At weedom we had to make the sad decision to allow most of an “iconic” stand of white pines on our property to be cut down. This occurred over a 4 year period which hopefully has come to an end. “Iconic” is not our word, but that of members of our community who noted the loss of these large trees which lined the outer edge of our property. For many years the east side of most of them were being chopped at the trunk to keep them from hitting power lines, and though most of them continued to grow upward, about 8 of them were dying. They were becoming an increasing hazard for those who trimmed them regularly, as well as to the power lines. The sound of chain saws filled the air during this intermittent process, finally leaving a row of large stumps, and trunks, and shredded greenery, and lingering negative implications for a host of birds and other creatures.
Most of the usable wood went to 2 brothers who milled it themselves and used it to side a dwelling. This industrious pair brought back some rough cut boards for us, which we have dried and will have planed for our use. Their ground up branches and needles have gone to mounds of compost which we’re finally beginning to utilize. So these trees fortunately didn’t go to waste. A remnant clutch of pines still stands near our house as silent witness to the chopping of their kind.
In memoriam, let us extol the benefits which are derived from the white pine, Pinus strobus, of the family Pinaceae. This species has endless uses, structurally for light wood, as a fast growing remediation of land, food and shelter for numerous animals, turpentine and myriad resins, a source of flavor and medicine. Most members of the Pinus genus can be eaten by humans, but some evergreen trees which are colloquially named as “pines” are too toxic for such purposes. For example, the Norfolk island pine is not a pine. It’s a do-not-eat.
The easiest thing to remember about a white pine is that the needles emerge from the stem in bunches (fascicles) of 5. The bluish green needles are about 3-5 inches long, thin and pliable. Classified as hapoxylon, they have rows of stomata (which allow gas transfer) on 2 of the surfaces, which appear white. Really dig into pine needle anatomy here, if you like it. :-D Each fall, these trees lose a lot of needles + fascicles though their lifespans are about 2 years. Any member of the pine genus has needles in fascicles, attached to the stems, and almost always 2 or more needles per fascicle. Knowing this will prevent toxic errors. White pine typically can reach 80 feet in height, but some are much taller. The lifespan is highly variable, and some rarely have existed more than 400 years. Growth is quite rapid when the trees are young, and it slows to about a foot per year after the age of 50 years.
In Spring, new growth emerges from branch tips. Clusters of small, male ‘cones’ or strobiles form, at the base of the new growth. Shaking these can produce a considerable cloud of pollen. The white pine is monoecious which means each tree has male and female reproductive parts. The female cones begin as small strobiles which reach 3-6 inches in length when mature. They emerge largely from upper portions of the main branches of the tree, and are much fewer in number than male strobiles. Pines have a rather long reproductive cycle as far as plants go, and are 20 years or more before this begins. Though pollen is released in mid to late Spring, the female reproductive cells require about a year to develop once the pollen is taken up into the female strobile. Only after the female reproductive cells mature is the fertilization process able to complete, and the seed begins to actually form. The woody cones of Pinus strobus store the seeds until suitable weather returns, at which time they open to release the seeds. Wet weather can cause the cones to close again. The whole seed producing process can take 2-3 years, after which the female cones drop to the ground. Complicating this is the fact that male flowers don’t necessarily form each year. Cones of varying ages can possibly exist on the same tree. At weedom, we could not discern any pattern for pine cone production. Some years there were none, sometimes a few, and some years the yield was quite heavy.
Seeing such things as pine needles and pine needle medicinal products for sale online is surprising to those of us who live where it’s green. We always have to remind ourselves of the concrete aggregations where people experience a shortage of trees and even dandelions. Pine has become a big deal nutritionally since the needles have been found to have plentiful vitamin C, vitamin A, magnesium and potassium, all of which can be extracted into a tea. A few ounces, (100 grams) of needles will deliver up to 187mg of Vitamin C, (ascorbic acid) per 100 grams, which on a weight basis is about 3 times that delivered by oranges. Of course it’s a bit harder to eat those needles, which is partly why people drink the tea instead. Pine top (new spring needles) tea is traditional home medicine in the Southeast U.S., for preventing or addressing the symptoms of colds and flu. Steam from the brew can also be inhaled to deliver the benefits to the throat and lungs.
