Bark.—Twigs green becoming dull orange and then gray-brown with age; trunk with rough, thick, deeply-and irregularly-furrowed, red-brown bark.
Wood.—Light, soft, brittle, coarse-grained, durable, resinous; with thick yellowish sapwood.
Range.—New Brunswick and Lake Ontario, south to Georgia, and west to the Alleghany foothills of West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee.
Distribution in West Virginia.—Found locally in the following counties: Boone, Braxton, Berkeley, Clay, Doddridge, Fayette, Gilmer, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Jefferson, Kanawha, Logan, Mercer, Monroe, Mingo, Nicholas, Preston, Pocahontas, Randolph, Roane, Summers, Tyler and Wayne. Rare in McDowell, Wyoming, and Webster.
Habitat.—Prefers dry sandy soils of hillsides, sometimes found in swamps.
Notes.—This is our only native pine having all the leaves in bundles of three. It is of much less value than the White Pine but wall often grow where other pines will not. and is resistant to fire. Wood used chiefly for mine props, fuel, charcoal, boxes, crates, and construction. Tar is sometimes made from this wood, and the resin-filled knots and wood are excellent for kindling fires.
TABLE MOUNTAIN PINE
Pinus pungens, Lamb.