The Eastern white pine at one time was one of the predominant trees in PEI, but due to wholesale cutting and a series of fires that swept the province only scattered patches now remain. These patches are mainly confined to the south-eastern portion of PEI.

Under favorable conditions the tree reaches a height of 100 feet with 2 to 3 feet in diameter. The branches usually grow out at right angles to the trunk in more or less regular whorls of 5. This is not so apparent in old trees or trees growing in crowded stands. In young trees the crown is more or less cone-shaped becoming flat-topped when old.

It will grow on a great number of sites but the best growth is obtained on a moist sandy soil. Here on PEI, it grows in pure stands also mixed with White Spruce, Balsam fir, and White birch. It reaches it's greatest size on rich loams with eastern hemlock, yellow birch and sugar maple.

Source: "Native Trees of Prince Edward Island and the more Common Woodland Shrubs". by J.F. Gaudet and W.M. Profitt Dept. of Agriculture. Charlottetown, PEI. 1958.

The White Pine is an important component of the Acadian Forest on PEI.

For more pictures and descriptions of this species, check out the Atlantic Forestry Centre and the Iowa State University Dendrology page and the Dendrology at Virginia Tech Page and the Virtual Foliage Homepage. For a review of the ecology of this species, refer to the Silvics of North America and the The Natural History of the Northwoods.

In 1806, John Stewart wrote an excellent description of Forest Trees and Other Vegetable Productions on PEI at that time.