![]() Growing ribes became illegal under federal law (this ban was lifted in 1966 with individual states taking over from there). By removing all the cultivated and wild ribes from the immediate area of a valuable white pine stand, the pines could be protected. The other type of spore travels from ribes to pines and is only capable of traveling a few hundred yards- and here lies the weakness in the disease. One type moves from white pines to ribes plants, and is capable of traveling 100 miles or more. Very soon afterwards ribes eradication efforts began. It was first discovered in Geneva, NY in 1909. Many thousands of seedlings were shipped from nurseries in Germany, and along with the trees came white pine blister rust. We looked to Europe, already well practiced in replanting forests, to supply us with white pine seedlings. Replanting programs began, but American nurseries were unable to keep up with the demand for white pine seedlings. But down they came in great numbers and by the late 1800s it was realized that our forests might not last forever. White pines were so valuable in colonial times that it was illegal for colonists to cut them down. The trees were used to build first the british and then the American navy ship masts. The lust for their valuable timber led to their rapid destruction. towering white pines dominated the landscape. Originally from Asia, wpbr was introduced into Europe and then brought over to the U.S. In some stands mortality of young white pines can be near 100%, though more and more resistant pines are showing up and being bred. White pine blister rust does not effect ribes too much, but it often kills young white pines and injures older trees. Many cultivars of both native and Eurasian species abound in gardens and nurseries across the temperate world. The flavor can vary just as much from, terrible to delicious. The color of currants and gooseberries can range from translucent white to green to red to purple to black. The berries have fed woodland songbirds and rodents for millenium. They are small shrubs that often thrive in the shade of forests. There are more than 70 species of the ribes genus native to North America. When it was discovered that ribes (gooseberries and currants) served as the alternate host, the lumber industry waged war on ribes populations. The disease is able to kill all 5 needled pines. The rust is a fungus, cronartium ribicola, that requires two host plants to complete it’s life cycle. The king of England’s aggravating habit of marking out and reserving all the biggest and best of these trees for use in his navy lead to the Pine Tree Riot of 1772, and played a role in the events leading up to the Revolutionary War.White pine blister rust (wpbr) is a complicated disease with a great story. The long, straight trunks of Eastern White Pine were once prized for use as ship masts. It’s one of the three primary commercial species of White Pine, with the other two- Sugar Pine and Western White Pine-being found on the west coast. ![]() Sustainability: This wood species is not listed in the CITES Appendices, and is reported by the IUCN as being a species of least concern.Ĭommon Uses: Crates, boxes, interior millwork, construction lumber, carving, and boatbuilding.Ĭomments: Eastern White Pine is one of the most common and widely used timbers for construction lumber in the northeast United States. Prices should be moderate for a domestic softwood. Pricing/Availability: Eastern White Pine is widely harvested for construction lumber. Odor: Eastern White Pine has a faint, resinous odor while being worked.Īllergies/Toxicity: Working with pine has been reported to cause allergic skin reactions and/or asthma-like symptoms in some people. See the articles Wood Allergies and Toxicity and Wood Dust Safety for more information. Workability: Eastern White Pine is easy to work with both hand and machine tools. Rot Resistance: The heartwood is rated as moderate to low in decay resistance. Grain/Texture: Grain is straight with an even, medium texture.Įndgrain: Large resin canals, numerous and evenly distributed, mostly solitary earlywood to latewood transition gradual, color contrast fairly low tracheid diameter medium to large. Shrinkage: Radial: 2.1%, Tangential: 6.1%, Volumetric: 8.2%, T/R Ratio: 2.9Ĭolor/Appearance: Heartwood is a light brown, sometimes with a slightly reddish hue, sapwood is a pale yellow to nearly white. Tree Size: 65-100 ft (20-30 m) tall, 2-4 ft (.6-1.2 m) trunk diameter (historically older-growth trees were much larger)Īverage Dried Weight: 25 lbs/ft 3 (400 kg/m 3) ![]() ![]() Distribution: Eastern North America (also widely grown on plantations throughout its natural range) ![]()
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