Associated Forest Cover
provided by Silvics of North America
Scotch pine has been naturalized in northern New York. The
associated trees are black cherry (Prunus serotina), red
maple (Acer rubrum), sugar maple (A. saccharum), American
beech (Fagus grandifolia), quaking aspen (Populus
tremuloides), and eastern white pine (Pinus strobus).
- license
- cc-by-nc
- copyright
- USDA, Forest Service
Climate
provided by Silvics of North America
Scotch pine is adapted to a wide variety of climates as indicated
by its extremely large natural range. It grows in areas with an
annual precipitation exceeding 1780 mm (70 in) and in areas with
an annual precipitation as little as 200 mm (8 in). Scotch pine
survives in the Verkhoyansk Mountains of eastern Siberia where
winter temperatures have been recorded as low as -64° C (-83°
F). In some areas it grows where the subsoil is permanently
frozen. Scotch pine can also survive high temperatures, and it is
found at middle altitudes in the Mediterranean region. The
primary distribution of Scotch pine, however, indicates that it
is a tree of the continental climates (18).
- license
- cc-by-nc
- copyright
- USDA, Forest Service
Damaging Agents
provided by Silvics of North America
Scotch pine in North America is subject
to a number of agents that can severely damage or kill the trees.
Some of these agents are not present in Europe and Asia and, as a
result, the species has not yet had an opportunity to develop
genetic resistance.
Fire and wind can damage the trees. Young stands have thin bark
and are heavily damaged by fire. Older trees with thicker bark
are moderately resistant. Scotch pine has more branches per whorl
than red or white pine and this large number of branches makes
the tree weak at the nodes. During severe wind storms, trees may
snap off at the nodes 3 to 6 m (10 to 20 ft) above the ground.
Wildlife and insects are also damaging. The pine grosbeak feeds on
the terminal and lateral buds of Scotch pine causing numerous
small crooks. Trees of Scandinavian provenances are heavily
attacked. In Christmas tree plantations, this feeding can cause
major economic losses; a single year's feeding can reduce the
tree harvest by 50 percent. This is a minor problem to timber
growers, however (2). On occasion, porcupine seriously damage
Scotch pine plantations by girdling young trees, causing dead
tops.
The pine root collar weevil (Hylobius radicis) is a major
cause of tree death in young plantations in the Lake States. The
weevil girdles the tree at the base, killing it within 3 to 4
years. The damage is especially severe on dry sandy soils. The
fast-growing central European trees are particularly susceptible
(26). In Michigan, on low quality sites, mortality frequently
reaches 70 to 80 percent.
The pine root tip weevil (Hylobius rhizophagus) causes
serious damage in Michigan on Scotch pine Christmas trees grown
from stump culture. These trees result from leaving the lower
limbs on cut trees to grow into a second tree crop. The pine root
tip weevil larvae feed on the roots and root tips, resulting in
reduced height growth and flagged shoots, and eventual death. In
some cases the pine root tip weevil and the pine root collar
weevil attack some Scotch pine stands simultaneously, causing
more mortality than expected from either insect alone (7).
The European pine sawfly (Neodiprion sertifer) causes
moderate damage in Christmas trees and ornamental plantings.
Heavy defoliation reduces growth from 10 to 20 percent. The
fast-growing Scotch pine variety uralensis shows some
resistance to this insect while the slow-growing variety iberica
is most susceptible (27).
If Scotch pine is pruned in midsummer, the Zimmerman pine moth may
be attracted to the fresh pitch. The larvae feed in the cambial
region, causing masses of coagulated pitch and frass to collect.
Feeding by several larvae at the same whorl may kill the tree top
or the entire tree. Partially girdled stems frequently break at
the weakened area during storms (28).
The white pine weevil (Pissodes strobi) burrows into
terminal shoots and kills them. This insect is very damaging to
trees on light soils but causes only minor damage on better sites
(28). The eastern pine shoot borer (Eucosma gloriola) also
burrows in the pith of new growth. In Michigan plantations, this
insect is universal but causes only minor damage.
