View source for Pinus contorta

{{Short description|Species of plant}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Lodgepole pine
| image = Pinus contorta 28263.JPG
| image_caption = ''Pinus contorta'' subsp. ''contorta'' in [[Anacortes Community Forest Lands]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]]
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 11 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Farjon, A. |date=2013 |title=''Pinus contorta'' |volume=2013 |article-number=e.T42351A2974612 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T42351A2974612.en |access-date=11 November 2021}}</ref>
| status2 = {{TNCStatus}}
| status2_system = TNC
| status2_ref = <ref name="NatureServe">{{cite web |last1=NatureServe |title=''Pinus contorta'' |url=https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.147775/Pinus_contorta |access-date=11 September 2024 |location=Arlington, Virginia |date=2024}}</ref>
| display_parents = 3
| genus = Pinus
| parent = Pinus subsect. Contortae
| species = contorta
| authority = [[David Douglas (botanist)|Douglas]]
| subdivision_ranks = Subspecies
| subdivision = 4, see [[#Subspecies|text]]
| range_map = Pinus contorta subspecies range map 2.png
| range_map_caption =
Distribution map:
* {{color|#ee9090|'''''Pinus contorta'' subsp. ''contorta'''''}}
* {{color|#90ee90|'''''P. contorta'' subsp. ''latifolia'''''}}
* {{color|#9090ee|'''''P. contorta'' subsp. ''murrayana'''''}}
}}

'''''Pinus contorta''''', with the common names '''lodgepole pine''', '''shore pine''', '''twisted pine''',<ref name="GRIN">{{GRIN |id=28435 |name=Pinus contorta}}</ref> and '''contorta pine''',<ref name=GRIN /> is an [[evergreen]] species of [[conifer]] tree. It is a common [[pine]] in western [[North America]], found near the ocean shore and in dry [[montane forests]] to the [[subalpine zone|subalpine]], but is rare in lowland [[temperate rainforest|rain forests]].

== Description ==
Depending on subspecies, ''Pinus contorta'' grows as an [[evergreen]] shrub or tree. The shrub form is [[krummholz]] and is approximately {{convert|1|to|3|m|ft|0|sp=us}} high. The thin and narrow-crowned tree can grow {{convert|40|to|50|m|ft|abbr=on}} high and achieve up to {{convert|2|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} in diameter at chest height.<ref name="FNA">{{eFloras|1|233500927|Pinus contorta |family=Pinaceae |first=Robert |last=Kral |access-date=12 September 2010}}</ref> The ''murrayana'' subspecies is the tallest. The [[Crown (botany)|crown]] is rounded and the top of the tree is flattened. In dense forests, the tree has a slim, conical crown. The formation of twin trees is common in some populations in [[British Columbia]]. The elastic branches stand upright or overhang and are difficult to break. The branches are covered with short shoots that are easy to remove.<ref name="WTU Herbarium2015">{{cite web | url= http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection.php?Genus=Pinus&Species=contorta | editor-last= Giblin | editor-first= David |  year= 2015 | title= ''Pinus contorta'' | website= WTU Herbarium Image Collection | publisher= Burke Museum, University of Washington | access-date= 2015-01-24}}</ref><ref name=Schutt>{{cite book |last1=Schütt |first1=Weisgerber |last2=Schuck |first2=Lang |last3=Stimm |first3=Roloff |title=Lexikon der Nadelbäume|publisher=Nikol|location=Hamburg, Germany|year=2008|isbn=978-3-933203-80-9|pages=365–367}}</ref><ref name="Klinkenberg2014">{{cite web | url= http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Pinus%20contorta | editor-last= Klinkenberg | editor-first= Brian | year= 2014 | title= ''Pinus contorta'' | website= E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. | publisher= Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver | access-date= 2015-01-24 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150226140836/http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Pinus%20contorta | archive-date= 26 February 2015 }}</ref>

