A Short Video of a Magnificent Sugar Pine Tree I Encountered
Hiking along a favorite trail of mine today, I was surprised and thrilled to see one of my favorite conifers.
A magnificent single Sugar Pine tree (Pinus lambertiana) amongst the giant Douglas Fir and Red Cedar trees abundant in this forest.
Its towering south-facing branches shade a rushing stream as it tumbles down its banks lush with maiden hair, sword and bracken fern, wood sorrel, water parsley, and deep green moss-covered creek rocks.
The Sugar Pine boasts the longest pinecones of all pine species measuring 12 to 18 inches long.
The edible seeds from the cones are delicious raw or roasted and are a favorite of mine.
Pines produce cones every three to seven years with cycles of heavy cone production within that span.
Mature Sugar Pines are resistant to low-temperature wildfires and have a thick reddish-brown bark that protects the tree’s trunk.
The sugar of sugar pine is sap that crystallizes due to fire or other damage to the tree, causing the sap to run and seal the wound.
The crystallized sap does have a sweetness to its taste. But not anything like you would expect from a teaspoon of white sugar.
Mature Sugar Pines live upwards of 500 years. Yosemite National Park holds the largest stands in the world.
Southern Oregon boasts one of the tallest outside of Yosemite, which I find simply amazing!
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