Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus) — Plotwright

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Eastern white pine

Habit (mature) · Ryan Hodnett / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Limited coverage

Eastern white pine

Pinus strobus

A native northern + eastern North American evergreen conifer producing long soft blue-green needles in fascicles of 5 — the soft-needled "pine of the East" as distinct from harder-needled red pine + pitch pine. Among the largest eastern conifers — old-growth specimens exceed 150 feet. Fast-growing for an evergreen. Salt + air-pollution sensitive; site away from roads.

Native: 27 US states + 6 CA provinces

Review: Source-backed

Climate fit: broad (77/100)

Focal point

Structure

Light

Full sun / Part shade

Water

Moderate water

Mature size

600-1200" tall · 480" apart

Hardy in zones

3a-8b

brutally cold to frosty winters

Summer heat range

Cool-Warm

cool to warm summers Interim Plotwright tier until the plant AHS range is authored.

Native in Illinois

Yes

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A documented larval host for the Imperial moth — caterpillars feed on its foliage before becoming the next generation.

Wildlife relationships

Cold hardiness

Now

Zone 6b

USDA

Chicago, IL · 1991-2020 average annual coldest day

Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer

Well-suited

2050

Zone 7b

Plotwright

Your zone + climate-model shift · SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry)

Well-suited

In plain terms: cold winters — coldest nights typically around -3°F.

✓

Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.

Heat tolerance

°C

°F

Loading current AHS heat-zone and plant heat-fit data at your coordinates…

Where this plant fits

Suitable across 40 ecoregions — 35 climate-resilient through 2070 · 5 suited today. Best matches first.

Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests

Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests

Arizona Mountains forests

Blue Mountains forests

Canadian Aspen forests and parklands

Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests

Central Tallgrass prairie

Central-Southern Cascades Forests

Colorado Rockies forests

Cross-Timbers savanna-woodland

Sources & citations

Cite this page

For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.

Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus). Retrieved 2026, June 5, from https://plotwright.garden/plants/eastern-white-pine

Sources for every fact

Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited — 18 source-backed.

NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox

University extension service

Backs 17 fields

Identity

Summary

Plant type

Light

Moisture

Hardiness

Heat zone

Size

Spacing

Habit

Design roles

Seasonal interest

Growth stages

Lifecycle

Regional guidance

Success tips

Designer notes

Wikimedia Commons

Photo · CC BY-SA 4.0

Backs 1 field

Image

Community photos

The photos above are our reviewed reference set, curated for accuracy.

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