ENTS: Here is another factor that must be included in the discussion of potential white pine heights--GENETIC STRAIN. We are talking about white pine trees as if we were talking about just one thing, but we're not. There are white pines, and there are WHITE PINES.
I tend to write discussions that are over long, so I will try to keep this as short as possible. First: with some species of trees, the 'superior' individual trees produce offspring that also show superior growth traits. This is true of some species, not others, for reasons I am not sure anyone really understands. But it is possible that when white pines were originally, and subsequently, cut down, it was the best trees that were cut. With white pine the potential shipmast trees were cut first. This kind of "high grading" can result in a degredation of the genetic strain. The white pines we see today may not have as high a proportion of the "superior genes" as previous stands. Individual trees growing in the same area don't necessarily have the same growth potential based on the variation in individual tree genetic make up. Many of us have walked through the woods and seen some individual tree that just seems to be more vigorous and straight than its neighbors. Yes, most often such differences can be from chance, or very localized environmental factors. But also genetics plays a part. Second, on a larger scale, there are different genetic strains that grow naturally in different areas. One assumption that people make is that the genetic strain of white pine--and any other species for that matter--growing in a specific area is also the one best adapted to grow best in that area. This has proven to be false, not only with white pine trees, but other species as well. One example I know of personally is a planting of white pines along Clover Run not far from Parsons, WV. This stand, a reforestation project, may now be something like 60 years old. I have to admit I have lost track of its exact age now. But this stand is old enough to show some real results. It is considered to be a real "stunner" by all the foresters that know about it, and its reputation has travelled far and wide. So much so, someone took the initiative to find out what the seed source was. It turns out that the seed used for this stand was not from the local area, but from an area near Asheville, NC. It is growing far better than any other stand anywhere near it, and I mean within at least 100 miles or more. So the point here is that we can look at a pine tree that is X number of feet tall growing on a really wonderful growing site, and say, OK, this is how tall white pines can grow here. Well, that ain't necessarily so. --Gaines
