Eastern White Pine

LISTEN!

No need to curtsy! My days as king of the forest are over. I am a white pine, once chosen by the king of England for Royal Navy war ships. The early settlers were amazed by the size of my ancestors, some of whom were at least 200 feet high (that’s as tall as a 16-story building) and seven feet around my trunk. I stand straight and tall, so I was ideal for masts, and my wood was sought after by the British and fought over by the colonists. My image appeared on the flag of colonial troops at the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Early settlers found me useful for house paneling and trim, doors, window sashes, shingles, matches, and boxes. I was one of the first trees to grow up in abandoned farm fields, only to be cut down and made into boxes.