Pinus ponderosa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pinus ponderosa |
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| Pinus ponderosa subsp. ponderosa | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Division: | Pinophyta |
| Class: | Pinopsida |
| Order: | Pinales |
| Family: | Pinaceae |
| Genus: | Pinus |
| Subgenus: | Pinus subg. Pinus |
| Section: | P. sect. Trifoliae |
| Subsection: | P. subsect. Ponderosae |
| Species: |
P. ponderosa
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| Binomial name | |
| Pinus ponderosa Douglas ex C.Lawson
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| Natural range of Pinus ponderosa
green - P. ponderosa subsp. ponderosa
red - P. ponderosa subsp. benthamiana
blue - P. ponderosa subsp. scopulorum
yellow - P. ponderosa subsp. brachyptera
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The Pinus ponderosa, also known as the ponderosa pine or western yellow pine, is a very large pine tree. It grows naturally in the mountains of western North America. This tree is the most common pine species found across North America.
Ponderosa pines grow tall and straight in 16 western U.S. states. You can also find them in British Columbia, Canada. People have also planted them in parts of Europe and New Zealand. The tree was first studied by scientists in 1826 in eastern Washington. This was near the city of Spokane, which now has the ponderosa pine as its official city tree.
A botanist named David Douglas first saw the tree. He thought it was a different kind of pine at first. But in 1829, he realized it was a new species. He named it Pinus ponderosa because of its heavy wood. In 1836, Charles Lawson officially described and named the tree. In 1949, Montana chose the ponderosa pine as its official state tree.
Some people used to call it "bull pine" or "blackjack pine." These were general names for different pine trees at certain growth stages. They were not specific to the ponderosa pine.
Contents
Discovering the Ponderosa Pine
What Does a Ponderosa Pine Look Like?
The ponderosa pine is a large conifer tree, which means it has needles and cones. It is an evergreen, so its needles stay green all year. You can often tell it apart by its bark. Older trees have yellow to orange-red bark with deep black cracks. Younger trees have darker, brownish-black bark. Early loggers called these younger trees "blackjacks."
Scientists sometimes divide ponderosa pines into different types, called varieties or subspecies. These types can be identified by their bright-green needles. This color is different from the blue-green needles of the Jeffrey pine.
- The Pacific ponderosa pine has the longest needles, about 15 to 24 centimeters (6 to 9.5 inches) long. They are flexible and grow in bundles of three. Its young cones are green.
- The North Plateau ponderosa pine has needles about 12 to 20.5 centimeters (4.7 to 8 inches) long. These are also flexible and grow in bundles of three. Its young cones are purple.
- The Rocky Mountains ponderosa pine has shorter, sturdier needles, about 9.2 to 14.4 centimeters (3.6 to 5.7 inches) long. They grow in bushy bundles of two or three. Its young cones are usually green, but can be purple in high mountains.
- The southwestern ponderosa pine has stout needles about 11.2 to 19.8 centimeters (4.4 to 7.8 inches) long. They grow in bundles of three.
- The central High Plains ponderosa pine has fewer branches. Its long green needles, about 14.8 to 17.9 centimeters (5.8 to 7 inches) long, spread out like a fox tail.
The cones are egg-shaped and often found in large numbers under the trees. They are about 8 to 13 centimeters (3 to 5 inches) long. Each scale on the cone has a sharp point.
Some people say the bark smells like turpentine. Others say it smells like vanilla if you sniff a crack in the bark. When you cut into a stump, it smells like fresh pine sap.
How Big Can Ponderosa Pines Grow?
Ponderosa pines can grow very tall. The National Register of Big Trees lists one ponderosa pine that is 71.6 meters (235 feet) tall. Its trunk is 8.2 meters (27 feet) around.
In 2011, a Pacific ponderosa pine in Oregon was measured at 81.79 meters (268 feet 4 inches) tall. This measurement was done using a laser. Later that year, climbers measured it directly with a tape. It was 81.77 meters (268 feet 3 inches) high. For a while, this was thought to be the tallest pine tree in the world. However, by 2015, a different type of pine, a sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana), was found to be even taller. It measured 83.45 meters (273 feet 9 inches).
