Sunday Afternoon Post: Debating the Pines

In order to give my portfolio and resume a little boost, American Voyages will soon be joined by a second, more technical blog on North American botany.  It is also my hope that the focus of this second monster will guide the purpose of this blog back into more of an exploration of North America and less of a "what do I need to be mad at today" sort of venture.  Anyway, today we look at our good friend, the Eastern White Pine, Pinus Strobus.  Here is a fine specimen from the Oak Openings Preserve just outside of Toledo.

Normally, Eastern White Pine do not naturally seed and disperse in this area, at least according to most data maps.  

Courtesy USGS.  R.I.P., Elbert Little.

I could tell that many of the specimens in the preserve were planted as an aesthetic feature, under the concept that this park was created to be a recreation area as much as it has since become a great preserve.  While pines do often occur in pure stands, the absence of any large stands in the western Lake Erie environs makes it pretty obvious that much of these trees were planned aspects of the landscape.  That said, all the growing conditions for the pine are present in these savannas.  Eastern White Pine require well-drained soils, of which the sands of the savannas certainly qualify.  They are moderately fire resistant, and when mature enough could easily withstand the grass fires that sweep through and eliminate shrubs and most other trees.  Finally, the savannas were in part maintained by lightning-induced fires.  What better lightning rods are there than these pines which often stick out nicely, not only in the open, but also in the canopy?  

They could very well have been more widespread in pre-settlement times, before much of the population was harvested for its excellent wood.  At any rate, they make a lovely scene, graceful pines spread amidst the graceful flowing grasses.