Scientific name: Pinus ponderosa
French name: Pin ponderosa
Secwepemc name: s7etqwllp
pronounced sss et-kw-eech-p
Other names: Yellow pine
Folklore:
How Beaver Stole Fire from the Pine Tree
Fun fact: “On a hot day, the bark of the ponderosa pine smells like vanilla and when you break a young twig it smells somewhat like oranges.” BC Gov
The bones of these iconic trees are scattered across our dry desert landscapes.
The story of their death is traced in tiny paths in the wood that litter our hillsides.
In the mid 2000s the pine beetle arrived in Kamloops killing thousands of these gentle giants and dramatically altering the landscape of our region.
Thanks to their ability to easily propagate from seed and a couple wet springs this tree is still abundant in our landscape despite the devastating effects of the infestation.
If you look closely you will notice there are very few of these trees that are older than 10-20 years although they can sometimes live 400-600 years and reach 15-30m tall.
Mature forests of Ponderosa pine are important to maintain the diversity of our fragile semi-desert ecosystem.
Significance to people
Like many trees, the inner bark of the Ponderosa pine was eaten though it was likely a starvation food.
Its flammable and waterproof pitch was used for waterproofing and sometimes as chewing gum, though I can attest to spruce gum being MUCH better tasting.
Pine is a popular wood for fire making as it is dry and dead branches often contain a lot of pitch.
The long needles of the Ponderosa pine are used in basketry.
These trees long life and commanding presence has earned them a place in many First Nation stories.
Pines are featured in a lot of old stories but the word is sometimes used interchangeably with cedar and even juniper leading to some confusion.
Significance to ecosystems
This tree is extremely sturdy and steady providing consistency and stability for our dry and dynamic ecosystems.
Its long taproot allows it to survive droughts and hold fast in extreme winds even in sandy soils.
It has thick bark that allows mature plants to withstand fires that burn through the forest litter on the ground while the tree itself survives.
Older stands with larger stems provide nesting and roosting cavities for bird and animal species.
Fallen stems provide substrate for specialized lichens.
Significance to animals
Ponderosa pine forests provide habitat for a wide range of species such as Clarkâs Nutcracker, White-breasted Nuthatch, Pygmy
Nuthatch and Yellow-pine Chipmunk that feed on the large pine seeds. Red squirrels also feed on the seeds.
In winter, ungulates such as Rocky Mountain Elk, Mule Deer, and White-tailed Deer eat the shrubs that grow under the open-canopied older forests.
Denser younger stands of Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine provide winter cover for ungulates and abundant seeds and insects for a variety of birds and small mammals such as the Little Brown Myotis, California Myotis, Red squirrel, Northwestern Chipmunk, and Long-tailed Vole (Ministry of Forests 1996).
Where to find them:
Ponderosa pine is common and easy to find at low elevations as it forms the forests in our hot, dry valley. This tree is extremely drought tolerant and is unique to our hot dry interior eco-systems here in Southern BC. It is also found in similar ecosystems in the US.
At higher elevations Ponderosa pine is also mixed with Douglas Fir
Ponderosa Pines 
The signature puzzle piece bark 
Ponderosa pine needles are very long 
The cones have sharp barbs on the ends of them 
a close up of the puzzle piece bark 
a mountain pine beetle 
these holes were made by pine beetles 
the tell tale markings of a pine beetle infestation 
Lumber made from beetle killed pine has a blue/greyish streaking
Identification
Ponderosa pine trees are easily identified by their characteristically long needles (10-20cm) and puzzle piece bark that easily flakes off.
The trunk is typically very straight with a slight taper.
You can identify any pine by remembering that ‘Pines come in packets.’ Their needles that is.
The needles are in packets of 3.
Other types of pine are Lodgepole, White and
Fun fact: Pine cones open and close based on humidity
Modern cultivation & usage:
Ponderosa pine is a softwood that was once logged extensively. Now very few old growth stands exist and it is primarily used for doors, windows, and furniture, as well as paneling and shelving.
The pine that is harvested for lumber in BC is Lodgepole pine which accounts for roughly 25% of the timber harvests in the BC Interior and is the #1 tree grown in nurseries for replanting.
Ethical harvesting practice:
Fresh green needles for basketry can be gathered from below a large tree after a windstorm as opposed to stripping branches. The branches are also susceptible to winter breakage and whole limbs can be found on the ground during heavy snow pack years.
Personally I love gathering pine pollen to use in my kitchen. It is highly nutritious and has been consumed by humans for thousands of years (Sciencey reference)
The window to harvest is very small, usually sometime in May but it can be extended by watching low elevation trees and then selecting ones at higher elevations if you missed your chance.
I place a bag over the branch and tap it fairly firmly many times.
Sometimes if I am in a healthy grove I will break a few of the buds off inside the bag.
This is a wonderful and in-depth article from the Forager Chef on how to harvest and use pine pollen.
Join our Medicine Makers:
There is even more to see behind this paywall!
To learn more in-depth knowledge about the uses of this plant and how to prepare it join my Medicine Makers Membership and login to view how to make medicine for this and all the plants on my website.
I teach you how to make plant medicines from the plants right outside our doors.
References
- Parish, Coupe, Lloyd. (1996) Plants of Southern British Columbia.
- https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/documents/treebook/ponderosapine.htm
- https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/forestry/managing-our-forest-resources/silviculture/tree-species-selection/tree-species-compendium-index/ponderosa-pine
- https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/forestry/stewardship/old-growth-forests/written-submissions/004_alan-vyse.pdf
- https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/npnht/learningcenter/history-culture/?cid=fsbdev3_055687#:~:text=The%20seeds%20are%20edible%2C%20but,to%20help%20deliver%20the%20placenta.
- https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Pinus+ponderosa
- https://www.survival-manual.com/substances/turpentine.php
I hope you this post helped you to feel a little more connected to your local ecosystem. If you loved it send it to a friend!
I’d love to hear about your experiences with this plant.
Visit my Instagram page and look for my post about working with this plant and share your experiences with me.
To learn more about what lives in your local ecosystem join my Thompson Bird Lovers email list where I write about a commonly found local bird each week.
We share this knowledge freely and your support really makes a difference.
If you’ve been reading for a while consider donating.
Your donations help us keep this work free for all.