For centuries, pine oil and resins have been used in Europe for poulticing wounds, and to address or prevent infection. The white pine bark and diterpeneoid containing resins were used in this manner by various Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) tribes in the New world. These were also used for sore throats, and as an expectorant. Resins had usefulness as caulk to seal the cracks in wood. A solid fraction of the resin called rosin is comprised largely of abietic acid, and dehydroabietic acid which are used in the production of laquers and adhesives, and which significantly contribute to the antimicrobial properties of the pine sap. Various antiviral, antimalarial and anti-parasite compounds are being derived from the diterpenoid class of molecules within the resin.
(When fiddlers “rosin up the bow”, they’re likely using a pine sap product.)
Within the needles of the 100 or so pine species are an array of volatile oils, flavonoids, terpenoids, lignans, benzenoids, and over 700 of these compounds have been elucidated. There is big research interest in Asia, where the pine needle teas have long been a traditional anti-aging beverage. Antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities, and mechanisms for stimulation of growth hormone are being studied to explain the perceived efficacy of these traditional beverages. Among the hundreds of compounds, a good deal of antimicrobial and antiviral activity exists, making pine needles the most convenient, remedy, available fresh in all seasons. Though they taste the best in spring, the vitamin C concentration, for example, increases as the needles age. A great deal of benefit can be obtained from pines without killing them, by utilizing the sap / resins and the needles.
Another food source from the pines can also be obtained in a non-fatal manner, though it is more injurious to the tree, and may allow entry of disease organisms. The inner layer of the bark (cambium) is probably the easiest part to simply eat. In early spring, when the most sap is running, there’s a fairly sweet taste to the inner bark. It can be stripped from branches and chewed as is, or dried and ground into a flour to thicken other foods. Frying can produce tasty chips. The cambium at the base of the tree is more palatable than that which is harvested from the tops. Youngest roots of the pine are also edible raw, once the outer bark is removed. The bark itself contains useful sugars that can be extracted. Young male ‘cones’ (strobili) are edible if boiled.
When winters are longest and coldest, animals start chewing on the pines. Out West, (USA) the widely ranging bovines can consume a high proportion of pine, and it has been noted that bulk feeding (up to 40%) has adversely affected the pregnancies of bison and cattle. This was not noted in other species of animals feeding on the ponderosa pines out there. Isocupressic acid has been identified as the culprit compound which can inhibit progesterone production, thereby allowing abortion in bovines. Cattle naive to ponderosa pine rapidly metabolize the isocupressic acid to agathic acid, another abortive compound. The microflora of their guts influence this. The effect diminishes as the cattle acclimate to eating the ponderosa pine. Likely these toxic effects become significant when consuming vast quantities, so that pregnant women should not eat bales of needles from ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, common juniper, and Monterey cypress which contain isocupressic acid. Though no pregnant women should be taking drugs for fun, drinking a bit of white pine (Pinus strobis) needle tea (an aqueous extraction) is not likely to deliver the same degree of toxicity which has been experienced by those cattle out west.
It’s tea time. Fresh is best. (We’re going to see what freeze drying does, because we have a new toy.) Cut the pine needles up as much as possible, perhaps with a regular or an herb scissors, then grind them if you can. Some people dry the needles just enough that they break easily, then grind them in an inexpensive coffee grinder. Put a tablespoonful of finely chopped needles in a pot with a quart of water and simmer to taste. Remember that vitamin C is reduced with boiling, so that steeping in an insulated container might be best. We recommend honey as a sweetener. Some possible combo ingredients to consider are mint, catnip, marsh mallow, lemon balm, anise hyssop or a bit of orange peel. Inhale some steam from your concoction as you drink it.
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Where we dig
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Love your tribute to pines. I once was lucky enough to live with enough pines to experience the pollen season when everything turned yellow. The abundance of it all!
Only two pines here I am particularly interested in. First is the native bunya pine (Araucaria bidwilli), whose gargantuan pine seeds are magnificent eating. The second is the Australian "pine" (Casurina spp. & Allocasurina spp.), whose needles have similar uses to white pine (good for tea & steaming ricecakes). The casurinas are also an excellent emergency water source: dig up a lateral root, chop it up into 1 1/2 ft pieces and stand them on end in a suitable container and you'll have several litres of filtered water to quench your thirst!