. The bark is very thin and scalely. The wood drys dense and hard.

 

[devinsdad]

scotch pine guess

 

[raybonz]

I have a couple good sized ones on my property and I call em pitch pines... Probably a good lumber tree..

Ray

 

[Todd]

Looks like Red Pine.

 

[pybyr]

Looks like Red Pine.

Agreed -- red pine, also known I think, as Norway Pine, and, botanically, as Pinus Resinosa.

I cut it and burn it in my gasifier, and find that it's OK, though not amazing, in heat output.

It's reasonably low in moisture and seasons reasonably fast if it's in a spot with sun and air movement _and_ out of rain exposure- but, in my experience, it'll soak up moisture like a sponge if it's allowed to lie in long lengths and/or in damp /uncovered conditions

Some interesting info on it in this document:

http://www.mountainfirewoodkilns.com/firewood_ratings.pdf

 

[DBoon]

I was thinking red pine also. Check the needles - they should be in clumps of three.

 

[raybonz]

I was thinking red pine also. Check the needles - they should be in clumps of three.

I agree with you I think red pine is also known as pitch pine but I could be wrong.. The logs on my home are made from red pine and I can tell you carpenter ants (my mortal enemy!!) like it too.. I could kill a million carpenter ants and sleep like a baby after.. Have I mentioned I HATE carpenter ants??? :ahhh: :exclaim:

Ray

 

[albertj03]

Thanks for the help! The pictures of Scotch Pine bark look closest to what I have but as far as the rest of the tree Red Pine or Pitch Pine looks very close too. I asked my mother in-law and she said they thought they were Norway Pine so Red Pine is probably what they are. I'll have to try burning some to see how it burns. There are a few standing dead that are very dry and solid.

Thanks again!

 

[Wood Duck]

Looks like Red aka Norway Pine to me. This is not the same tree as Pitch Pine, although they look pretty similar sometimes. Scotch Pines usually have a orange bark, at least on the upper section of the tree.

 

[NH_Wood]

Looks like Red aka Norway Pine to me. This is not the same tree as Pitch Pine, although they look pretty similar sometimes. Scotch Pines usually have a orange bark, at least on the upper section of the tree.

If I'm remembering right, pitch pine (definitely different from red pine - you're right) is a small, knarly growing pine. I think I remember seeing some along some dune areas near Cape Cod and along some ridgelines in PA. Picks look like red pine to me, but I always need to see needle clusters to get a good ID on many pines (exept eastern white). Cheers!

 

[Wood Duck]

Pitch Pine can sometimes be a pretty nice tall tree, but in a lot of places it grows as a small gnarly tree. Red Pine is usually a nice, tall straight tree, like the ones in the pics. Red Pine is more northern than Pitch Pine, but they both grow in parts of New England. I don't think it has ever been common to plant Pitch Pine - it certainly isn't common now. On the other hand, Red Pine is very commonly planted, and all of the ones around my area (central PA) are planted as far as I know. I think the OP said these pines were planted by his grandfather, so Red or Scoth pine are much more likely than Pitch Pine. If the upper half of the trunk doesn't have orange bark, then it probably isn't Scotch Pine. Of course there are a few botanical characteristics to cinch the ID. Both Scotch Pine and Red Pine have two needles per cluster. Red Pine should have needles longer than 3 inches, Scotch Pine needles are 1.5 to 3 inches long, according to my field guide. Pitch Pine has three needles per cluster, and the needles are twisted, at least most needles on most trees are.

 

[firefighterjake]

Got a picture of the needles . . . that would help some . . .

 

[tiber]

Got a picture of the needles . . . that would help some . . .

+1 - also the pine cones since that tells you a lot about them.

We have these on the farm, the deer are totally gay for them.