Common Name: Northern Pitch Pine

General Information

Pinus rigida is an evergreen tree with a rounded or irregular crown; it can grow up to 31 metres tall. The bole can be straight or crooked, commonly with adventitious sprouts, and up to 90cm in diameter[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of materials. It often has poor form and is not valued highly for sawn timber[]. The tree is sometimes grown as an ornamental and it can be used in bonsai[].
Pinus rigida is extremely widespread and common in many areas. 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 N. America - southern Ontario and southern Quebec to Maine, south to Illinois, Kentucky and Georgia

Habitat

Sandy or barren plains and dry gravelly uplands[, ], occasionally in cold deep swamps; at elevations up to 1,400 metres[, ]. It is most abundant in the coastal region south of Massachusetts[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	25.00 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Pollinators	Wind
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Pinus rigida is a very cold-hardy plant, able to tolerate temperatures down to around -30°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 can grow on almost sterile soils, rocky or sandy[]. Established plants tolerate drought[].
The tree is planted on a small scale for timber in many European countries[].
Growth of young seedlings is slow[], but from the age of about 5 years they are fairly fast growing[] with average annual increases in height of almost 30cm[]. Growth soon tails off in areas where the tree is not well suited[]. Most trees in Britain are found in S. England[].
On some sandy sea shores, such as at Cape Cod in Massachusetts, a decumbent, wind-swept form of this species occurs, growing around 1 - 5 metres tall[].
Pinus rigida is exceptional amongst pine species in its capacity to resprout from stumps; small tufts of adventitious foliage appear on the trunks even of healthy trees. Its ability to regrow foliage after severe damage at any stage in its development enables the plant to survive fires as well as browsing of seedlings and saplings. In areas with regular occurrence of fire many trees become multi-stemmed from a basal stool[, , , ].
The broadly ovoid seed cones are 3 - 9cm long, taking two growing seasons to mature. They open and shed their seed whilst still attached to the tree and can persist on the tree for 10 years or more[, ].
Plants are strongly outbreeding, self-fertilized seed usually grows poorly[]. They hybridize freely with other members of this genus[].
This species hybridizes with Pinus echinata where their ranges overlap[].
Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[].

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 dark brown seeds are 4 - 6 mm 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[].

Agroforestry Uses:

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[].
Because of its tolerance of poor soils, the northern pitch pine is used in America for re-afforesting worn-out lands[]. The adaptability of this pine to poor soil conditions makes it suitable for replanting of wasteland[].

Other Uses

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

Smoke from the burning leaves has been used to get rid of fleas[].

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

The tree is a good source of resin but it is not exploited commercially[]. 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 knots in the wood contain so much resin that they resist rot. They burn well and have been gathered and placed at the ends of sticks to make torches[].

Th wood is coarse-grained, light in weight, soft, brittle, not strong, very durable and resinous[, , ]. It weighs 32lb per cubic foot[]. Generally of small to moderate size, and often not straight for any considerable length, it is used mainly for rough construction[, , , ]. The high resin content makes it decay resistant, a property which was made use of in the past for ship building and more recently railway sleepers[].
The wood is often used for fuel and can be made into charcoal[, ].

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[].