The species name is ''contorta'' because of the twisted, bent pines (shore pine)<ref name=":0" /> found at coastal areas and the tree's twisted [[pine needle|needles]].<ref name=handbook /><ref name=boise>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gjAwhwtDDw9_AI8zPyhQoY6BdkOyoCAGixyPg!/?navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=fsed_009750&navid=150130000000000&pnavid=150000000000000&ss=110402&position=Feature.Html&ttype=detail&pn|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140812213014/http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gjAwhwtDDw9_AI8zPyhQoY6BdkOyoCAGixyPg!/?navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=fsed_009750&navid=150130000000000&pnavid=150000000000000&ss=110402&position=Feature.Html&ttype=detail&pn|archive-date=12 August 2014| publisher= U.S. Forest Service |title=Plants and Trees: lodgepole pine|access-date=12 August 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ldplants/picoc.htm|title=Pinus contorta var. contorta: Shore Pine |publisher=Oregon State University |access-date=12 August 2014}}</ref> ''Pinus contorta'' is occasionally known under several English names: black pine, scrub pine, and coast pine.<ref name=craterlake>{{cite web|url=http://www.craterlakeinstitute.com/online-library/forests-crater-lake/lodgepole-pine.htm|title=Forests of Crater Lake National Park: Lodgepole Pine (Pinus Contorta)|publisher=Crater Lake Institute|access-date=12 August 2014|archive-date=13 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140813045833/http://www.craterlakeinstitute.com/online-library/forests-crater-lake/lodgepole-pine.htm}}</ref><ref name="FEIS var contorta" /> ''P. contorta'' subsp. ''latifolia'' will hybridise with the closely related [[jack pine]] (''P. banksiana'').

The bark of lodgepole pine is thin, scaly and grayish brown.<ref name=":0" /> Shore pine bark is somewhat thick and corky, fissuring into a checkered pattern.<ref name=":0" /> Some lodgepole pines have been reported in low elevations with features closer to those of the shore pine, including the bark.<ref name=":0" />

Tamarack pine can grow up to centuries old and lodgepole pines in [[Yellowstone National Park|Yellowstone Park]] have survived over 300 years.<ref name=":0" />
[[File:Lodgepole Pine as Bonsai.jpg|thumb|Lodgepole pine being trained as [[bonsai]]. Notice the use of wire to position the branches of the tree. This is a yamadori (wild collected specimen) and has been styled by American bonsai artist [[Bjorn Bjorholm]].]]
=== Foliage ===
[[File:Pinus contorta 28289.JPG|thumb|right|The needles are {{convert|4|to|8|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} long in fascicles of two, alternate on twigs. The female cones are {{convert|3|to|7|cm|in|frac=2|abbr=on}} long with sharp-tipped scales.]]
The egg-shaped growth [[bud]]s are reddish-brown and between {{convert|20|and|30|mm|in|frac=4|sp=us}} long. They are short pointed, slightly rotated, and very resinous. Spring growth starts in beginning of April and the annual growth is completed by early July. The dark and mostly shiny needles are pointed and {{convert|4|to|8|cm|in|frac=2|sp=us}} long and {{convert|0.9|to|2|mm|in|abbr=on|frac=32}} wide. The needle edge is weakly to strongly serrated. The needles are in pairs on [[Fascicle (botany)|short shoots]] and rotated about the shoots' longitudinal axes. In [[Alberta]] above {{convert|2000|m|ft|abbr=on}}, 1 to 5 needles occur per short shoot. A population with a high proportion of three-needled short shoots occurs in the Yukon. Needles live an average of four to six years, with a maximum of 13 years.<ref name=Schutt /> The foliage of lodgepole pine is yellow-green as compared to shore pine, which is dark green.<ref name=":0" />

=== Cones ===
The [[Conifer cone|cones]] of lodgepole and shore pine begin to be produced when the trees are about ten years old.<ref name=":0" /> The cones are {{convert|3|–|7|cm|frac=2|abbr=on}} long, with prickles on the scales.<ref name=":0" />

