Pitch pine--Pinus rigida

In the southeast, pitch pine is mainly found in the Appalachians of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. Its wood is very coarse-grained and resinous but soft and often poor in quality. It can be used for rough construction or where decay resistance is important, but mostly the species is valued as a fuel wood, in woodworking, or for restoring exposed bare sandy soils in the region.

Growth characteristics of the species include:

• Average height of 50 to 60 feet with a two to three foot diameter;

• Branches are often thick and contorted giving the tree a ragged irregular crown;

• Needles are found in short clusters of three and marked on three faces by numerous fine white lines of stomata;

• Cones sealed by resin and are only opened when exposed to fire;

• Smaller diameter trees can reproduce from stump shoots and dormant trunk buds as well; and

• The roots and bark of pitch pine are often part of a wild boar’s diet in the southern Appalachians.