The pine spittlebug (Aphrophora parallela) is a serious
pest in many Scotch pine Christmas tree plantations. Heavy
infestations of spittlebugs may cause twig, branch, and tree
mortality. In one 19-year-old Scotch pine plantation in southern
Michigan, the pine spittlebug has apparently acted as the vector
for the fungus disease Sphaeropsis sapinea; mortality is
now 25 percent and is continuing.
Lophodermium needlecast caused by the fungus Lophodermium
seditiosum is the most serious disease of Scotch pine
Christmas tree plantations. The major loss is due to premature
defoliation resulting in unsalable Christmas trees. In general,
the longer needle provenances are resistant to this disease. The
problem is minor in forest stands (8).
Scotch pine is also a host for brown spot needle disease of
southern pines (Scirrhia acicola). This disease, like
Lophodermium, causes premature defoliation and is
primarily limited to Christmas tree plantations. The long needle
provenances are also more resistant to this disease (16).
Western gall rust (Endocronartium harknessii) is common on
Scotch pine in the Lake States and the Northeast. Individual
trees may have several hundred galls. In most cases damage is
limited to branch mortality and growth loss.
As described earlier, Scotch pine is susceptible to scleroderris
canker. This disease is present in many areas in Europe, and as a
result, certain Scotch pine provenances show some resistance.
Scotch pine is more resistant to scleroderris canker than red
pine, and in some areas, red pines have been eliminated from the
stand while Scotch pines are still alive. Scleroderris canker can
be spread on cut Scotch pine Christmas trees. Therefore, State
quarantines have been established to prevent the movement of this
disease into noninfected areas (15).
When southern seed sources of Scotch pine are planted too far
north of their normal range, severe foliage winter injury
develops. This winter injury causes both branch and tree
mortality. In the Lake States, a large number of Christmas tree
plantations have been destroyed by this problem.
Many of these problems in Scotch pine plantations are the result
of planting this species on very poor sites or planting the wrong
seed source. Scotch pine has the inherent ability to produce
excellent, straight-boled stands under the proper conditions.
Hundreds of Scotch pine plantations throughout the Lake States
and the Northeast are equal to or better than the best red pine
stands. When Scotch pine is planted on very poor sites, however,
or when improper seed sources are used, damage by insects is so
severe as to make the final stand useless for timber production.
- license
- cc-by-nc
- copyright
- USDA, Forest Service
Flowering and Fruiting
provided by Silvics of North America
Although Scotch pine is primarily
a monoecious species, some shoots, branches, and even entire
trees are predominantly of one sex. Male flower primordia are
formed in late summer at the base of the bud that will make the
next year's growth. During the winter their presence can be noted
as a slight swelling, and the preferred male catkins are easily
visible if a bud is dissected. About 2 weeks after growth begins
in the spring, the male catkins enlarge to 0.6 to 0.7 cm. (0.2 to
0.3 in) long and shed pollen. At this time they are yellow.
The male catkins are borne at the base of the twigs, replacing
leaf clusters. They are most common in the lower part of the
crown and on short lateral twigs. Because they replace leaves, an
excess of pollen production can lead to sparse foliage. A
Pennsylvania breeder who selected for early flower production for
two generations obtained a variety that produced plentiful pollen
but few needles and it was worthless as a Christmas tree.
Female flower primordia are also formed in late summer but are
microscopic. They are borne at the tips of buds for the next
year's growth. There may be one, two, or three on a single bud.
They first become visible after the buds expand in the spring.
The primordia enlarge into female flowers or strobili about 2
weeks after growth begins in the spring, at a time when the new
growth has completed 75 percent of its elongation for the season.
Because of this, shearing of the outside branches such as is
practiced by Christmas tree growers removes all female flowers.
Indeed, trees sheared in June will not produce seed for the next
3.5 years.
