Pine

Pine trees are evergreen, coniferous and resinous, and vary in height, between three metres and eighty metres. They are found throughout the world, but are typically native to the Northern Hemisphere.

Pines are generally long lived, typically from one hundred years up to one thousand years, although some are known to have lived in excess of four thousand years. The wood of the pine is a softwood, commonly used in construction and for making furniture.

Pine seeds are an important food source for birds, squirrels and other small animals. They are also harvested and sold as "pine nuts" for human consumption.

Pine trees have also yielded other useful products; distilled pine resin produces turpentine, a well known solvent, and when mixed with tar water has been used by vets to rid animals of worms and parasites, to treat mange, and as an antiseptic, and stimulant for rheumatic swelling.

The resin has also been used externally by people to treat skin infections and joint inflammation. Pine needles have also been used traditionally by boiling in water to make an infusion for treating fever and coughs and urinary infections.

Around the world, the pine tree has existed as a cultural symbol over many centuries, representing longevity and wisdom, or fertility and life; it also a symbol of peace.