Cooperative Living January/February 2024 - 33

BRANCHING OUT
Seeing the Forest
for the Trees
Virginia pine deserves a second look
by Steve Carroll, Contributing Columnist
I
f you live in the mid-Atlantic, you've surely
seen Virginia pine, though you may have given
it just a passing glance. It's not as tall and graceful
as Eastern white pine, and it lacks the striking redbrown,
platy bark of loblolly pine. Nevertheless, a large
Virginia pine growing in an open field or along a thin-soiled
ridgeline can have a dramatic presence against the skyline.
Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana), also known as scrub pine,
grows from Long Island south to northern Georgia and
Alabama (Cold Hardiness Zones 5-8). In the mid-Atlantic,
it's common throughout the Piedmont and lower-elevation
mountains, and locally common along the Coastal Plain.
It favors well-drained, acidic to neutral soil, and is typically
found in dry fields and forests, rocky woodlands, and other
sunny, dry habitats, including on poor sites where other
trees struggle. On higher-quality sites, it is usually replaced
over time by deciduous hardwoods. Its tolerance of poor
conditions makes it useful in erosion control and reclamation
of mining and other disturbed sites.
Virginia pine is a mid-sized, relatively short-lived tree.
It typically reaches 30-50 feet in height and 12-14 inches
in diameter, though on a good site it can grow taller. The
national champion, which grows in Tamarack Park in Fairfax
County, Va., stands 91 feet tall!
Needles are 1 1/2 to 3 inches long, usually somewhat
twisted, and in bundles of two. The small male cones appear
in spring, when they release large amounts of pollen before
dropping off. Female cones are larger, roughly egg-shaped, and
1 1/2 to nearly 3 inches long. These take two years to mature,
at which time they open and release their seeds. The dry,
woody female cones are generally held on the tree for several
years, and the large number of these persistent cones is a good
visual clue for identifying this tree from a distance.
In addition to its role in land reclamation, Virginia pine
has other uses. Its long fibers make it a good choice for paper
pulp. It has historically been used for mine timbers, railroad
ties and rough lumber, but its tendency to warp makes it an
inferior choice for construction-grade wood. In the Southeast,
it is sometimes used for holiday trees.
Traditionally, Native Americans had many uses for Virginia
pine's bark and needles. For example, the Cherokee bathed
in needle soaks to treat rheumatism, chewed the bark to
co-opliving.com
A Virginia pine growing
along the Blue Ridge
Parkway.
Virginia pine's
long fibers make
it a good choice
for paper pulp.
Needles
and an open
female cone.
treat diarrhea, and used the tree in various ways as a treatment
for colds.
This pine is also important for wildlife. Seeds are eaten
by various birds and small mammals; deer browse lower
branches; and caterpillars of many butterflies and moths feed
on the needles. It provides winter wildlife cover, especially
when growing in near-pure stands, and woodpeckers carve
out the softer wood of older trees for their cavity nests.
As a Virginia pine matures, its crown opens up and spreads,
giving it a distinctive appearance. In his " Natural History
of Trees of Eastern and Central North America, " naturalist
Donald Culross Peattie wrote, " A Chinese landscape painter
would not despise the silhouette of these trees, marching over
the crest of some hill or etched against the slanting lines of
Virginia's winter rains. "
It may just be scrub pine to some, but it can strike a fine
pose growing in the right place.
*
Steve Carroll is a botanist and ecologist who speaks and writes
about trees, gardening and the world of plants. He is the co-author
of " Ecology for Gardeners, " published by Timber Press.
January-February 2024 * Cooperative Living * 33
PHOTO BY MILO PYNE COURTESY NATURESERVE VIA FLICKR
PHOTO BY DAVID BROSSARD VIA FLICKR
http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living January/February 2024

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