Lodgepole pine SW of Bend
USGS
Distribution
Map
Shore Pine, Sierra-Cascade
Lodgepole Pine, Lodgepole
pine
Subspecies distribution based on informantio from the Gymnosperm database.
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Lodgepole pine grows tall and straight to a height
of 160 feet (50 meters) in the Cascades. However, along the wind-swept
coast, it is usually much shorter
and rarely straight.
Needles:
Lodgepole pine is the only pine native to the Northwest with 2
needles
per
bundle.
Cones: The
egg-shaped cones are 2 inches long and have sharp prickles
on the scales. The cones often remain unopened and on the tree until
exposed to fire.
Bark:
The bark is dark
gray and scaly with small furrows.
Where
it grows: Two subspecies of Pinus
contorta
are common in the Northwest:*
- Shore pine (subsp. contorta) grows along
the Coast from California to Southeast Alaska. The growth form is often
true to its scientific name, becoming contorted as it responds to wind and salt
spray.
- Lodgepole pine (subsp. latifolia) grows in the Cascades and northeastern mountains of
Oregon and Washington. It also grows in northern Idaho and throughout much of the
Rocky Mountains. The growth form is often
true to its common name, growing into straight, slender poles.
- Sierra-Cascade lodgepole pine (subsp. murrayana) is common in the mountains of
California, but grows only rarely in the Oregon Cascades..
Lodgepole pine at Hoyt Arboretum
Uses:
The first people who lived in the West used this pine for teepee poles (lodge poles) wherever the trees were
available. Some traveled great distances to find
suitable poles in the mountains. Lodgepole pine
is used today for fence posts and poles to build barns and
other
post-and-beam structures.
Names: Other common
names: Tamarack pine, beach pine, scrub pine, sand pine, and
knotty pine.
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*The Gymnosperm
Database
lists these as subspecies. OregonFlora Project
lists them as
varieties.
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Needles
and pollen cones
Shore pine at Oceanside
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