Pinus strobus

P. strobus can be found all over Michigan, from mixed forests to dunes to swamps. They can be pretty easy to spot, with an elegant windswept look resulting from branches bending away from prevailing winds. They also can be seen standing tall above forest canopies.

Less common are something called old growth pines (120+ yr old trees). Many (nearly 99%) of old growth forests have been lumbered during the 19th and 20th century. Hartwick Pines State Park in Grayling, MI is a protected old growth forest with pines as tall as 157 ft.

Of course we can’t talk about old growth white pines without mentioning The Longfellow Pine, the tallest tree in the northeastern United States. It stands 181.3 ft tall! Even more mighty is the champion white pine in Waldo, ME with a 6.5 ft diameter!

White pine lumber was a big part of westward expansion in the United States during the 19th and 20th century. Read here for some background on logging in Michigan during this time period. 

The rise in lumbering absolutely devastated native biodiversity. W.J Beal of the MSU Herbarium and Beal Botanical Gardens at MSU was one of the leaders in efforts of reforestation with the Beal Pinetum, a 2.2 acre plantation of pines, planted in 1896.

We hope you learned something new about the Eastern white pine!