Plant of the Week: Eastern White Pine

50%of the U. S. population lives within 50 miles of our ocean coasts or shores ofthe Great Lakes. With 310 million now and an anticipated 600 million by century’s end, picture transportation of 300 million where 150 now live.

Our Eastern White Pine did much to create British Empire naval dominance for at least major parts of two centuries. Pinus strobus (as it was known worldwide) native in the Connecticut River Valley is largely responsible for British Colonial dominance of India for some 300 years as an example. Strong and light and fast growing they provided a dramatic speed increase to sail dependent transport for British ships with masts that were critical.

North America was settled to accommodate the only means of effective transportation, sailing vessels. Our present transportation planning mess is a lingering vestige. It looks like it is likely to get worse. D.C. connected “visionaries” are trying to pull off the greatest scam in the history of man. Instead of luring population growth to the inland reaches the vile plan is to increase population of the cities with required public transportation and algae driven high rises as the soul of our future. Leaving an increasing percentage of our population vulnerable to the strongest tornadoes in the world (Hurricanes) and catastrophic potential surge tide action add a few tsunamis and we have politically correct planning at its worst.

Post World War II planning and Cold War fear way of life helped create a highway system of mythic proportions. Limited access roads connect every State but Hawaii. Their existence and the compendium clover leaves should be the seeds and roots for our future. Creation of water bodies can occur near new population centers too. New power plants and factories built through incentives will be far less expensive than public transport. With today’s electronic age as just the start of a more efficient future we have a real chance at sustainable communities where people can live, work, worship and have leisure in a small radius. The mega complex from D.C. to Boston is the opposite of efficiency. Except for D.C. all the population centers were created to be near harbors with navigable waters. Inland industrial cities grew through access to hydro power and railroads through the Industrial Revolution. Springfield MA and Waterbury CT are good examples. Efforts should be made to revive them. Part of the New Deal was the creation of the Tennessee ValleyAuthority. This government project provided cheap electrical power that created a mass exodus form the Northeast for manufacturing plants. Add in air conditioning advances and low labor costs and many New England communities have yet to recover. Much of the infrastructure remains. Energy efficiencies and the decreasing cost of domestic energy production and we have a second chance to do it right.

Temperate climate in Northeast and a large swath across the continent would provide far more energy efficient living than the simmering South. Coastal communities such as Bridgeport could play a wonderful role. This beleaguered city could become a transportation hub for supplies and comestibles. Simple dredging and harbor re-configuration could make it a spur for larger ports, notably Newark, New Jersey. With 80% of the Canadian population within a 5 hour drive on existing roads and rail yards in place thousands of container trucks could be taken off the vulnerable I 95 daily. Inland manufacturing cities as mentioned above could be served and compete too. This once noble city played arole as a Colonial shipping point for the lightweight, strong masts critical to Britain’s rise from a tiny island to world player. Irony would be included should lumber shipping resume from the still quasi colony known as Canada through Bridgeport to help supply the world’s growing population appetite for forest products.

White Pines grown with a wink and a nod to history can be a good return on investment too. These fast growing, largest evergreen species in the Northeast thrive inother parts of the country too. For most buildings under 4 stories, they can be a great asset. Plant them far enough away that when they grow bottom branches can be removed. Top branches will provide cooling shade during the Summer months when the sun angles are high and allow warming sunlight through the low angles of Winter. The illustration attached shows that potential. Depicted is a mid-age tree sketched by colleagues in Germany. There the most valuable and precious mulch is White Pine needles. Used as mulch and beautiful pathway material it is a valuable asset. Here in the land of the leaf blower it is treated as a nuisance.  

Large White Pines in part caused our revolution. The British King labeled large specimens and areas that could not be cut. 1812 War was won in large measure by our fast lightweight highly maneuverable vessels made from White Pine and other Native Species. We made good use of our time and trees between 1776 and 1812. Some of our oldest and dearest laws forbid the government from telling private landowners what trees they can or cannot cut. Essential to our continued freedom here will be protection of our trees by us and our ability to travel at our will. Not some bureaucrat personnel selling out to the “tree hugger city bigger is slicker” current mindset. Communist Bloc blocks did not work. Why are we following that plan? Plan and encourage a million new homes inland instead a million new city trees. Plant a White Pine now and know it will be a good idea for up to hundreds of years, not the failed idea that did not outlive Mao.

“By the cloverleaf” should be the new pride smile maker saying soon.

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By, Peter F. Alexander, Landscape Architect Planner
A traditional practicing professional who designs and accomplishes projects from Perennial Gardens to Regional Planning. Inspired by Norman Newton, Peter Goldmark and Michael Everett he is dedicated to restore Landscape Architecture as the primary effort by mankind to plan for the future. Insisting on inclusion of fun and positive conclusions for all is the base. Copies of the book can be made available by contacting pfalexla@gmail.com a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the By River Parks Foundation.