Flowering occurs in late May or early June. On any one tree nearly
all pollen is shed and nearly all the female flowers are
receptive during the same 2- or 3-day period. In any one stand
most trees flower within a day or two of each other. Trees of
different provenances may differ in blooming time by several
days, however; trees of northern provenances bloom the earliest.
Pollen production tends to be concentrated on short lateral twigs
in the lower half of a tree crown. Female flowers are borne on
the most vigorous shoots. They tend to be concentrated on upper
branches but may occur in any part of the crown receiving full
sunlight.
Pollination occurs in early summer, at a time when the female
strobili are from 0.6 to 0.7 cm (0.2 to 0.3 in) long. Shortly
after pollination, the scales of the female strobili thicken, and
the pollen grains germinate and send out a short pollen tube. At
this time the female strobili become reflexed instead of pointing
forward. For the next 12 months the germinated pollen remains
dormant and the female strobili grow little. A little more than a
year after pollination, the germinated pollen grains renew growth
and fertilize the ovules. In June, soon after fertilization, the
conelets rapidly elongate and reach full size by early summer.
Seeds mature and cones ripen in early October. The cones require
alternating periods of dry and wet weather to open and shed few
seed until early winter. Indeed, many seeds are retained on the
tree until early spring.
Seeds from any one tree can be sorted visually by color into those
that are full and those that are empty-empty seeds are much
lighter in color (often nearly white) than full ones. On any one
tree the full seeds are fairly uniform in color and size, but
both traits vary considerably from tree to tree. Trees from the
same stand may produce seeds ranging from tan to almost black and
from all one color to speckled. Seed size varies in a geographic
pattern-seeds from the extreme northern latitudes are half the
size of those from the southern part of the range.
- license
- cc-by-nc
- copyright
- USDA, Forest Service
Genetics
provided by Silvics of North America
Population Differences and Races
In Europe, seed source studies on Scotch pine go back almost 200
years, and the literature on genetic variation is large. In the
United States, an international seed source trial was conducted
in 1938. This trial included trees grown from seed collected in
Scandinavia and north-central Europe. In 1961, seeds from 162
natural stands and 24 plantations in Europe and Asia were
outplanted in 12 test plantations in Michigan. The results of
these seed source studies show the extreme importance of
beginning with the correct seed source. The fastest-growing
varieties from central Europe grew 2.5 times as tall and produced
15 times as much wood as the slowest-growing variety. In
Michigan, the variety carpatica from eastern
Czechoslovakia was most suitable for timber production because of
its fast growth and good stem form. The next best was variety
haguenensis from Belgium, Vosges Mountains of France, and
adjacent West Germany. These varieties may perform poorly in
other parts of the United States, however. Information on
performance of many seed sources is now available for most of the
Lake States and the Northeast (3,6,14,23,27,28).
The diversity within Scotch pine is extremely great. A
conservative estimate of the number of geographic varieties
ranges from 19 to 22. There is also considerable variation within
named varieties. Sources differ in many characteristics including
seed size, germination, dormancy, and color; cone color; tree
form; growth; structure of root system; flowering
characteristics; needle color and length; susceptibility to cold,
heat, and drought; and resistance to insects and disease. Seed
size increases from North to South. In general, southern sources
grow faster than northern sources. The more southern sources are
more susceptible to low temperatures. The needles of trees from
Siberian and Scandinavian seed sources turn yellow in winter
while those from Spain, southern France, and the Balkans remain
green (18,21).
The only standard names applied to the various geographic
varieties are the Latin names published by Ruby and Wright in
1976 (11). Unfortunately, those names are not in common use among
seed dealers and nursery managers. Hence, a grower who wants var.
aquitana from southern France must know that it also goes
by the names French Highland, Aquitaine, French Blue, French
Green (this name also applies to another variety), and Royal
French Blue. Therefore, it is best when ordering nursery stock to
specify the region from which the seed should come, that is,
Central Mass of southern France, northern Italy, etc. Generally
speaking, seed or seedlings ordered in this manner will come true
to form. The names Austrian Hill and Riga should be used with
particular caution, however, as they may be applied to trees of
very different genetic composition.
