Whitebark Pine

You find whitebark pine at the timberline in mountain ranges from British Columbia to California, often forming scattered, twisted groves marking the threshold where few other trees grow. Its bark is thin and whitish (hence the common name), smooth on young trees but becoming scaly on older trunks. Its paired needles are crowded at branch tips with a sweet taste that attracts nutcrackers, which cache and scatter seeds across alpine terrain.

Whitebark pine is adapted to rocky ridges and bluffs at high elevation with harsh wind and snow; in the Puget Sound lowlands, it cannot flourish and should not be attempted. Reserve it for high-elevation sites above 5,000 feet in the Cascades or mountains of eastern Washington. White pine blister rust is devastating to this species, now listed as endangered; select disease-resistant genetic material if available. Growth is extremely slow (15 feet in 20 years), and this tree should be planted only in its native montane habitat.