The needles are attached to the limbs in a cluster of 2, unlike the cluster of 5 for white pine. Young jack pine will have needles that are nearly 5" long, but as the tree grows older, the needles will be replaced with shorter ones that are about 2 1/2 inches long. The bark will be dark and have the appearance of scales that redily come off if you brush the tree. Jack pine makes fair lumber for construction, mostly for studs, but it tends to twist or bend more than other woods. In Minnesota, jack pine have a definite lifespan that is similar to a human. It is rare to find one more than 18" diameter and many are mature at 8".
The other species that it could be is lodgepole. We do not have lodgepole pine in this area to make comparisons. |