Many populations of the [[Rocky Mountain]] subspecies, ''P. contorta'' subsp. ''latifolia'', have [[serotinous]] cones. This means that the cones are closed and must be exposed to high temperatures, such as from forest fires, in order to open and release their seeds.<ref>{{FEIS |last=Anderson |first=Michelle D. |date=2003 |type=tree |genus=Pinus |species=contorta |variety=latifolia }}</ref> The variation in their serotiny has been correlated with [[wildfires]] and [[mountain pine beetle]] attacks.<ref name=feduck>{{cite bioRxiv |last1=Feduck |first1=Mike |title=The genetic basis of cone serotiny in ''Pinus contorta'' as a function of mixed-severity and stand-replacement fire regimes |biorxiv=10.1101/023267}}</ref> The cones of the coastal Pacific subspecies, ''P. contorta'' subsp. ''contorta'', are typically non-serotinous,<ref name="FEIS var contorta">{{FEIS |last=Cope |first=Amy B. |date=1993 |type=tree |genus=Pinus |species=contorta |variety=contorta }}</ref> and those of the inland Pacific subspecies, ''P. contorta'' subsp. ''murrayana'', are completely non-serotinous.<ref>{{FEIS |last=Cope |first=Amy B. |date=1993 |type=tree |genus=Pinus |species=contorta |variety=murrayana }}</ref> Sometimes cones will become buried by the continued growth of a branch. If the seeds are collected, they have germinated as much as 150 years after confinement.<ref>{{cite book | last= Mills | first= Enos | date= 1915 | title= The Rocky Mountain Wonderland | location= Boston | publisher= Houghton-Mifflon | pages= 222–227 incl photo}}</ref>

== Distribution ==
''Pinus contorta'' occurs from upper, dry [[montane forests]] to the [[subalpine]] region of western [[North America]].<ref name="Moore2008">{{cite book|author1=Moore, Gerry|title=National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Trees of North America|author2=Kershner, Bruce|author3=Craig Tufts|author4=Daniel Mathews|author5=Gil Nelson|author6=Spellenberg, Richard|author7=Thieret, John W.|author8=Terry Purinton|author9=Block, Andrew|publisher=Sterling|year=2008|isbn=978-1-4027-3875-3|location=New York|page=91}}</ref><ref name="Sullivan2015">{{cite web|last=Sullivan|first=Steven. K.|year=2015|title=''Pinus contorta''|url=http://www.wildflowersearch.com/search?&PlantName=Pinus+contorta|access-date=2015-01-24|website=Wildflower Search}}</ref><ref name="WTU Herbarium2015" /> It can be found on the western side of the [[Cascade Range|Cascades]], in inland [[British Columbia]], and on the Rocky Mountains in [[Alberta]], except where it is too high and dry.<ref name=":0" /> Lodgepole pine can tolerate relatively hostile environments such as high-elevation volcanic rock in Central Oregon (e.g. [[Crater Lake]]) and thin soils on the eastern slope of the Cascades.<ref name=":0" /> Further south, the species can be found in higher elevations up to {{Convert|3350|m|abbr=on}} above sea level, particularly in southern Colorado.<ref name=":0" /> It is rare in lowland [[temperate rainforest|rain forests]].<ref name="Sullivan2015" /><ref name="WTU Herbarium2015" /> Shore pine can be found in very infertile soils in coastal regions from [[Southeast Alaska]] to [[Northern California]].<ref name=":0" />

Lodgepole and shore pine can be found intermingled (and apparently hybridized) north of [[Puget Sound]].<ref name=":0" /> Less dependent on fire, tamarack pine can be found in California's upper mountains and mingled with lodgepole in Oregon.<ref name=":0" /> ''Pinus contorta'' can be found in the [[closed-cone pine forest]] of coastal California.

== Ecology ==
''Pinus contorta'' is a [[Fire ecology|fire-adapted species]], often regenerating densely following [[wildfire]]. The species displays characteristically poor [[Cladoptosis|self pruning]] and thin bark, leading to the death of the tree following fire. Importantly  however, the heat from fire results in the opening of their [[serotinous]] cones and release of seeds. This allows the species to regenerate well after fire and maintain its place in the forest habitat as an early successional species.<ref name="Schoennagel" /> Some populations demonstrate more significant reliance on other modes of regeneration rather than fire, with wind through, ice storms, and land slides also acting as stand replacing disturbances.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last1=Arno|first1=Stephen F.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qDD4DwAAQBAJ|title=Northwest Trees: Identifying & Understanding the Region's Native Trees|last2=Hammerly|first2=Ramona P.|publisher=[[Mountaineers Books]]|year=2020|isbn=978-1-68051-329-5|edition=field guide|location=Seattle|pages=61–70|language=en|oclc=1141235469|orig-date=1977}}</ref>
{{multiple image
| align             = right
| direction         = vertical
| width             = 200
| image1            = Lodgepole pine forest 1965.jpg
| image2            = Lodgepole pine Yellowstone 1998 near firehole.jpg
| caption2          = ''P. contorta'' subsp. ''latifolia'' forest 23 years before (above) and 10 years after (below) the [[Yellowstone fires of 1988]]
}}

