Scots Pine - Pinus sylvestris
Irish name - Péine albanach
family - Pinaceae
Characteristics
- In ideal conditions, this strong-growing pine reaches over 30m (90ft) at maturity.
- In young trees, rapid growth often occurs between mid-May and early July.
- A conical tree when young, it becomes typically flat-topped with age. The upper bark is a warm orange red colour and the lower bark is deeply fissured on older trees.
- Scots pine was very common after the lastice age, but may have partially disappeared around 2000 years ago. It has been widely replanted over the last 150 years.
- It is easily killed by fire and will not regenerate from stumps.
- When these trees are young, cutting and grazing will badly damage them.
Season
- Flowers open in late May and once fertilized, they bend downwards and develop into a cone, which takes a year to become hard. During that year, the winged seeds within the cones become ripe and they are normally shed between March and June the following year.
Preferred Environment
- Scots pine prefers an acid soil and will not grow well on chalk or limestone.
- It will tolerate some water-logging, growing well on peaty soils as long as there is no serious mineral deficiency.
- These pines are drought-resistant.
- Most young plants are frost-hardy but some may suffer in severe spells, depending on the provenance of the seed.
- It is tolerant of shading.
Wildlife Associations
- Scots pine has 91 insect species associated with it.
- It is good nesting tree and provides popular winter bird roost sites.
- Red squirrels are attracted by the seeds.
- The bark of a mature Scots pine shelters many small creatures such as spiders, woodlice and beetles.
Uses
- Scots pine produces standard timber for construction work. All sizes of wood are milled and great quantities are used in engineering and house building.
- Valuable substances such as pitch, tar, resin and turpentine are produced from the resin. However cheaper man made substitutes are now available so resin collecting is waning.
Please remember...
Permission from the landowner - and, if the site holds any kind of designation, from Northern Ireland Environment Agency too - must be sought before collecting plant material (including seeds).