Alternate name: Scrub Pine, Gray Pine

Family: Pinaceae, Pine view all from this family

Description Small to medium-sized, native, coniferous, evergreen tree, occasionally shrubby in harsh conditions. Bark brownish gray with scales. Needles in bundles of two, twisted, slightly yellowish-green, and 2–4 cm. (0.79–1.6 in.) long. Cones 3–5 cm. (1.2–2.0 in.) long, scales have small, fragile prickle that usually wears off before maturity, leaving the cones smooth. Cones normally point forward along the branch, sometimes curling around it.

Dimensions Height: 9-21 m. (30-70 ft.)
Diameter: 0.3 m. (1 ft.).

Habitat Mountains, Scrub, shrub & brushlands, Canyons & valleys, Watersides (fresh), Fields.

Range New England, Alaska, Mid-Atlantic, Eastern Canada, Western Canada, Plains, Great Lakes.

Discussion The serotinous cones, sealed shut by a resinous bond, require high
temperatures to open. This heat is usually provided by fire, but hot,
dry weather also opens some cones. Wood is used for pulpwood,
lumber, telephone poles, fence posts, mine timbers, and railroad ties.
The federally endangered Kirtland's warbler is endemic to jack pine
barrens.