Western white pine: Difference between revisions

!{{plant header}} | '''Cones from a western white pine'''

The Western white pine has received the nickname “king of the pines” the reason they give this pine the name is because its diameter, height, and form. This pine is Idaho’s state tree, people notice this tree out of any other tree in the forest 219 ft is the largest recording of a western white pine. [http://www.e-referencedesk.com/resources/state-tree/idaho.html]1935 was the year when this pine was adopted. Some of the common names for this tree are mountain, white pine, Idaho white pine, or silver pine. [http://www.e-referencedesk.com/resources/state-tree/idaho.html]

The Western white pine is a very large trees this tree is usually 30-50 m tall, they have even found a 70m western white pine, If you look at the needles on the tree you can see that at they are 5-13 cm long.[http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/wilderness/forest/westwhite.htm]The cones are long and skinny, 12-32 cm long and 3-4 cm broad. If you look at the cones scales they are flexible and can reach out to 5-8 cm.  

The Western White Pine can reach up to 300-400 years of age. They usually live up to 500 years. Things that can make them age faster would be insects and diseases. Most Pines are evenly aged, If you look at the root system of the pine you will find tap roots and lateral roots there is usually not more of one then the other

The pines leafs can grow to 2-4 inches long, also blue green with some white lines. The stoma blooms to three needles on the surface of the stomata.[http://www.e-referencedesk.com/resources/state-tree/idaho.html]  

The cones on the pine are very small, yellow and very clustered at the very ends of the braches. But when you looks at the female cones they are much longer, there greenish- pink, and they are also toward the front of the braches.[http://www.e-referencedesk.com/resources/state-tree/idaho.html]

[http://www.e-referencedesk.com/resources/state-tree/idaho.html]The pine produces seeds/cones every year. It begins when the tree is very young around the age of 10. The cone growth is mostly common the third and forth of each year in the growing season. In August to September you will find this is when the seeds are in there full growing stage. [http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/usda/amwood/258wwhpi.pdf]

The bar on the tree is thin and also grayish- greenish, but when the pine gets older it can grow up to 2 inches thick. Then it becomes a purple- grayish color and gets turned into squares all over the tree. IF you look at the young pines you will see there bark is thin, smooth, and gray greenish.

The western white pine is monocots; there are 3 main seasons in which the pine will start growing. July through August seasons is very common with the strobilus buds. The oval stimulates strobilus come in clustered 15-25 they pop up in the middle of the crown 10 cm by 4cm in length. June and July are the money seasons for pollination, the pollen dissemination will last around 8-9 days. The Western white pine is mostly female it will stay this way its whole life pretty much when its production age at 7 through 20. These ovulates grow on the tips of the branches, people will be able to examine these ovulates in mid –June this is when there most out.  

August and September are the main seasons for when western white pines become ripe. When the cones are ripe they will turn a yellowish color. At the age of 7 the western white pine is able to produce its cones, and it can keep this process up until its 70 years old. But once over 50 years of age it gets harder for the tree to reproduce, and the only way it will still reproduce is if the trees individual tree vigor and ability to set or bear cones. The cone beetles are the trees worst fear they can cause practical to almost complete failure in the cone production. There are also moths that can cause a loss in seed growth. The seeds can survive harsh conditions when off of the branches of the western white pine; they can still be useable even after a whole winter. Studies found that you can keep the seeds viable for 20 years off the branch if you store them at -18C (0F) to -15C (5F)

For germination to occur the seed must go through 30-120 days of cold temperature. The seed coat controls the dormancy the most. The seeds will most likely germinate in the late spring, the germination in lower elevations germinate in late April. The trees in the higher elevation will not germination if you increase the sunlight on the cone scientist have found that the soil is controlling center in the beginning for germination. Seeding off of the pine tree usually die because of insects and diseases. [http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/Volume_1/pinus/monticola.htm]

The Western White when naturally reproducing it does not use sprouting or layering, it does not use sprouting o layering. You can just take the cuttings from the tree and plant them and except it to reproduce you has to get the cuttings from the needles and wait for roots, you also have to use rooting hormones.

The Western White Pine will occur in mostly Idaho and Northern Rockies. If you search for a Western white pine you will most likely see ty\he pine in lower elevations growing in Vancouver you will find many white pines because of the drier parts.[http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/wilderness/forest/westwhite.htm]Western Mountain ranges thrive on white pines; they will grow on the mountain ranges from southern British Columbia and southwestern Alberta. Also Montanan and eastern Oregon. These types of species will grow in many different soils, but the best soils for these pines are deep. Well-drained, medium texture drained soils. The pine grows from sea level to about 2,500 feet above sea level. White pines found on Vancouver island have been found growing as 5,000 feet above sea level The white pine will grow in mixture with western conifers.[http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/wilderness/forest/westwhite.htm]

The western white pine was brought into the production line in 1920. The largest recording was in 1937 when 563 million broad feet was produced. But in 1980 the cutting amount was shortened the production was 200 million feet annually. [http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/usda/amwood/258wwhpi.pdf]The leading state in producing white pine wood is Idaho. It also is the leader in plywood production. In the mid 1920’s there was put out a major Impact about introducing a pathogen, they have tried to make it to white blister. The method was shortly shut down in 1968 because it took to much effort to keep this processing to going. The biggest threats to the western white pine that could make them die are fire, insects, and diseases. [http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/usda/amwood/258wwhpi.pdf]The tree is somewhat fire resistant, but not fully resistant. There is a disease that is very common that will infect the western pine its called the “blister rust” The disease will occur when the roots start to deteriate and then this makes the tree unable to get water to the vital organs in the tree.