Scots Pine

Pinus sylvestris
Scots pine

Pinus sylvestris is a pine species native to Europe and Asia, ranging from Ireland to eastern Siberia, south to the Caucasus Mountains, and north into the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia. Mature Scots pines reach around 80 feet in height and have a trunk diameter around 3 feet. There is a forest in Estonia, however, with trees 150 feet tall, estimated to be 220 years old. One of the most popular Christmas trees grown in the United States from the 1950s to 1980s, Scots pine was widely grown and escaped cultivation; it is now listed as an invasive species in Michigan and Wisconsin.

Identifying Characteristics:

1. Leaves are needlelike, at least four times longer than wide.
2. Needles are in clusters.
3. Needles are in clusters of two.
4. Needles are blue-green or gray-green; buds are long.