This stately and hardy evergreen is the Northeast’s largest conifer, which in the wild can reach more than 100 feet.  It has a distinctive, plum-like outline, with branches that grow horizontal and in tiers making it a popular Christmas tree.
 
     White Pine produces feathery clusters of light- to blue-green needles and cones of 6 to 8 inches.  Wildlife love White Pine.  It is a larval host to the Imperial and dozens of other butterfly and moth species.  Birds feed on its seeds and nest in its branches.
 
     White Pine makes a great hedge or windscreen.  It tolerates a wide range of soil conditions but does not thrive in urban conditions or tolerate air pollution.
 
     Fun fact: White Pine was the most valuable commodity of the early settlers and by the 1700s the most sought-after tree in the world. To protect the White Pine from complete devastation New York created the Adirondack Park in the 1890s.
 
     1st Photo: Tree planting near Sassaquin Pond, New Bedford, Mass., by Chancery Perks.