Hybrids
Hybrids between recognized varieties can be made but are not
common. In the Michigan seed source study, one seed source from
northern France was evidently a hybrid because it produced trees
with characteristics intermediate between varieties haguenensis
and aquitana (28). Scotch pine can be hybridized with
Japanese red pine (P. densiflora) and Austrian pine (P.
nigra).
- license
- cc-by-nc
- copyright
- USDA, Forest Service
Growth and Yield
provided by Silvics of North America
Scotch pine shows tremendous variation
in yield, both by site and by geographic seed source. In seed
source tests, some varieties grew 2.5 times as fast as others on
the same site (28). The average height of 150-year-old trees in
Scotland is from 13.7 to 16.8 m (45 to 55 ft). On well-drained
sites, an occasional tree as tall as 22.9 m (75 ft) is found
(18).
In a Michigan study in which dominant crop trees were released,
the released trees averaged 13.7 m (45 ft) in height and 18 cm
(6.9 in) in d.b.h. at 21 years. The plantation was grown from
seed from Magdeburg, Germany, and the soil is a fox sandy loam on
a well-drained site (13). A 32-year-old, unthinned Scotch pine
plantation in the same area averaged 19 cm (7.3 in) in d.b.h. and
18.6 m (61 ft) in height. This seed source was probably central
Europe. A Scotch pine plantation in northern New York averaged
26.0 m (85.5 ft) tall and 48 cm (19 in) d.b.h. at age 74 to 77
years. The largest tree in this stand was 29.0 m (95.25 ft) tall
and 51 cm (20.2 in) in d.b.h. One of the earliest Scotch pine
plantations in the United States was planted in 1879 near
Boonville, NY. The seed source was probably southern Germany (9).
Although no stand data are available, the largest tree still
standing in 1981 was 26.8 m (88 ft) tall and 66 cm (26 in) in
d.b.h.
Thinning a Scotch pine plantation in southern Michigan increased
diameter growth but reduced total volume production (12). At 42
years the unthinned portion of the stand averaged 23 cm (9.2 in)
in d.b.h. and contained a volume of 263.8 m³/ha (3,768
ft/acre). Basal area was 36.0 m²/ha (157 ft²/acre). The
area receiving five light thinnings at 5-year intervals to a
basal area of 19.5 to 21.8 m²/ha (85 to 95 ft²/acre)
had an average d.b.h. of 30 cm (11.8 in) but volume was only
155.2 m³/ha (2,217 ft³/acre) and basal area was 25.7 m²/ha
(112 ft²/acre). The heaviest thinning with five thinnings at
5-year intervals to a basal area of 14.9 to 17.2 m²/ha (65
to 75 ft²/acre) produced an average d.b.h. of 34 cm (13.3
in) with 117.5 m³/ha (1,679 ft³/acre) of volume and
20.7 m²/ha (90 ft²/acre) of basal area.
- license
- cc-by-nc
- copyright
- USDA, Forest Service
Reaction to Competition
provided by Silvics of North America
Scotch pine, like red pine, is
intolerant of shade. Overtopped saplings eventually are lost to
suppression. Where Scotch pine has been intermixed with red or
white pine at planting, the Scotch pine grows so much more
aggressively during the first few years that its roots crowd out
roots of the other species leaving only Scotch pine.
Many open-grown trees in poorly stocked stands are bushy and
crooked with large-diameter branches. This habit appears to be
due more to stand stocking than to genetic factors.
Much of the experience with Scotch pine in the United States has
been in Christmas tree plantations. In these stands, the trees
are usually planted at a spacing of 2 by 2 m (6.6 by 6.6 ft) and
are harvested within 8 to 15 years. Early growth in these
plantations can be doubled by removing grass and weed competition
either by mowing or by using chemical herbicides.
