Minnesota's state tree.

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I adore Pine trees! This is my favorite species that I saw so much in the north woods of Minnesota, where it is the state tree. It sometimes has been called Norway Pine up in Minnesota, but it is not from Norway. It is native to Nova Scotia and southeast Canada, New England, New York, northern Pennsylvania, northern Michigan, most of Wisconsin, northern Minnesota, with some scattered little spots in northern IL, IN, and OH. It grows about 1.5 feet/year and lives about 350 years. Its bright green, long needles get about 6 inches long, are slender, and soft to touch in clusters of 2. Its mature scaly bark is mostly gray with pinkish-orange areas. It bears small 1 to 2.5 inch long cones that do not have prickles on the scales. It is very abundant in the wild and planted a lot up in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Red Pine is occasionally planted in the Chicago, IL, region, but not a lot because it does not grow well in heavier clay soils or ones that are not acid enough. I am not sure where the breaking point is, but it is between 6.5 to 7.0 where the soil is not acid enough for it to survive; the point may be 6.8. (The similar-looking Austrian Black Pine (Pinus nigra austriaca) with dark green, broad, and very stiff, prickly needles is grown a lot in the Chicago area instead because the European species does well in heavy clay, alkaline soils.) There are some Red Pines planted in southeast Pennsylvania in Zone 6b; some doing well and others died out during powerful droughts. A most lovely conifer!

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