Individual Conifer Species
Study, identify and name the major North American Conifers
Western Larch, An Important Tree in North America
Western larch (Larix occidentalis), a deciduous conifer, is also called tamarack and western tamarack; less commonly used names are hackmatack, mountain larch, and Montana larch. It is largest of the larches and is the most important timber species of the genus. Western larch is used for lumber, fine veneer, poles, ties, mine timbers, and pulpwood.Red Pine, An Important Tree in North America
Red pine is the northern counterpart of the southern yellow pines. But unlike the southern pines, red pine has needles of only two per bundle. P. resinosa is one of the most extensively planted species in the northern United States and Canada. Red pine is confined to the Northern Forest region and the southern fringe of the Boreal Forest region.Shortleaf Pine, An Important Tree in North America
Shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) is one of the four most important commercial conifers in the southeastern United States. Depending upon locale, the species is also called shortleaf yellow, southern yellow, oldfield, shortstraw, or Arkansas soft pine.Slash Pine, An Important Tree in North America
Slash pine (Pinus elliottii) is one of the hard yellow pines indigenous to southeastern United States. Other names occasionally used for this species include southern pine, yellow slash pine, swamp pine, pitch pine, and Cuban pine.Virginia Pine, An Important Tree in North America
Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana) has a definite place among trees of commercial importance in spite of once being considered a "forest weed" and called scrub pine. Also known as Jersey pine and spruce pine, it does so well in reforesting abandoned and cutover lands that it has become a principal source of pulpwood and lumber in the southeast.Ponderosa Pine, An Important Tree in North America
Ponderosa pine is one of the most widely distributed pines in western North America. P. ponderosa reaches heights of 180 feet with diameters of 4 feet. It has a pyramidal crown when young but maturing to a flat crown. One identifier is the bark has a vanilla-like smell.Jeffrey Pine, An Important Tree in North America
Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi) was discovered in 1852 in the Shasta Valley of California by John Jeffrey, a Scottish botanical explorer. Partly overlapping ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) in range and superficially resembling it, Jeffrey pine was first classified as a variety of ponderosa pine.Sugar Pine, An Important Tree in North America
Called "the most princely of the genus" by its discoverer, David Douglas, sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana) is the tallest and largest of all pines, commonly reaching heights of 175 to 200 feet and diameters of 36 to 60 inches. Old trees occasionally exceed 500 years and, among associated species, are second only to giant sequoia in volume.Pitch Pine, An Important Tree in North America
The species name of pitch pine (Pinus rigida) means rigid or stiff and refers to both the cone scales and the wide-spreading, sharply pointed needles. It is a medium-sized tree with moderately strong, coarse-grained, resinous wood that is used primarily for rough construction and where decay resistance is important.Pinyon Pine, An Important Tree in North America
Pinyon pine is a widely distributed pine that grows in the Intermountain region of western North America. It is a major indicator tree in the pinyon-juniper life zone. P. edulis is a short and scrubby tree that rarely reaches heights taller than 35 feet. Growth is very slow and trees with with diameters of 4 to 6 inches can be several hundred years old. It typically grows either in pure stands …Lodgepole Pine, An Important Tree in North America
Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) is a two-needled pine of the subgenus Pinus. The species has been divided geographically into four varieties: P. contorta var. contorta, P. contorta var. bolanderi, P. contorta var. murrayana and P. contorta var. latifolia. Lodgepole pine is not only an important timber species but is also a major tree cover in many scenic and recreational areas and on critical w…Loblolly Pine, An Important Tree in North America
Loblolly pine is the most commercially important pine of the Southeast where it is dominant on approximately 29 million acres and makes up over one-half the standing pine volume. This pine cannot survive the occasional severe winters of USDA zone 5 but has a solid hold on most of the southern forest. It is the most common plantation pine in the southern forest but has a problem with fusiform rust…Tamarack, An Important Tree in North America
Tamarack is one of only three native North American larch species and is the most common. This larch sheds its needles in the fall like baldcypress. Tamarack is the most cold-hardy of any native tree and has the strongest wood of all the conifers. Tamarack also has the widest range of all the North American conifers.Western Hemlock, An Important Tree in North America
Western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) thrives in humid areas of the Pacific coast and northern Rocky Mountains. Western hemlock provides an important part of the esthetic background for eight national parks-four each in the United States and Canada. It is a pioneer on many sites, yet it is commonly the climax dominant. Although western hemlock grows like a weed, its versatility and potential for m…North American Tree List by Common Name - Conifers
CONIFER - A tree belonging to the order Coniferales. Trees with needles or scalelike leaves and cones as opposed to broad, flat leaves that more often than not are coneless.EVERGREEN - perennial plants which normally keep foliage or needles through the entire year.
SOFTWOOD - Softwood trees are usually evergreen, bear cones, and have needles or scalelike leaves. They include pine, spruc…