The natural fire regime for this species is primarily driven by climate. The fires occur most often after years of drought. Forests in the upper montane to subalpine region experience much moisture in the winter via snow. The density of [[tree stand]]s with the species inhibit the establishment of an understory (allowing [[ladder fuel]] to form), and surface fire is rare regardless. Thus, infrequent but severe fires dominate this species.<ref name="Schoennagel">{{cite journal|author1-link=Tania Schoennagel|last=Schoennagel|first=Tania|author2=Thomas Veblen |title=The Interaction of Fire, Fuels and Climate across Rocky Mountain Forests|journal=BioScience|volume=54|issue=7|year=2004|pages=661–76|doi=10.1641/0006-3568(2004)054[0661:TIOFFA]2.0.CO;2|issn=0006-3568|doi-access=free}}</ref>

An example of the climate that plays a huge role in the fire regime of the species is quite complex. There are three different oscillations that play a major role in droughts. These are the [[Pacific decadal oscillation]] (PDO), [[Atlantic multidecadal oscillation]] (AMO) and [[El Niño]] (ENSO). A combination of these oscillations being in effect (+) or not in effect (−) have a global effect on the water available to these forests. The combination of AMO +, ENSO − and PDO − means there is going to be a drought and likely a severe subalpine fire.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Kauffman|first=J. Boone|title=Death Rides the Forest: Perceptions of Fire, Land Use and Ecological Restoration of Western Forests|journal=Conservation Biology|volume=18|issue=4|date=August 2004|pages=878–82|access-date=24 February 2010|url=http://eebweb.arizona.edu/courses/Ecol406R_506R/Kauffman2004ConBio.pdf|doi=10.1111/j.1523-1739.2004.545_1.x|bibcode=2004ConBi..18..878K |s2cid=32063636 }}</ref>
[[File:Male cone of lodgepole pine.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.04|A cluster of pollen-bearing male cones at [[Mount San Antonio]]]]

''[[Suillus tomentosus]]'', a fungus, produces specialized structures called tuberculate [[ectomycorrhiza]]e with the roots of lodgepole pine (''Pinus contorta'' var. ''latifolia''). These structures have been shown to be the location of concentrations of [[nitrogen-fixing]] bacteria which contribute a significant amount of [[nitrogen]] to tree growth and allow the pines to colonize nutrient-poor sites.<ref name=paul07>{{cite journal| journal=Annals of Botany| volume=99| pages=1101–1109| year=2007| doi=10.1093/aob/mcm061| title=Nitrogen Fixation Associated with Suillus tomentosus Tuberculate Ectomycorrhizae on Pinus contorta var. latifolia| first1=L.R.| last1=Paul| first2=B.K.| last2=Chapman| first3=C.P.| last3=Chanway| issue=6| pmid=17468111 | pmc=3243579}}</ref><ref name=chapman12>{{cite journal| journal=Microbial Ecology| volume=64| issue=4| pages=964–72| year=2012| doi=10.1007/s00248-012-0076-0| pmid=22677953| pmc=3474912| title=Evidence that Northern Pioneering Pines with Tuberculate Mycorrhizae are Unaffected by Varying Soil Nitrogen Levels| first1=W.K.| last1=Chapman| first2=L.R.| last2=Paul | bibcode=2012MicEc..64..964C}}</ref>

