Sugar Pine Pinus lambertiana

By Daniel Chau ENH 101 Sugar Pine Description

• Largest pine species • Can grow up to 30-60 m tall and 90-180 cm in diameter • Pine needles in fascicles of 5 • Needles are roughly 6-11 cm

• Bark is unique, puzzle like pieces Sugar Pine Cones

• Longest Cones for any conifer • Mostly 25-50 cm long, exceptionally up to 66 cm long

• Seeds are 2-3 cm wide with wings • Wings aid the seeds in wind dispersal Distribution of Sugar Pines

• Only found in western United States • Sugar Pines are typically found on mountains in mixed conifer forests • Found in elevations ranging from 300-3200 meters • Most commonly found in the Sierra Nevada, Coast Range, and Cascades Problems with Sugar Pine • Severely affected by the White Pine Blister Rust (Cronartium ribicola) – Forest Service developing rust-resistent Sugar Pines. They’ve been introduced into the wild for conservation. • Susceptible to many species of pine beetles. – Such as mountain pine beetle, sugar pine cone beetle, California flatheaded borer, red turpentine beetle, etc… • Conservation Status is Low Risk accordining to the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List Database Random Facts • The name “Sugar Pine” comes from the sweet resin that is excreted from the tree. John Muir found this preferable to maple sugar. • The Indians used the sap like glue as well as chewed it like gum. • The wood is valued because it resist shrinkage, warp, and twist. It is used for shingles, windows, frames, piano keys, and organ pipes. References

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_pine • http://www.conifers.org/pi/pin/lambertiana.htm • http://www.pinetum.org/PhotoJEFFlambertiana.htm • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Pine_Blister_Rust • http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/dorena/photos/rust/ • http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/Volume _1/pinus/lambertiana.htm • http://www.pineconefestival.com/facts.html