Also called the Yellow Pine and Blackjack Pine

Location: North of the Architecture building, standing tall as an unusual survivor of the construction of the Population Health Center which claimed several other large trees in the area.

Summary: Another impressive specimen belonging to the Pine genus, the Ponderosa Pine is the most geographically widespread conifer in North America, found from central Mexico all the way up to British Columbia, and inland all the way east to Nebraska. It is the dominant forest species in many places, standing tall and straight with its conical crown. The species is known to grow to over 200 feet tall, and the tallest Pine ever recorded was a Ponderosa (although currently the tallest living Pine is a Sugar Pine). 

Like the Shore Pine, there are multiple varieties of Ponderosa Pine with traits that vary based on local climate and habitats. This pine too is well adapted to fire; however, unlike the Shore Pine the Ponderosa’s adaptations allow them to survive blazes intact. The thick bark of the species insulates its living tissue (cambium layer) from blazes, and serves as a distinctive identification feature. It is a beautiful puzzle of grays, yellows, and reds, with larger deep fissures which carry a distinct vanilla smell on hot days. The species is exceedingly drought tolerant and its seedlings can withstand temperatures as high as 162 degrees Fahrenheit. These fire, drought, and heat tolerant traits help explain the species’ distribution within Washington State, where it thrives on the dry eastern side of the Cascade Mountains.

Groves composed of this species have been historically open and well-spaced, with older trees carrying the burn scars of past fires. Climate change and fire suppression by Euro-American colonizers have led to much higher tree density of these forests, increasing the number of top burn fires which wipe out whole forests. Additionally, excessive drought brought on by climate change threatens this species, which often occupies arid habitats on the fringe of scrub and grassland. In the major drought of the 2010s, some Ponderosa Pine forests of California lost up to 60% of their trees to the hot dry conditions exacerbated by the warming of the planet. Ponderosa Pine has a wide variety of uses amongst Indigenous peoples of North America, including as medicine for coughs and fever, as a source of food, and for materials for firewood, basket making, and glue. The species has been long harvested for timber, but today’s second growth stands no longer produce the same high-quality wood as the lost old-growth, having been deprived of the frequent low intensity burns that cause the wood to harden. 

Historical Background: The Ponderosa pine was first documented in 1826 in the city of Spokane, WA where it is the official city tree. The name "Ponderosa" means heavy, ponderous, or weighty. As an important timber source, the wood is light, strong and fine-grained. It is used to make furniture, boxes, toys, and fence posts. It also makes good kindling and was used historically as material for torches. Indigenous groups have a variety of medical and ceremonial uses for this tree. The Nez Perce used the green needles to treat dandruff. Like the Cheyenne, the Paiute, and the Shuswap, the Nez Perce used the pitch to treat a variety of ailments including back pains and boils. The Okanagan-Coville used the buds to create an eyewash and the needles to treat fevers. The Navajo also use the needles for fevers and as cough medicine. 

Native

Native Range: Western North America from Canada to Mexico

Identifying Features: The Ponderosa is an incredibly wide ranging tree from B.C. to Mexico and inland to Dakota. Its ability to survive in a wide array of conditions is impressive and it has at least 3 geographically (and therefore phenotypically different) varieties, something to keep in mind when identifying it. It is a Yellow Pine, with 3-needle fascicles, the only one native to Washington state. A tall straight tree, it can achieve massive sizes in some portions of its range, growing 60-130’ (18-39m) tall and higher in special cases (one was measured in at 268’ (81m) tall), with some trunks achieving 4’ (1.2m) and above in diameter. Only one other pine achieves greater heights, the Sugar Pine of the Sierra Nevada in California. One of the most distinctive traits in this tree is its bark, which is furrowed into rough ridges and blackish on smaller trees, aging to a beautiful honey yellow-brown to orange or red color with age interspersed by deep zig zagging furrows. This thick bark is adapted to withstand fire and often char marks may be found in the furrows of older trees. A healthy stand of Ponderosa on Washington’s east side may have experienced low intensity fires every 2-10 years in historical times, but a lack of forest management combined with climate change has led to higher intensity fires which threaten even this hearty species when they occur. 

Identifying Features In Depth:

1. Form: Tall and straight with a broad open and conical crown, with long spreading branches. The tree generally achieves heights between 60-130’ (18-39m) but has been known to grow even larger.

2. Leaves: Needles are evergreen, a stout and stiff 4-8” (10-20cm) long, occurring in fascicles of 3. They are dark green in color, and in some varieties may have slightly varied numbers per fascicle (although this is generally not seen in Washington).

3. Bark: Black a furrowed in youth, the bark of this species turns a beautiful yellow brown, orange, or almost red, with deep dark furrow and raised plates with puzzle-piece-like chips pulling away and revealing fresher colors beneath. The bark is very fire resistant and thick, often bearing signs of past burns. It smells of vanilla when one sticks their nose into a furrow, especially in summer, though not as much as a very close relative, the Jeffrey Pine.

4. Reproductive Bodies: The cones of the Ponderosa are large and conical to egg shaped, 2-6” (5-15cm), almost stalkless and heavy. They are light brown to reddish-brown, with small long winged seeds. The scales are keeled and armed, ending with a short prickle facing out. An extremely similar species growing in California, the Jeffrey Pine, also has a prickle but it faces inwards. The adage goes, prickly ponderosa, gentle Jeffrey. Seeds are small and long winged.