LODGE POLE PINE
Pinus contorta

The Lodgepole Pine is not a very abundant nor important tree in Mt. Rainier National Park, yet in some parts of the country it is quite a well known species in the forest cover.

It received its name from the fact that the trunk is tall and slender and was supposed to have been used by Indians as tent or "lodge" poles. In the Park however it does not possess this straight, slender character to such a marked degree and the trees, growing at the lower elevations in rather protected situations are never very impressive. It differs from the Western White Pine, with which it mingles in the Park, in many respects and the small, hard, prickly and compact cones easily distinguish it. The needles are borne in bundles of two, rather than five, as is the case of its more important relative and the bark is darker, thinner and more scaly.

In many parts of the west, for the Lodgepole Pine inhabits much of the mountain territory from the Coast to the Rockies - it is very prevalent on areas that have been recently destroyed by forest fires. This results from the fact that the seeds, encased in the hard cone, retain their vitality for long periods and the cones themselves will not relinquish the seeds except after a long period of time or under the influence of heat that accompanies a forest fire. Thus, unless the fire is severe enough to consume the cones themselves, the tree will scatter its seeds upon the burned over area as the fire passes through it and thereby restock the area in a natural manner.

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