Jack Pine

General
Scientific Name: Pinus banksiana
Family: Pinaceae (Pine)
Hardiness: Zone 3
Leaves: Evergreen
Plant Type: Tree

Growth
Rate: Fast
Mature Height: >45’
Longevity: Long
Power Line: No

Ornamental
Flowers: Inconspicuous
Fruit: Brown cone
Fall Color: n/a

A small to medium pine that quickly loses the pyramidal form characteristic of young pine and assumes an open, somewhat irregular crown. Fire often required to open cones and allow seed dispersal. Native in eastern North America, including Minnesota. The largest tree in North Dakota is 48 feet tall with a canopy spread of 40 feet.

Light: Full sun.
Water: Requires consistent moisture for best growth, but highly drought tolerant.
Soil: Prefers sandy to loam soils. Cannot withstand high pH soils that are commonly found on the prairie.

Best grown in areas with cool summers and cold winters.

Well maintained trees typically have few problems. Not especially ornamental but is adaptable for windbreaks, shelterbelts and mass plantings. Valued for its hardiness and suitability to colder regions, as well as its drought tolerance.

Credits: Tree Selector Website, North Dakota Tree Handbook, http:// www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?tax…, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants 6th edition.