In Norway and Sweden, Scotch pine is normally managed under a
uniform or shelterwood system, in compartments of about 4 ha (10
acres). The regeneration cut is made to coincide with a heavy
seed year. This can be predicted 1 year in advance because the
cones take 2 years to mature. At the time of regeneration, the
number of overstory trees is reduced to approximately 50/ha
(20/acre) by one or two fellings to provide the required light
conditions for young seedlings and to reduce root competition for
water and nutrients. The seed trees normally are felled when the
reproduction is well established- usually within 5 to 10 years
(18).
- license
- cc-by-nc
- copyright
- USDA, Forest Service
Rooting Habit
provided by Silvics of North America
Scotch pine frequently, but not always,
develops a taproot. One study in Europe found 64 percent of the
trees with taproots. Often, the lateral roots turn and grow down
vertically, acting as a taproot. Taproots are more common on
sandy soils than on moraine or gravel soils. The average depth of
taproots is from 1.5 to 3.0 m (4.9 to 9.8 ft). The bulk of the
root system consists of horizontal roots close to the surface.
The majority of these horizontal roots are within 20 cm (7.8 in)
of the surface. The horizontal root system is smaller on good
soils than on poor soils. The depth of the horizontal root system
is also related to soil moisture-it is deeper on the drier soils.
On vigorous trees, the length of the longest horizontal roots
ranged from 4.5 m (14.8 ft) for 14-year-old trees to 17.1 m (56.0
ft) for 52-year-old trees. Root systems on rocky soils are
usually shorter than on sandy soils. The size of the stem and the
length of horizontal roots are closely interdependent. A small
tree will have a small root system regardless of the tree age,
and the root system of a large Scotch pine may cover an area of
0.125 ha (0.3 acre) (5).
- license
- cc-by-nc
- copyright
- USDA, Forest Service
Seed Production and Dissemination
provided by Silvics of North America
Individual trees in
Michigan, under favorable growth conditions, begin to produce
male and female flowers at from 5 to 8 years, although the
average is between 10 and 15 years (26). Scotch pine continues to
produce viable seeds until at least age 200, although seed
quality and size are greatly reduced at this age (18).
Good seed crops are produced at intervals of from 3 to 6 years
with light crops in most intervening years. The number of cleaned
seeds per kilogram ranges from 74,500 to 244,700 (33,800 to
111,000/lb). If properly stored, the seeds remain viable for 15
years. One kilogram (2.2 lb) of average size cones produces
approximately 3,300 seeds (21).
Scotch pine cones begin to open in late October, and seed
dispersal continues into December. At times, large quantities of
seed are dispersed onto snow cover. Seed dispersal for natural
restocking of cutover areas is normally limited to between 50 and
100 in (164 to 328 ft) from the parent tree. Maximum seed
dispersal is much greater, however. In northern New York, the
establishment of second-generation natural Scotch pine seedlings
up to at least 1 km (0.6 mi) from the seed source is the rule
rather than the exception (29).
Seed crops in New York and Nebraska have been damaged primarily by
coneworm larvae (Dioryctria spp.). Tip moths (Rhyacionia
spp.), which destroy shoots bearing newly formed or
developing conelets, are common in Scotch pine seed orchards.
- license
- cc-by-nc
- copyright
- USDA, Forest Service
Seedling Development
provided by Silvics of North America
Seeds tested in the laboratory
differ in their degree of dormancy according to geographical seed
source, individual tree selection, and seed maturity. Most,
however, will germinate immediately if placed in warm, moist
conditions. Germination is epigeal (21). Artificial light has
been shown to increase germination by 83 percent for some seed
sources (4).
Field germination is best under full or partial sunlight. Seedling
establishment is best when adequate moisture is available and
some shade is present. In northern New York, Scotch pine has
established itself rapidly on abandoned old fields on very light
soils.
