Pinon Pine or Pinyon Pine

Description:

An evergreen tree that grows from 10 - 30 feet tall. It produces cones and its leaves are 1 - 2 inches long in clusters. It produces fragrant pine pitch/resin that can be collected to use for various purposes. The pinecones produce pine nuts. which are harvested by Pinon Jays and Scrub Jays. These are most often found between 4500 and 7500 feet in elevation.

Habitat:

Oak woodland, chaparral. Important habitat for migrating birds, quail, squirrels, chipmunks and deer where we live.

Notes:

If only I could successfully harvest pine nuts! I leave most of the pine cones alone for the wildlife that live on our property but I would love to share the wealth. Difficult to collect and extract. We have numerous specimens around our place although they are today somewhat compromised because of Pinon scale. The small specimen pictured seems to be dying perhaps due to scale damage (?) although none could be seen. More on that here: https://cals.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hor...