Different Kinds of Ponderosa Pines
Scientists have studied the ponderosa pine for a long time. They sometimes have different ideas about how to group its various forms. Many agree that it is one species with several subspecies or varieties. These different types grow in specific regions.
Here are some of the main subspecies:
- Pacific ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa subsp. benthamiana): Found in Washington State, Oregon, California, and western Nevada. It grows on mountain slopes near the coast.
- Southwestern ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa subsp. brachyptera): Grows in the Four Corners area, including parts of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, and western Texas. It likes warm areas with both wet winters and summers.
- North Plateau ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa subsp. ponderosa): This is the original type of ponderosa pine. It ranges from British Columbia in Canada, south through Washington and Oregon (east of the Cascade Mountains), to northeast California and western Nevada. It also grows in Idaho and western Montana. This area has cool, moist summers and very cold, snowy winters.
- Rocky Mountains ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa subsp. scopulorum): Found throughout the Rocky Mountains.
- Central High Plains ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa subsp. readiana): This type grows in southern South Dakota, Nebraska, and southeast Wyoming. It prefers lower, drier areas.
The map shows where these different types of ponderosa pine grow in Canada and the United States.
Another type, the Arizona pine (Pinus arizonica), grows further south into Mexico. It used to be considered a variety of ponderosa pine. However, scientists now generally see it as its own separate species.
Where Do Ponderosa Pines Grow?
The ponderosa pine is a very common tree in many western forests. It usually grows in mountainous areas. However, you can also find it along the Niobrara River in Nebraska. Small groups of these trees grow in the Willamette Valley of Oregon and in the Okanagan Valley and Puget Sound areas of Washington. In British Columbia, Canada, it grows in valleys up to 1,300 meters (4,300 feet) high.
Ponderosa pines cover a huge area, about 400,000 hectares (1 million acres), or 80%, of the Black Hills in South Dakota. They are found on the lower and middle parts of the Rocky Mountains, the Cascade Range, the Sierra Nevada, and the Coast Range. In Arizona and New Mexico, they are common on the Mogollon Rim and other mid-height peaks, from 1,800 to 2,800 meters (6,000 to 9,300 feet). You can also find ponderosa pines in the Chisos, Davis, and Guadalupe Mountains of Texas. Here they grow at elevations between 1,200 and 2,400 meters (4,000 and 8,000 feet).
The Ponderosa Pine's Role in Nature
Ponderosa pine forests often experience natural fires every 5 to 10 years. These fires are usually not very intense. They help the forest stay healthy. The trees have thick bark and their buds are protected by needles. This allows even younger trees to survive weaker fires. Some ponderosa pines have lived for 500 years or more because of these regular, low-intensity fires.
These trees are also good at living in dry, fire-prone areas. They can grow at the edges of deserts because they are quite resistant to drought. They can close their leaf pores to save water. They can also get water from sandy soils. However, ponderosa pines do not like to grow in the shade. They need a lot of sunlight.
The caterpillars of a moth called Chionodes retiniella eat only ponderosa pine needles. A fungus called blue stain fungus (Grosmannia clavigera) can get into the tree's sapwood. This happens when beetles, like the mountain pine beetle, bore into the tree. These beetles and fungi can cause a lot of damage. Squirrels, chipmunks, quail, and grouse eat the seeds. Mule deer like to eat the young seedlings. Many animals, like the pileated woodpecker, build their nests in ponderosa pines.
Pests and Diseases of Ponderosa Pines
Ponderosa pines can be affected by several diseases and pests. These include different types of fungi like Armillaria, Phaeolus schweinitzii, and Fomes pini. They can also get Atropellis canker, dwarf mistletoe, and western gall rust.
