WESTERN WHITE PINE
pinus monticola

• also known as Silver Pine
• gets its name from the light colour of the wood
• 'monticola' means "inhabiting mountains"

UNIQUE FEATURES:

• susceptible to white pine blister rust which turns parts of the tree an orangey colour and kills it
• has a short open crown

LOCATION:

• drier parts of Vancouver Island, southern mainland coast, wetter areas in the southern Interior
• usually lower elevations
• likes sites rich in nutrients, well drained, gentle slopes

SIZE:

• can grow up to 60 metres in height

CONES:

• cylindrical on a 2 cm stalk
• 10 to 25 cm long
• when dry the cone scales often bend backwards

NEEDLES:

• occur in bunches of 5
• 5 to 10 cm long
• slender, straight and soft with finely toothed edges
• bluish -green with a whitish tinge

BARK:

• young: thin, smooth, greyish-green
• mature: dark with deep vertical grooves, small rectangular scaly plates

WOOD CHARACTERISTICS:

• fine grain, uniform texture

USES:

• modern - carving, furniture making, pattern making
• traditional - boughs: medicine