Page 36 - Forest Trees of Maine

P P Pinus rigida P. Mill.
Pitch pine wood is used for
construction lumber, pulp and
fire-starting “fat wood.”
34 P I T CH P INE
itch pine grows on sandy barrens
Por plains, and on gravelly soil of
the uplands. It is quite common in the
southern part of the state, on the sand
plains near Brunswick and Oxford and
on Mt. Desert Island.
Branches are horizontal, rigid,
contorted and form an open crown.
Pitch pine attains a diameter of 1–2
feet, and a height of only 30–40 feet.
The trunk tapers rapidly and generally
is straight. Often the tree produces
cones when small. It is the only native
pine that will resprout when damaged
by such factors as fire.
The bark is rough, even on young
stems and branches. On old trees, it is
irregularly divided into continuous
broad flat ridges, and is deep gray or
reddish-brown.
The leaves are in clusters of three,
and are 3–5 inches long. They are dark
yellow-green and stiff, standing at
right angles to the branch.
The cones require 2 years to
mature, are 1½–3½ inches long, borne