Eastern Forest Threat Center

Scots pine is a coniferous tree reaching 70 to 120 ft. in height and 3 to 5 ft. in diameter. The bark is silvery gray and shiny when young becoming reddish brown, fissured, and scaly when older. Brittle twigs are dark, yellowish-gray, and smooth. Needles are 1½ to 3½ in. long, bluish-green or dark green, stout, and borne in bundles of 2 or rarely 3. Cones are 1½ to 2½ in. long, short-stalked, solitary or in pairs, and grayish or reddish in color. Scots pine reproduces by seeds that range from tan to almost black and vary in size according to the geographic area. Its root system is made up of horizontal roots close to the surface and a taproot. It prefers fine sands, silt loams to silty clay loams, and well-drained soils, and is adapted to a wide variety of climates. It is located in old fields, roadsides, open bogs, and open forested areas. In many areas, foresters have been concerned by its aggressive reproductive habit resulting in an established mat of seedlings. Where Scots pine has been intermixed with red or white pine at planting, the Scots pine grows so much more aggressively during the first few years that its roots crowd out roots of the other species.

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