Red Pine

About Red Pine in Alberta

Red pine is a tall eastern Canadian pine that is rare in Alberta and occurs here as an intentional planting rather than a native forest tree. It is best recognized by long, shiny dark-green needles in pairs that snap rather than bend, reddish plated bark, and small, smooth-tipped cones without prickles. Alberta trials showed that it can grow at several prairie locations, but an Alberta red pine remains worth close attention because it is uncommon and can be confused with ponderosa, Scots, or Austrian pine.

Identification: Needles are evergreen, straight, shiny dark green, and usually 10-16 cm long. They occur in fascicles of two and have a persistent sheath at the base. The most useful close trait is brittleness: a naturally shed red-pine needle usually snaps cleanly when bent. Needles are finely toothed and pointed.

Alberta range and habitat: Red pine has no documented wild Alberta distribution. Its native Canadian range begins in southeastern Manitoba and continues east to Newfoundland. In Alberta it should be treated as a planted tree unless strong evidence demonstrates otherwise.