Western white pine
Needles and cones of the Western White Pine
The Western White Pine (Pinus monticola ), also called Murray Pine, is a pine species that occurs in the mountains of western North America.
Features
The Western White Pine regularly reaches a height of 30 to 50 meters and can be up to 70 meters high in exceptional cases. The needles are five of us in bunches on short shoots. They are five to 13 inches long. The cones are 12-32 inches long and narrow. In the closed state, they are 3 to 4 cm wide, open, they have a diameter of 5 to 8 cm. The individual cone scales are thin and flexible. The seeds are small and can reach a length of 4-7 mm.
The Western White Pine is closely related to the Weymouth pine from eastern North America. It differs from this species by the larger pins and needles longer living. It also has a slightly more compact appearance. Important diagnostic features are the shape of the tip of the needles (wide to narrow pointed, not abruptly acute to acuminate as in the Weymouth pine ), the color of ripe shed Signs ( cream- brown to yellowish, without the typical for the Weymouth pine purple - or shades of gray ) and the platy, not longitudinally cracked like the bark of older Weymouth pine trees. The young shoots are evenly pubescent and brownish, while they are hairy at the Weymouth pine only under the needle tufts are rapidly verkahlen and greenish.
Dissemination
Centers of distribution are the Sierra Nevada, the Cascade Range and the north-western coastal region and the northern Rocky Mountains. In many parts of its range, such as Oregon and Washington, it occurs at sea level. It is the tree, which symbolizes the U.S. state of Idaho.
The Western White Pine is now often planted as an ornamental tree. In its native range their inventory due to logging, however, is greatly reduced.
Diseases
The Western White Pine is one of the species, the relatively frequent from Strobenrost ( Cronartium ribicola ) is overcome. This fungus was accidentally introduced from Europe in 1909. It attacks only five noble pines. The United States Forest Service estimates that west of the Cascade Range, 90 percent of the stock went to Western Weymouth pines in this fungus based. Many sites where originally stood these pine species, now have a fouling with other tree species.
Some Western Weymouth pines have a genetic resistance to the Strobenrost. The U.S. Forest Service is currently conducting a program to find these resistant trees and to increase targeted.
Use
In the Western White pine sapwood white surrounds in a 2.5 to 7.5 cm wide strips a straw yellow to blassrotbraunes heartwood. The wood is not very rich in resin. Nevertheless, the resin canals are visible as fine brown lines. The annual rings are not very pronounced and overall the wood has a very well-proportioned grain. It is slightly heavier and harder than the wood of the Weymouth pine. It is processed especially for interior works as a carpenter and wood for wall and ceiling coverings, as it is not very durable and difficult to preserve.