EASTERN WHITE PINE (pinus strobus)
The eastern white pine was once abundant in the old-growth forests of the northeast. However, after extensive logging from the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries, the towering eastern white pine is one of the few remnants of a landscape that has now vanished.
This tree can grow up to a meter each year, living up to 450 years and potentially reaching a height of nearly 200 feet. It consequently has a wide and deep root system. It plays an important role in the forest ecosystem; the eastern white pine is highly resistant to fire, and its needle litter can help extinguish wildfires. Furthermore, its formidable size and dense needle provide windbreak for other trees.
Ecological Relationships: The eastern white pine often grows alongside the tulip tree (which can also be found along this path). Many birds, including common grackles, chickadees, woodpeckers, mourning doves, pine warblers, and bald eagles, nest in the eastern white pine’s branches. Black bear cubs often climb these trees to escape from danger.
Ecological Threats: In the early twentieth century, the eastern white pine was highly vulnerable to blister rust, a fungus which spread from the gooseberry/ wild currant plant. The mortality rate was high, between fifty and eighty percent. Foresters were determined to save the eastern white pine, and started a campaign to eradicate the gooseberry plant and replace it with a less pernicious form of currants. This campaign was a success, and today eastern white pines suffer only a three-percent mortality rate from blister rust– a living example of the power and effectiveness of human conservation efforts.