The jack pine is a native of the Lake states, the northern New England states
and much of Canada. It has been planted widely in Iowa, but is a less
desirabletree than many of the other pines. It will survive on the
driest soils inthe state, and makes rapid growth during the first 10 to 15
years. It is a rather small tree, reaching a height of 40 to 60 feet
under favorable conditions. Normally the tree has thin, open foliage
and is not tolerant of shade . As the lower branches are shaded and die, the
old cones remain on the tree for many years.
The needles occur in bundles of two and are shorter than most other pines, 3/4 to 1-1/2 inch long, and are quite stiff and pointed and tend to spread apart from one another forming a V.
The small cones are about 1-1/2 inches long, often strongly curved, persistent and sometimes remain on the trees and contain good seeds for many years. The cone tips curve toward the branch tips. Cones are greenor purplish when full-grown, turning light yellowish-brown as they ripen.
Jack pines tend to have straight trunks. Their branches are long and spreading, forming an open ragged crown. The dark brown bark is irregularly divided into small scales.
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