Ponderosa pine, the largest of the western pine species, is found on semi-arid plateaus and slopes in B.C.’s southern interior. The wood is straight-grained, nonporous with a fine and uniform texture, and light in colour, ranging from cream to yellow to pale reddish-brown.
Ponderosa pine is used for light and medium construction and a variety of exterior and interior products. Open-canopy ponderosa pine forests are also important as wildlife habitat, watersheds, livestock grazing and recreational use.
Where it grows
Ponderosa pine is the characteristic tree of B.C.’s southern interior. It grows in a variety of soils, from extremely dry to well-drained, relatively deep moist soils. It has a long, deep root that enables it to access deeper, moister soil, and keeps it firm in windy conditions.
Ponderosa pine is found predominantly in pure stands with small even-aged trees as a result of frequent ground and crown wildfires in the areas where it grows. The thick bark protects the trees from frequent ground fires that burn needles and dead grass, and it is common to see fire scars on older trees. At higher elevations, it grows with interior Douglas-fir.
Did you know?
On a hot day, the bark of the ponderosa pine smells like vanilla, and if a young twig is broken, it smells somewhat like oranges.
Identifiable characteristics
Ponderosa pine is a large-crowned tree with a straight trunk. It is the largest of the western pine species, and usually grows to 25 to 30 metres, although it can reach 50 metres with a diameter of two metres and can live as long as 400 to 500 years.
The bark is blackish, rough and scaly on young trees, and on mature trees it is very thick (up to 10 centimetres), bright orangey-brown and deeply grooved into flat, flaky plates. The needles are in bunches of three, or occasionally in both twos and threes. They are 12 to 28 centimetres long and slender with sharp points and sharply toothed edges. The seed cones are narrowly oval when closed and are 7 to 14 centimetres long with no stalk. The scales get thicker toward the tip and have a sharp, rigid prickle. Seeds have a 2.5-centimetre wing.