Lodgepole Pine

Description:

There are several species of this pine that grow in western North America, although it has been exported to other countries as well. Needles are dark green and often shiny and clumped in groups of two. They are typically of medium-height for a pine. The top is often rounded when they grow in the open, but in dense forests they tend to be conical in shape; they are noted for growing in thick stands.

Habitat:

Usually found growing on thin, rocky soils, often in mountains.

Notes:

Since these trees usually grow in thick stands, they tend to compete for sunlight and so grow quickly upwards with a tall and slender trunk. The name is derived from Native Americans using the long, slender trunks as lodgepoles.