Porcupines consume the inner bark of lodgepole pine.<ref name=":0" />

=== Threats ===
Larger members of the species are attacked by [[mountain pine beetle]]s, which it fights with [[Pitch (resin)|pitch]] but can be overwhelmed.<ref name=":0" /> It is also affected by [[blue stain fungus]] (''Grosmannia clavigera''), which the mountain pine beetle carries in its mouth. [[Dwarf mistletoe]] also leeches off the species. Both the threat of pine beetles and dwarf mistletoe are curbed by wildfires, which occurred less in the 20th century due to firefighting. More recently, unthreatening lightning-sparked fires have been allowed to burn in wilderness areas in Idaho and Montana.<ref name=":0" /> Exceptional cold can kill some of the beetles.<ref name=":0" />

A study released in 2011 concluded that ''Pinus contorta'' could experience significant reductions in distribution due to [[climate change]] by the late 21st&nbsp;century.<ref>{{cite journal| journal=Climatic Change| volume=105| pages=313–328| doi=10.1007/s10584-010-9861-2| title=A process-based approach to estimate lodgepole pine (''Pinus contorta'' Dougl.) distribution in the Pacific Northwest under climate change| first1=Nicholas C.| last1=Coops| first2=Richard H.| last2=Waring|date=March 2011| issue=1–2| bibcode=2011ClCh..105..313C| s2cid=54177131}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| title=Climate Change Takes Toll on the Lodgepole Pine| first=John Collins| last=Rudolf| date=28 February 2011| url=http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/28/climate-change-takes-toll-on-the-lodgepole-pine| work=Green: A Blog About Energy and the Environment| access-date=1 March 2011}}</ref>

=== As an invasive species ===
''Pinus contorta'' is considered a serious [[invasive species]] of [[wilding conifer]] in [[New Zealand]], along with several other western North American pine species. It is listed on the [[National Pest Plant Accord]] and is prohibited from sale, commercial propagation, and distribution.

== Subspecies ==
There are four [[subspecies]] of ''Pinus contorta'', and one of them is sometimes considered to have two [[Variety (botany)|varieties]].<ref name="iucn-bolanderi">{{cite iucn|author=Conifer Specialist Group|year=1998|url=https://www.iucnredlist.org/details/34010/0|title=''Pinus contorta ''var.'' bolanderi''|access-date=12 May 2006}}</ref> The subspecies are sometimes treated at the rank of variety.<ref name=GRIN /><ref name="FNA" /><ref>{{ThePlantList}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Cone !!Image !!  Subspecies !! Common name!! Distribution
|-
|[[File:Pinus contorta var bolanderi foliage immature cones.jpg|120px]]||[[File:Mendocino Pygmy Forest in Van Damme State Park 3.jpg|120px]]|| ''Pinus contorta'' subsp. ''bolanderi''  ||Bolander's beach pine, Bolander pine, Also treated as ''Pinus contorta'' subsp. ''contorta'' var. ''bolanderi'', in which case what is treated here as ''Pinus contorta'' subsp. ''contorta'' is the variety ''Pinus contorta'' subsp. ''contorta'' var. ''contorta''.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Jepson eFlora|52301|Pinus contorta subsp. bolanderi}}</ref> || [[endemic]] to [[Mendocino County]] on the northwestern California coast;<ref>{{GRIN |id=448582 |name=Pinus contorta var. bolanderi}}</ref> [[near threatened]] by fires and development
|-
|[[File:Pinus contorta 37636.JPG|120px]]||[[File:Pinus contorta Pacific Rim NP 1.jpg|120px]]||''Pinus contorta'' subsp. ''contorta'' || shore pine || Pacific Coast, southern [[Alaska]] to northwest [[California]].<ref name=handbook>{{cite book|title=A Handbook of the World's Conifers|author=Farjon, Aljos|pages=654–655|volume=2|year=2010|location=Leiden, Netherlands|publisher=Koninklijke Brill NV|isbn=978-90-04-17718-5}}</ref><ref>{{Calflora|Pinus contorta ssp. contorta}}</ref><ref>{{GRIN |id=404908 |name=Pinus contorta var. contorta}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Pinus contorta 8160.jpg|120px]]|| [[File:Pinus contorta Lassen.jpg|120px]]||''Pinus contorta'' subsp. ''murrayana'' ||tamarack pine, or Sierra lodgepole pine<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Chase| first1 = J. Smeaton| author-link1 = J. Smeaton Chase|others=[[Carl Eytel|Eytel, Carl]] (illustrations)|title = Cone-bearing Trees of the California Mountains |chapter=''Pinus murrayana'' (Tamarack, Lodge-pole-pine)|chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/conebearingtrees00chas/page/36/mode/2up| location = Chicago | publisher = [[A.C. McClurg & Co.]] | page = 36 |year=1911 | oclc = 3477527|lccn=11004975}}</ref> ||[[Cascade Range]] from Oregon into [[northern California]]; the [[Sierra Nevada]], the [[Transverse Ranges]] of [[southern California]] (including the [[San Bernardino Mountains]], the [[Peninsular Ranges]] into northern [[Baja California]], and the [[Spring Mountains]] of southern [[Nevada]]).<ref>{{GRIN |id=409752 |name=Pinus contorta var. murrayana}}</ref><ref name=handbook /><ref>{{Calflora|Pinus contorta ssp. murrayana}}</ref>
|-
|[[File:Pinus contorta Nederland CO.jpg|120px]]||[[File:Pinus contorta subsp latifolia Thermopolis Wyoming.jpg|120px]]|| ''Pinus contorta'' subsp. ''latifolia'' ||lodgepole pine || [[Rocky Mountains]], [[Colorado]] to [[Yukon]] and [[Saskatchewan]]; [[aspen parkland]] and [[boreal forest]]s.<ref>{{GRIN |id=28436 |name=Pinus contorta var. latifolia}}</ref><ref name="PLANTS">{{PLANTS |symbol=PICO |taxon=Pinus contorta |access-date= 2015-01-24}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |author1=Johnson, Kershaw |author2=MacKinnon, Pojar |title= Plants of the Western Boreal Forest and Aspen Parkland |place=Edmonton AB |publisher= Lonepine Publishing |year= 1995 |isbn=978-1-55105-058-4 |page= 27}}</ref>
|-
|}

