The Urban Pantheist

Urban specis #063: Scots pine Pinus sylvestris

Like its close relative European black pine, Scots pine is a European pine tree that is used as an urban landscaping tree in North America. Its native range is Scotland to Siberia and south to Spain, and in European forests it is an important species in the ecosystem. There are dozens of cultivars used in urban plantings but the flaking orange bark is distinctive. In Europe its trunk is straight and tall, but apparently because its pests were introduced with it but not the pests' predators, North American specimens tend to be contorted.

Urban species #049: Eastern white pine Pinus strobus

Eastern white pine has been a valuable and important tree in New England for centuries. Before the revolution, the British navy found its straight tall trunks perfect for the masts of its ships. During the revolution, the resource was a point of contention, and the white pine was featured on several revolutionary flags of New England.

The twentieth century development of Boston's neighborhoods was fueled by white pine from New Hampshire. Millions of trees were felled from the forests of the White Mountains to build countless wooden triple-decker residences in Cambridge, and especially Somerville, which is still the most densely populated city in the United States.

Despite intensive harvesting, the white pine is still the most common conifer in New England, and it is also the tallest. It towers above the other trees in the forests of the Boston suburban area, and appears in some neighborhoods of the city. The white pine above is in Cambridge near Harvard Square.

( w-h-i-t-e -- 1,2,3,4,5 )