Pinus strobus
White pine, Eastern White Pine
Pinaceae
History and Origin
White pine is a tall tree measuring between 30 and 35 meters in height. It is one of our most precious commercial tree. White pine grows rapidly and sometimes reaches extraordinary dimensions (90 m. in height and 250 cm in diameter). Its height, resistance to decomposition, the lightness and homogeneity of its wood, the quality of its grain, its easy use and the quality it has not to bend or crackle when it dries make it a very useful tree. White pine played an important economic role in the French Canada. It was notably used to build ships, in a time when St. Lawrence River was the main traffic lane. The Royal Navy used to select standing trees needed to build the Royal float. But the time of the White pine is over and well. Indeed, the intensive harvesting made during the XIXth century to feed the Canadian market and extensively provide the United-States with low cost material as well as a parasitic disease largely affected the populations. White pine used to be a monument in our forests.
In the Native herbal tradition, White pine is notably used to treat cough, colds, cuts and wounds, inflammation, kidney problems and respiratory disorders.
|
|
|