The White pine has very little aroma, but, conversely is reported to result in fewer allergic reactuons than do some more aromatic species. Many people think that the graceful White pine is the most beautiful of all Christmas tree varieties, even though its soft needles make it difficult to decorate. Because of its size and strength the White pine was once used to make the masts of sailing ships.
Today it is valued by carpenters because its smooth, white wood contains few knotholes and it doesn't twist or shrink.
The needles are five to twelve centimeters long, are soft and flexible and appear in bunches of five. The bark is smooth to the touch and is greyish-green near the tips of the branch, becoming rougher and a darker grey-brown closer to the trunk. The cones mature in the fall and drop from the tree during the winter. Usually eight to twenty centimeters long, and three centimeters in diameter.
