Scientific Name – Pinus sylvestris
This tree is native to northern and central Europe covering an area from Spain to Lapland including Scotland and northern England. Fossil records indicate that Scots Pine was also native to Ireland but became extinct before being reintroduced. In the past it was commonly used in commercial forestry, less so today while also being common in parks and gardens.
The bark of young trees is pale grey with scaly ridges while the bark of older trees varies between small, shallowly divided plates that are pink tinged yellow or grey to deeply fissured blackish red. Young trees have a conical growth pattern which breaks to give a flat topped open crown on a long straight bole when growth ceases. Young trees amt grow rapidly – up to 1m a year to a maximum height of 35 m with a lifespan of 250 years being common but trees as old as 400 years have been recorded.
