The Eastern white pine ( Pinus strobus ) is among the best - selling Christmas Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree in America . It is valued for it frail appearance and excellent phonograph needle retentiveness , and is especially well - suited for small and lightweight decoration . You may wish to choose the eastern clean pine as your Christmas tree if you have allergies , since its scent is low-cal .
Characteristics
In the wild , Eastern white pine can attain 80 feet in height and gather a diameter of 2 to 3 feet . It is the largest true pine in the United States , and is the State Department tree diagram of Maine and Michigan . The soft , flexile phonograph needle , ranging from silver - putting surface to dispirited - greens in color , are 2 to 5 column inch long and on a regular basis arranged in groups of five . The bark of young trees is still and greenish - brownness , but on older trees , becomes dark gray and cracked .
Range and Use
The Eastern white pine , as its name indicates , is native to Eastern North America . It grows in many different emplacement , but does good in moist sandy loam . It is usually propagate by germ , and some 70 different cultivars are available for commercial use . The white pine has been highly valued since compound time , when it was used for ship - construction . Although over - harvesting has resulted in the demolition of most of the nation ’s original pine tree timber , the white pine reproduces readily and can be find oneself throughout its growing cooking stove .
Use as a Christmas Tree
Many types of Christmas trees , including the Eastern snowy pine , are usually sheared to give them a pyramidical form . Such shearing afford them a very impenetrable look . The supple bough of white true pine will not hold as many ornament as some other trees , such as the Scotch pine , nor will they support very heavy ornaments . The bloodless pine does not have as strong an aroma as some other form of pines , but this can be an advantage to those with allergies , since it reportedly may do fewer allergy symptom , according to the National Christmas Tree Association .
Selecting an Eastern White Pine
Although checking to see if the needles break sharply is a salutary check of freshness for a fir , this is not an exact test for a pine tree , since pine needle do not break unless they are very juiceless . rather , check into to be sure there are no signs of excessive xerotes or other deterioration . Very few needles should come off when you get out a branch toward you ; shaking or bouncing the tree diagram should produce little in the mode of fall dark-green needles , say PineTreeBarn.com . The needles that pine molt naturally as part of their living cycle should be shaken out before you bring in the tree into your house .
Care
salt away your Eastern white pine in a sheltered , unwarmed spot until you are ready to set it up . Make a fresh , direct cut across the bole ’s base before position it in a holder with at least a gallon of water . Be sure to check the tree ’s holder often and refill as necessary . If the water is allowed to come below the stem of the trunk , a stamp will work and the tree will not be able to take up water , expect a brisk cut . Your tree may absorb as much as a gallon of water in the first 24 hours .
