SPRUCE PlNE
(SCRUB PINE)

The spruce pine ages well, taking on a certain character with its gnarled branches and persistent cones that defy the elements. If a heavy wind sometimes snaps the brittle trunk in half, the bottom of the tree just keeps on growing in a misshapen way.

As the tree is very knotty, lumber from it is generally used only in rough construction. Because of the resin content, it is excellent firewood. Paper pulp is also a valuable by-product. In the olden days the "pine knots" provided bright burning torches.

The spruce pine attains a growth of eighty feet and may reach four feet in diameter. The dark, rough bark, is broken into shallow plates ranging in color from dark brown to purple. This tree is particularly valuable because of its tendency to grow well in poor soils that otherwise might erode.

The fruit is a small cone or burr ranging from one and one half to two and one half inches in length. It is produced each year and may stay on the branch for several years after discharging the seeds. The leaves are clustered in two's and are up to three inches long.

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