Pinus contorta
Lodgepole pine
- Also called Lodgepole pine, Shore pine (coastal form)
Evergreen pine, usually 20-30 m
What it is
Lodgepole pine is a slender, fast-growing pine of western North America. Its short needles, 3 to 8 cm, come in pairs and are often slightly twisted, and its small cones are only 2 to 5 cm long. Its name comes from the straight young trunks that Plains peoples used as poles for their lodges. It grows from Alaska to Baja California and the Rockies, and covers large areas of the pumice plateau of central and south-central Oregon.
What it's used for
- Its straight trunks are used for poles, posts, log cabins and general timber.
- Its seeds feed red squirrels, chipmunks and birds such as crossbills and nutcrackers.
- It quickly forms new forest on open burned ground, holding the soil.
Where we plant it
Rebuilding Oregon's Forests
Fremont-Winema National Forest, Oregon, United States
Plant trees in this projectOur partners plant the mix of native species that suits each site and season, so a gift plants trees in the project rather than this one species. Pinus contorta is one of the species planted there.
More trees planted in Rebuilding Oregon's Forests
Douglas-firPseudotsuga menziesii
Ponderosa pinePinus ponderosa
Western larchLarix occidentalis
White firAbies concolor
About Rebuilding Oregon's Forests