== Uses ==

=== Construction ===
The common name "lodgepole pine" comes from the custom of [[Indigenous people of the Americas|Native Americans]] using the tall, straight trees to construct lodges ([[Tipi|tepees]]) in the Rocky Mountain area.<ref name=":0" /> Lodgepole pine was used by European settlers to build log cabins.<ref name=":0" /> Logs are still used in rural areas as posts, fences, lumber, and firewood.<ref name=":0" /> Shore pine pitch has historically been used as glue.<ref name=":0" />

[[Tree farm|Tree plantations]] of ''Pinus contorta'' have been planted extensively in [[Norway]], [[Sweden]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Allas |first1=Anne-Ravna |title=SLU varnar: Contortatallen kan bli invasiv |url=https://www.svt.se/nyheter/sapmi/slu-varnar-contortatallen-kan-bli-invasiv |access-date=12 May 2025 |work=SVT |date=19 January 2025 |language=sv}}</ref> [[Ireland]] and the [[UK]] for [[forestry]], such as timber uses. In Iceland it is used for reforestation and afforestation purposes.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Skógræktin|title=Forestry in Iceland|url=https://www.skogur.is/en/forestry/forestry-in-a-treeless-land/forestry-in-iceland|access-date=2021-05-17|website=Skógræktin|language=en|archive-date=23 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230223210445/https://www.skogur.is/en/forestry/forestry-in-a-treeless-land/forestry-in-iceland}}</ref> It is also commonly used for pressure-treated lumber throughout North America.

=== Food ===
Native Americans consumed the inner bark of lodgepole pine to prevent starvation for themselves and their horses.<ref name=":0" /> The lodgepole pine cambium layer's edibility is dependent on thickness, consistency, and sweetness.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Dilbone |first1=Megan |last2=Turner |first2=Nancy J. |last3=von Aderkas |first3=Patrick |date=March 2013 |title=Lodgepole Pine Cambium ( Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia Engelm. ex S. Wats.): A Springtime First Peoples' Food in British Columbia |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03670244.2012.706013 |journal=Ecology of Food and Nutrition |language=en |volume=52 |issue=2 |pages=130–147 |doi=10.1080/03670244.2012.706013 |pmid=23445392 |bibcode=2013EcoFN..52..130D |s2cid=7570681 |issn=0367-0244|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

