Western White Pine

Western White Pine

The West's mountain-climbing conifer If ever a tree loved to live in the mountains, it's the western white pine. You'll find it getting along quite happily in the high country of California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Given western white pine's preference for altitude, it may seem strange that this species ranks among the most important timber trees of North America. The tree's size and wood quality make the extra logging effort worthwhile. Even Scottish explorer and botanist David Douglas, who discovered the western white pine on the slopes of Washington's Mt. St. Helens back in 1825, thought it important to send some seeds to his homeland. Today, the products of those seeds grow majestically in the highlands of Scotland and Ireland. Commercially, western white pine commands one of the highest prices of all softwoods. It's in continued demand for window and door frames, molding, and high-quality veneer for plywood.