At present, almost all the Scotch pine plantations in North
America are from planted nursery stock. Two-year-old stock
averages from 8 to 20 cm (3 to 8 in) in height. Early nursery
practice was to grow the seedlings very close together-from 2,150
to 3,230/m² (200 to 300/ft²) of seedbed. The result was
a tall, spindly seedling that bent to the ground when subjected
to wet snow during the first winter. These young trees developed
a crook at the base. As they developed, the growing tip
overcompensated for this crook resulting in an S-shaped stem. The
trees eventually returned to a vertical growth habit, but the
crook remained. When nursery stock is grown at lower density, 540
seedlings per square meter (50/ft²), the resulting stock is
sturdier and is able to resist snow bending during its early
years.
The idea that certain varieties (especially Riga) are always
straight wherever grown and that other varieties (such as German
and Belgian) are generally crooked is too simple and not always
true. Form is as much a matter of site as of variety. On some
sites most trees grow crooked whereas on other sites trees of any
variety are usually straight. Scotch pine inherently grows
straight unless the leader is damaged, when it is apt to be very
crooked. The tendency for a variety to be straight or crooked
depends on its susceptibility to a particular pest or other
damaging agent, and on the presence of that pest or damaging
agent in that locality. For example, when the Zimmerman moth (Dioryctria
zimmermani) is present in high numbers, Greek trees, which
are generally not attacked, are straight, while Belgian trees,
which are very susceptible, are very crooked. Where pine
grosbeaks are present in large numbers, the Belgian trees, which
are resistant to this pest, are straight whereas trees of the
Riga variety are likely to be crooked.
Poor quality sites seem to have a larger number of pests and a
larger number of poorly formed trees than good quality sites.
Scotch pine produces one whorl of branches per year. A
fast-growing tree may have branches 0.8 m (2-5 ft) apart
resulting in a thin crown. To promote closer branching and denser
crowns for Christmas tree production, the trees are sheared by
removing the tips of all the new shoots. Following shearing, the
leaf fascicles near the cut ends develop adventitious buds. These
buds are not formed if shearing is done during late summer.
Scotch pine seedlings grow rapidly in their early years. In
Nebraska, after 8 field seasons, trees ranged in height from 2.5
to 5.0 m (8.2 to 16.4 ft) depending on the seed source. Trees
from central European seed grew fastest while those from
Scandinavian and Siberian origins grew slowest (10). On good
sites throughout the Lake States and the Northeast, trees of the
fast-growing varieties can grow 0.8 m (2.5 ft) per year.
In Michigan shoot growth begins in early May in the central part
of the State and in mid-May in the Upper Peninsula. The new
shoots elongate rapidly and achieve 90 percent of their growth
within 3 weeks.
Insects have not been a serious problem under nursery conditions,
although a pine shoot moth (Rhyacionia adana) has injured
some new Scotch pine shoots in several Michigan nurseries (22).
The most serious nursery problem of Scotch pine seedlings is Lophodermium
needlecast, usually attributed to L. pinastri but now
assigned to L. seditiosum. This disease has killed or
seriously damaged millions of Scotch pine seedlings in at least
40 tree nurseries in the Northeast, Lake States, Pacific
Northwest, and Canada. Nursery stock infected with Lophodermium
has also been shipped from nurseries to outplanting sites
where further damage has occurred in the young plantations (8).
- license
- cc-by-nc
- copyright
- USDA, Forest Service
Soils and Topography
provided by Silvics of North America
In Europe, Scotch pine grows on a wide variety of soil types. In
Scotland it is found on the most ancient rocks and also on the
most recent glacial deposits. The cool, humid climate of
Scotland, along with the nature of the parent material, which is
usually siliceous and acidic, frequently results in a deep litter
and raw humus layer. The soils exhibit various degrees of
podzolization. Scotch pine grows well on these soils but best
growth is on freely drained sands and gravels, often on knolls
and terraces. These soils have only a thin layer of raw humus and
are weakly podzolized. Although Scotch pine grows on peat land in
certain areas, usually it is badly stunted (18).
