Eastern White Pine

Eastern white pine is the graceful, five-needled pine of the eastern forests, the tree that built colonial America, supplying masts for the British navy and lumber for an expanding nation. The needles are soft, blue-green, three to five inches long, held in bundles of five that give the tree a fine, feathery texture unlike any other large conifer. It grows fifty to eighty feet in the landscape with a broad, pyramidal crown that becomes more open and characterful with age. Native from Newfoundland to Manitoba and south to Georgia and Iowa.

In Western Washington, eastern white pine grows well in full sun with moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil. The soft texture and rapid growth make it an attractive specimen and screen tree. White pine blister rust is the serious disease concern, the same pathogen that affects western white pine. Monitor for cankers and maintain tree vigor with proper siting. White pine weevil can kill the terminal leader, creating a forked top. Other pests include pine needle scale and white pine adelgid. Despite these concerns, a healthy eastern white pine in a good site is one of the most elegant large conifers you can grow. The wind moving through the soft needles produces a sound unlike any other tree, a gentle, sighing whisper that is worth the space the tree occupies.