This is the beautiful Scots Pine I used to visit regularly when out walking my dogs.
Scots pine is an evergreen conifer native to northern Europe. Mature trees grow to 35m and can live for up to 700 years. The bark is a scaly orange-brown, which develops plates and fissures with age. Twigs are green-brown and hairless.
There’s not much folklore associated with the Scots pine, although there is some history of spiritual significance which can be traced back to Celtic times. It is thought that in England, Scots pines were planted around farmsteads as windbreaks, and clusters of pines growing along old droveways helped travellers find out where they were going in inclement weather.
In 2014, the Scots pine was voted the national tree of Scotland.
Scots pine timber is one of the strongest softwoods available and is widely used in the construction industry and in joinery. It is used in the manufacture of telegraph poles, pit props, gate posts and fencing. The tree can also be tapped for resin to make turpentine. Other uses include rope made from the inner bark, tar from the roots and a dye from the cones. Dry cones can be used as kindling for fires.
Scots pine is susceptible to red band needle blight, root and butt rot, needle cast disease and pine stem rust, which leads to cankers and distorted branches. The pine tree lappet moth can cause serious defoliation of Scots pine and may threaten pine forests in Scotland.
Tree Weaver 