=== Medicinal ===
The [[indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest]] and [[Indigenous peoples of California|of California]] used different parts of the plant internally and externally as a [[traditional medicine]] for various ailments.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://naeb.brit.org/uses/species/2954/|title=NAEB|work=umich.edu}}</ref> The gum of shore pine was used medicinally as well as for chewing.<ref name=":0" />

=== Cultivation ===
''Pinus contorta'' is cultivated as an [[ornamental tree]] by the [[horticulture industry]]. [[plant nursery|Plant nurseries]] grow ''Pinus contorta'' subsp. ''contorta'' and ''Pinus contorta'' subsp. ''murrayana'' for use in traditional and [[wildlife garden]]s, and as smaller selections of the [[native plant]] for [[natural landscaping]]. The shore pine's smaller varieties and cultivars are also used in [[container garden]]ing, including as large [[bonsai]] specimens.

[[Cultivars]] of this species include:
* "Chief Joseph", a dwarf variety of ''Pinus contorta ''var''. latifolia'' grown for its yellow winter needles
* "Spaan's Dwarf", a dwarf variety of ''Pinus contorta ''var''. contorta'' that grows wider than it grows tall

The cultivar "Chief Joseph" has gained the [[Royal Horticultural Society]]'s [[Award of Garden Merit]].<ref name = RHSPF>{{cite web
| url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/284474/i-Pinus-contorta-i-Chief-Joseph/Details
| title = RHS Plantfinder – ''Pinus contorta'' 'Chief Joseph' | access-date = 2 May 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf | title = AGM Plants – Ornamental | date = July 2017
| page = 78 | publisher = Royal Horticultural Society | access-date = 2 April 2018}}</ref>

=== Emblem ===
Lodgepole pine is the [[List of Canadian provincial and territorial symbols|provincial tree]] of Alberta, Canada.<ref name=ABEmblems>{{cite web|title=Emblems of Alberta|url=http://www.culture.alberta.ca/about/emblems-of-alberta/default.aspx|website=Alberta Culture and Tourism|access-date=2017-07-10|date=2017-06-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170408171824/http://www.culturetourism.alberta.ca/about/emblems-of-alberta/default.aspx|archive-date=2017-04-08}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{sister project links|display=''Pinus contorta''|auto=1}}
* {{Jepson eFlora|38264 |link=1}}
* [http://www4.uwsp.edu/geo/projects/virtdept/ipvft/lodgep.html University of Wisconsin: Lodgepole forest webpage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303230335/http://www4.uwsp.edu/geo/projects/virtdept/ipvft/lodgep.html |date=3 March 2016 }}
* [http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=177 Virginia Tech dendrology website: ''Pinus contorta'']
* [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2007/mar/19/usnews.conservationandendangeredspecies Guardian (U.K.) article: "Plague of beetles raises climate change fears for American beauty"]
* [http://www.euforgen.org/species/picea-sitchensis/ ''Picea sitchensis''] – information, genetic conservation units and related resources. [[European Forest Genetic Resources Programme]] (EUFORGEN)
* {{CalPhotos|Pinus|contorta}}
* {{Silvics |volume=1 |genus=Pinus |species=contorta |first1=James E. |last1=Lotan |first2=William B. |last2=Critchfield}}
* {{PFAF|Pinus contorta}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q165091}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Pinus|contorta]]
[[Category:Flora of the Northwestern United States]]
[[Category:Flora of Alaska]]
[[Category:Flora of Alberta]]
[[Category:Flora of Baja California]]
[[Category:Flora of British Columbia]]
[[Category:Flora of California]]
[[Category:Flora of Nevada]]
[[Category:Flora of the Northwest Territories]]
[[Category:Flora of Saskatchewan]]
[[Category:Flora of South Dakota]]
[[Category:Flora of Utah]]
[[Category:Flora of Yukon]]
[[Category:Plants used in traditional Native American medicine]]
[[Category:Provincial symbols of Alberta]]
[[Category:Trees of Northern America]]