When Ponderosa Pines Grow Where They Shouldn't
In some places, like the high country of New Zealand, ponderosa pines are considered an invasive species. They spread quickly and can take over areas. This makes it hard for the native plants to grow. They are also seen as a "weed" in parts of Australia.
How People Use Ponderosa Pines
Native Americans used many parts of the ponderosa pine. They ate the seeds and the sweet inner bark. They chewed the dried sap, which was also used as a healing salve. The branches and limbs were used for firewood and building. The trunks were carved into canoes. Needles and roots were woven into baskets. They even boiled the needles to make a solution for coughs and fevers.
Ponderosa Pine Wood for Building
Ponderosa pine has been an important tree for timber in western North America for a long time. Its wood is very useful. Since the 1800s, forests in the United States and Canada have been harvested for lumber and other wood products. Early settlers used the wood from old, large trees for building, including for railroads. The wood is light yellow to light brown. It has a straight grain and is moderately soft. This makes it good for many building and manufacturing uses. Wood from younger trees is not as good for lumber because it can warp easily.
Ponderosa pine wood is widely used for building homes. It is easy to cut and shape. It was one of the first western woods sent in large amounts to markets in the eastern U.S. in the early 1900s. It has been used for framing, roof decking, and sheathing in houses. These are places where very high strength is not always needed. In the mid-1900s, a lot of ponderosa pine lumber was produced. For example, over 4 billion board feet were harvested in 1941.
Besides sawtimber, ponderosa pine logs are used for other things. Their straight trunks were once popular for utility poles and fence posts. If dried or treated properly, the wood lasts a fair amount of time in these uses. In the early 1900s, mining companies also used ponderosa pine for mine timbers and tunnel supports.
Special Blue-Stained Wood
Sometimes, ponderosa pine wood has blue-gray streaks. This is called blue-stained pine. These streaks are caused by fungi spread by the mountain pine beetle. When these beetles infest trees, they introduce the fungi. The fungi grow in the sapwood but do not make the wood weaker. Even though it was once less popular, blue-stained pine is now used in rustic designs. Its unique color is seen as a natural and beautiful feature.
Wood for Paper and Other Products
Ponderosa pine is also used to make engineered wood and paper products. Many harvested logs become plywood, particleboard, fiberboard, and paper. Plywood is made by cutting thin layers of wood, called veneer, from the logs. Ponderosa pine plywood is not as strong as Douglas-fir plywood. However, it is good for many lighter uses, like furniture panels and drawer bottoms. The wood's light color and pleasant pine smell make it nice for indoor use.
Famous Buildings Made with Ponderosa Pine
Because it is common and looks warm, ponderosa pine has been used in many famous buildings in the western U.S. It often gives a rustic, "parkitecture" style. A great example is the Grand Canyon Lodge. The architect, Gilbert Stanley Underwood, used huge ponderosa beams for its sloped roof and large indoor spaces. Another example is Fuller Lodge in Los Alamos, New Mexico. This building used over 700 ponderosa logs harvested from nearby areas.
Growing Ponderosa Pines as Art
Ponderosa pines are also grown as bonsai trees. People like them for their rough, flaky bark, twisted trunks, and flexible branches. Wild ponderosa pines can be shaped by nature into beautiful, unique forms. They can grow in rocky places, which naturally stunts their growth. The biggest challenge in growing ponderosa pines as bonsai is their naturally long needles. It takes many years of training to make the needles shorter.
This tree is also planted as an ornamental plant in parks and large gardens.
Ponderosa Pine in Culture
The ponderosa pine is the official state tree of Montana. In 1908, Montana schoolchildren voted for their state tree. They chose the ponderosa pine over other trees like the Douglas fir. However, it was not officially named the state tree until 1949.
The famous TV show Bonanza featured the Ponderosa Ranch. This ranch was named after the ponderosa pine trees. These trees are common in the Lake Tahoe region, where the fictional Cartwright family's ranch was set. Bonanza was one of the first Western shows filmed in color. It often showed the beautiful pine forests to highlight the ranch's size and natural beauty.
See also
- Southern yellow pine