Studies of the mineral nutrient content of the foliage of several
Scotch pine provenances at three sites in Michigan show that
Scotch pine has evolved an efficient mechanism to extract
nutrients from the infertile sites to which it is relegated in
its native range. Significant differences were found among seed
sources in their ability to accumulate nitrogen, phosphorus,
sodium, magnesium, and boron. Magnesium was one of the key
minerals in Scotch pine nutrition at all three sites. The
faster-growing seed sources accumulated higher levels of foliar
magnesium (17).
Although Scotch pine can grow on soils with pH from 4.0 to 7.0, it
grows best on soils in the 4.5 to 6.0 range (1). In the Lake
States, Scotch pine is planted most commonly on level or gently
rolling sand plains-chiefly at elevations between 300 m (1,000
ft) and 460 m (1,500 ft). In the Eastern States, it has been
planted not only on outwash plains, but also on mountain slopes
at elevations from a few meters above sea level to about 820 m
(2,700 ft) in the Adirondacks. Scotch pine grows well on the
loess soils of northern Idaho and eastern Washington, under
rainfall conditions prevailing in the ponderosa pine (Pinus
ponderosa) zone.
Scotch pine grows most commonly on soils in the orders Spodosols,
Entisols, Inceptisols, Histosols, Alfisols, and Mollisols.
- license
- cc-by-nc
- copyright
- USDA, Forest Service
Special Uses
provided by Silvics of North America
Scotch pine is the most widely planted pine introduced in North
America. It is also the preferred large-volume Christmas tree in
the United States- approximately 30 percent of the 35 million
Christmas trees harvested annually are Scotch pine (20).
Because it survives on poor droughty sites, Scotch pine has been
used to control erosion in many areas. However, the poor vigor of
many of these stands on dry, infertile sites has made them
susceptible to serious insect attack and many of them have little
potential to produce timber (28).
Scotch pine has also been used to a large extent in ornamental
plantings. It grows better than red pine on compacted clay soils
frequently found around homesites. Because Christmas tree
plantations are a ready source of trees, many trees are removed
from these plantations as ornamental stock. Many Scotch pine have
also been planted along roadsides throughout the Lake States.
Scotch pine is similar in fiber and wood characteristics to red
pine and is usable for both pulpwood and saw logs.
- license
- cc-by-nc
- copyright
- USDA, Forest Service
Vegetative Reproduction
provided by Silvics of North America
In nature, Scotch pine does not
reproduce vegetatively. It is not difficult, however, to graft
scions from the larger trees onto potted understock of Scotch
pine. In a Swedish study, cuttings from young seedlings (50 to
100 days old) rooted readily, but cuttings from shoots of
3-year-old plants rooted poorly (19).
- license
- cc-by-nc
- copyright
- USDA, Forest Service
Distribution
provided by Silvics of North America
Scotch pine has been widely planted in the United States,
especially in the Northeast, Lake States, Central States, and
Pacific Northwest. It is now considered naturalized in parts of
New England and the Lake States (29). The species has also been
planted across southern Canada.
Scotch pine is the most widely distributed pine in the world. It
grows naturally from Scotland almost to the Pacific Ocean and
from above the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia to the Mediterranean.
Its altitudinal range is from sea level to about 2440 m (8,000
ft).
- license
- cc-by-nc
- copyright
- USDA, Forest Service
Brief Summary
provided by Silvics of North America
Pinaceae -- Pine family
Darroll D. Skilling
Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris), also called Scots pine, is
an introduced species in North America, brought here from Europe
probably in colonial days. Although it is used for both pulpwood
and sawlogs, its principal value in the United States appears to
be as a Christmas tree, as an ornamental, and for erosion
control.
- license
- cc-by-nc
- copyright
- USDA, Forest Service