Common Name: Red Pine

General Information

Pinus resinosa is an evergreen tree with a narrowly rounded crown; it can grow up to 37 metres tall. The straight, cylindrical bole is up to 150cm in diameter[].
Pinus resinosa was once the most important timber pine in the Great Lakes region[]. It is still harvested from the wild and also often grown in plantations[]. The tree is used to stabilize sandy soils, especially dunes near the coast, and also to provide shelter. It is often used in horticulture, especially in N. America, where several cultivars, mainly dwarfed and shrub forms, have been produced for garden use[].
After intensive logging and forest clearance in past centuries, Pinus resinosa is now recovering ground on abandoned farmland and in less intensively exploited forests. It .is abundant over a very large area in eastern 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

Eastern and central N. America - southeastern Manitoba to Newfoundland, south to Illinois, West Virginia and New Jersey

Habitat

Mixed conifer- broad-leaved forest and bordering on the boreal conifer forest, growing at elevations from 200 - 1,300 metres[]. The best stands are on light sandy well-drained, slightly acid soils, also growing on other soils including poor ones[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	35.00 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Pollinators	Wind
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Pinus resinosa is a very cold-hardy plant, able to tolerate temperatures down to around -35°c when fully dormant[].
Pine species in general require a sunny position if they are to grow well and, whilst the different species have their own soil preferences, most will thrive in a light well-drained sandy or gravelly loam[, ]. Dislikes poorly drained moorland soils[]. This species avoids non-acidic soils in the wild and only grows over limestone when there is a leached, acid top layer[]. Established plants tolerate drought[, ] and windy situations[].
The red pine is often cultivated as a timber crop in Europe[]. It is used as a re-afforestation tree in Canada[].
It is planted, especially in N. America, to provide Christmas trees, which use requires pruning the branches to obtain a desired shape and density of foliage[].
Slow growing when very young, though it speeds up[] and new shoots of 60cm a year have been recorded[]. It takes 20 - 25 years before reliable seed production begins, good crops are then produced every 4 - 5 years[]. This tree does not seem to be long-lived in Britain and is only found in the south-east of the country, though it should succeed elsewhere[].
Trees have a fairly thick bark and this helps to protect them from heat of forest fires[].
The ovoid to nearly globose seed cones are 35 - 60mm long[], they take 2 years to ripen then open and shed their seed whilst still attached to the tree[, ].
Plants are strongly outbreeding, self-fertilized seed usually grows poorly[]. They hybridize freely with other members of this genus[].
The resin from broken shoots has a strong scent of lemon balm[].
Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[].
This species is the state tree of Minnesota[].

Edible Uses

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

The seeds of all Pinus species are more or less edible, and some are of good size and make very tasty and nutritious foods, often eaten in quantitiy. Others can be less desireable, either having a strongly resinous flavour, being bitter or, more commonly, rather too small and fiddly to make it very worthwhle even trying to eat them,
We have no specific information of the desireability of this species, though they are rather small (the size given includes the shell)[].
The ovoid seeds are 3 - 5mm long[].

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 wetted inner bark has been applied to the chest in the treatment of strong colds[].

The dried and powdered leaves have been used as an inhalant for people who are unconscious[].
A decoction of the leaves and the bark have been used in a herbal steam bath to relieve the pain of headaches and bad backs[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Large tracts of inland dunes have been planted with this pine to stabilize blown sand and the species has been used to form shelter belts to prevent wind erosion on farmland[].
The tree is often planted in afforestation projects in Canada[].
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[].

The bark contains tannin and has occasionally been exploited commercially[, , ].

This species is the most resinous pine in Canada[]. 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 pale-reddish wood is light in weight, hard, very close grained[, , , ]. It weighs 30lb per cubic foot[]. Tree trunks in dense stands are almost free of knots[]. The wood is largely used for construction, piles, cabin logs, posts, railway sleepers, paving blocks, crates, and nowadays less frequently as mine timbers, and as a source of pulp[, , , , ].

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[].