Common Name: Jack Pine

General Information

Pinus banksiana is an evergreen tree with a crown that becomes irregularly rounded or spreading and flattened; it can grow up to 27 metres tall. The cylindrical bole can be straight to crooked and up to 60cm in diameter[].
Despite its relatively small size, the sheer abundance of Jack Pine makes it an important timber tree for pulpwood, lumber and round timber, in N. America, where it is harvested on a large scale from the wild. It is cultivated as a timber crop in central Europe[], and is also grown as an ornamental[].
This is the most widespread and abundant species of pine in North America. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

The wood, sawdust and resins from various species of pine can cause dermatitis in sensitive people[].

Botanical References

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Range

Northern N. America - Northwest Territory to Quebec and Nova Scotia, south to Alberta, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania

Habitat

Barren sandy or rocky soils[], sometimes forming extensive forests[]. A fire-successional species in boreal forests, tundra transition, dry flats, and hills, usually on sandy soils; at elevations from sea level to 800 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	12.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Wind
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Pinus banksiana is a plant of boreal to subarctic regions, growing up to where the Arctic tree line merges with the tundra. It occurs mainly in continental climate conditions with short, warm summers, and long, very cold winters and low precipitation, about half of whch is snow[]. It is a very cold-hardy plant, able to tolerate temperatures down to around -40°c when fully dormant[]. It grows best in climates where there is a distinct transition from winter to spring. It is easily excited into growth as the season warms up and, in areas where periods of mild weather can be interspersed with a return to cold conditions, this new growth is very susceptible to damage by temperates near to or below freezing[].
Thrives in a light well-drained sandy or gravelly loam[]. It grows mostly on dry, sandy soils but is also found on thin soils over granite or metamorphosed rock and on peat[]. Dislikes poorly drained moorland soils and shady positions[]. Starts away well on almost any soil, whether poorly drained or shallow and dry[]. Established plants tolerate drought[].
A fast growing tree when young[], but growth soon slows down and the tree is short-lived in Britain with no tree known to be older than 75 years[]. New shoots can be almost 1 metre long, though the tree remains spindly[]. An open-topped tree, though plants sometimes have a shrubby habit of growth[]. They can start producing seed when only a few years old[].
The cones are 4- 5cm long[]. They ripen in their second year and sometimes shed their seeds at this stage, but the cones can remain un-opened on the tree for a number of years, opening and shedding their seed after several years or after a forest fire has heated them to at least 50°c[, ]. This latter habit makes them one of the first colonizers of burnt land[].
The plant is highly adapted to fires, which are frequent in the taiga forests and can destroy vast areas of forest cover. Indeed, Jack pine is the most successful coniferous pioneer after fire, where its seedlings can be found growing with Betula papyrifera or Populus tremuloides[].
Plants are strongly outbreeding, self-fertilized seed usually grows poorly[]. They hybridize freely with other members of this genus[]. This species hybridises in the wild with the closely related Pinus contorta where their ranges overlap[, ].
There are several named varieties selected for their ornamental value[].
Leaf secretions inhibit the germination of seeds, thereby inhibiting the growth of other plants below the tree[].
Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[].

Edible Uses

Seed - raw or cooked[]. Rich in oil with a slightly resinous flavour[]. They are very small and fiddly to utilize, being only 2 - 3mm long[].

Young cones - cooked[].

Inner bark[]. No more information is given, but the bark can usually be eaten raw or cooked. It can also be dried, then ground into a powder and used as a thickener in soups or can be mixed with cereal flours when making bread etc[].

A refreshing drink is made from the leaves[, ].

A vanillin flavouring is obtained as a by-product of other resins that are released from the pulpwood[].

Medicinal

Oil of turpentine, obtained from the oleo-resin of all pine trees, is antiseptic, antispasmodic, astringent, diuretic, rubefacient, stimulant and vermifuge[, ]. It is a valuable remedy used internally in the treatment of kidney and bladder complaints and is used both internally and as a rub and steam bath in the treatment of rheumatic affections[]. It is also very beneficial to the respiratory system and so is useful in treating diseases of the mucous membranes and respiratory complaints such as coughs, colds, influenza and TB[].
Applied externally in the form of liniment plasters, poultices, herbal steam baths and inhalers, it is a very beneficial treatment for a variety of skin complaints, wounds, sores, burns, boils etc[].

A poultice of the inner bark has been used in the treatment of deep cuts[].

The leaves have been used in a herbal steam bath to clear congested lungs[]. They have also been used as a fumigant to revive a comatose patient[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The trees have an extensive root system and are well adapted for growing in poor sandy soils[, ], they are often used as a pioneer tree for reforestation[].
The needles contain a substance called terpene, this is released when rain washes over the needles and it has a negative effect on the germination of some plants, including wheat[].

Other Uses

A tan or green dye is obtained from the needles[].

An extract of the bark is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as a skin conditioner[].

Various native North American tribes made a string from the long roots of this species and used it to stitch the bark of their canoes[, ]. In a sandy soil, the roots of this species extend near the surface of the soil for perhaps 10 metres and are easy to pull out of the ground for their entire length. When gathered, they were made into coils and sunk beneath the surface of water until the outer bark had loosened from the root. They were then peeled and split in half, each half being a serviceable cord for sewing together canoes and bark strips intended for the roofs of wigwams and other purposes[].

Oleo-resins are present in the tissues of all species of pines, but these are often not present in sufficient quantity to make their extraction economically worthwhile[]. The resins are obtained by tapping the trunk, or by destructive distillation of the wood[, ]. In general, trees from warmer areas of distribution give the higher yields[].
Oil of Turpentine consists of an average of 20% of the oleo-resin[] and is separated by distillation[, ]. Turpentine has a wide range of uses including as a solvent for waxes etc, for thinning and dissolving varnish and paints, a shoe polish, medicinal etc[, ].
Rosin is also obtained by distillation of pine resin. This is used in paper glue and soap manufacturing, as a constituent of varnishes and paints, and for coating the bows of stringed musical instruments such as violins[, ].
Pitch can also be obtained from the resin and is used for waterproofing, as a wood preservative etc[].

The wood is fairly light in weight, soft, coarse, weak[, , , ]. It weighs 27lb per cubic foot[]. It is occasionally also for posts, pulp and lumber[, , , ]. Its wood is also used in carpentry and joinery, for containers, pallets and crates as well as particle-board
The wood is used for fuel[, , , ].

Propagation

It is best to sow the seed in individual pots in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe if this is possible otherwise in late winter. A short stratification of 6 weeks at 4°c can improve the germination of stored seed[]. Plant seedlings out into their permanent positions as soon as possible and protect them for their first winter or two[]. Plants have a very sparse root system and the sooner they are planted into their permanent positions the better they will grow[]. Trees should be planted into their permanent positions when they are quite small, between 30 and 90cm[]. We actually plant them out when they are about 5 - 10cm tall. So long as they are given a very good weed-excluding mulch they establish very well[]. Larger trees will check badly and hardly put on any growth for several years. This also badly affects root development and wind resistance[].
Cuttings. This method only works when taken from very young trees less than 10 years old. Use single leaf fascicles with the base of the short shoot. Disbudding the shoots some weeks before taking the cuttings can help. Cuttings are normally slow to grow away[].