Camera location	41.81787° N, -88.076819° E	Google Maps - Live Maps - TopoZone - TerraServer-USA

You can see an aerial view of these two trees by selecting "Live Maps" from the above toolbar, then selecting "birds eye view." (You may have to install Microsoft's Virtual Earth, a free program with amazing bird's eye views Google Maps does not have).

Scotch pine has been widely planted in the United States, especially in the Northeast, Lake States, Central States, and Pacific Northwest. It is now considered naturalized in parts of New England and the Lake States. The species has also been planted across southern Canada. Scotch pine is the most widely distributed pine in the world. It grows naturally from Scotland almost to the Pacific Ocean and from above the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia to the Mediterranean. Its titleitudinal range is from sea level to about 2440 m (8,000 ft). Scotch pine is adapted to a wide variety of climates as indicated by its extremely large natural range. It grows in areas with an annual precipitation exceeding 1780 mm (70 in) and in areas with an annual precipitation as little as 200 mm (8 in). Scotch pine survives in the Verkhoyansk Mountains of eastern Siberia where winter temperatures have been recorded as low as -83° F. In some areas it grows where the subsoil is permanently frozen. Scotch pine can also survive high temperatures, and it is found at middle titleitudes in the Mediterranean region. The primary distribution of Scotch pine, however, indicates that it is a tree of the continental climates. Scotch pine, like many of the hard pines, is intolerant of shade. Seedlings germinating under a dense forest canopy do not survive for long. although the seedlings will grow very well on fertile soil, they are usually found on the more sandy dry soils because of the lack of competition from other trees and plants. During the last century, Scottish foresters have had serious difficulties establishing Scotch pine regeneration under mature pine stands. This difficulty appears to be partly due to grazing by deer and domestic animals. Successful regeneration has been achieved, however, with the uniform or shelterwood compartment system, which also appears to be successful in the Scandinavian countries. The best regeneration is found in stands with the following characteristics: large seed supply, open or light tree canopy, light understory ground cover, and exposed mineral soil or no continuous layer of raw humus. In the United States in the Northeastern and Lake States, Scotch pine reproduction is extremely abundant on the more sandy sites. As soon as the parent stand reaches seed bearing age, it begins to spread outward into firebreaks and along open roadsides. In many areas reproduction is so plentiful as to present a mat of seedlings, and this aggressive reproductive habit has concerned foresters who preferred to grow other conifer species on these sites. A recent event in New York may change this reproductive potential of Scotch pine. When scleroderris canker (Gremmeniella abietina) is present in the Scotch pine overstory, the advance reproduction can be completely eliminated. As this disease has advanced across northern New York, the "mats" of Scotch pine reproduction have become seas of dead seedlings. New seedlings continue to germinate under the parent stand but become infected and die within 1 or 2 years. Scleroderris canker is present in Scotland but it is not known whether this disease is related to the reproduction problems there. (1)

Scots Pine Cones and Foliage

Flowering and Fruiting- although Scotch pine is primarily a monoecious species, some shoots, branches, and even entire trees are predominantly of one sex. Male flower primordia are formed in late summer at the base of the bud that will make the next year's growth. During the winter their presence can be noted as a slight swelling, and the preferred male catkins are easily visible if a bud is dissected. About 2 weeks after growth begins in the spring, the male catkins enlarge to 0.6 to 0.7 cm. (0.2 to 0.3 in) long and shed pollen. At this time they are yellow. The male catkins are borne at the base of the twigs, replacing leaf clusters. They are most common in the lower part of the crown and on short lateral twigs. Because they replace leaves, an excess of pollen production can lead to sparse foliage. A Pennsylvania breeder who selected for early flower production for two generations obtained a variety that produced plentiful pollen but few needles and it was worthless as a Christmas tree. Female flower primordia are also formed in late summer but are microscopic. They are borne at the tips of buds for the next year's growth. There may be one, two, or three on a single bud. They first become visible after the buds expand in the spring. The primordia enlarge into female flowers or strobili about 2 weeks after growth begins in the spring, at a time when the new growth has completed 75 percent of its elongation for the season. Because of this, shearing of the outside branches such as is practiced by Christmas tree growers removes all female flowers. Indeed, trees sheared in June will not produce seed for the next 3.5 years. Flowering occurs in late May or early June. On any one tree nearly all pollen is shed and nearly all the female flowers are receptive during the same 2- or 3-day period. In any one stand most trees flower within a day or two of each other. Trees of different provenances may differ in blooming time by several days, however; trees of northern provenances bloom the earliest. Pollen production tends to be concentrated on short lateral twigs in the lower half of a tree crown. Female flowers are borne on the most vigorous shoots. They tend to be concentrated on upper branches but may occur in any part of the crown receiving full sunlight. Pollination occurs in early summer, at a time when the female strobili are from 0.6 to 0.7 cm (0.2 to 0.3 in) long. Shortly after pollination, the scales of the female strobili thicken, and the pollen grains germinate and send out a short pollen tube. At this time the female strobili become reflexed instead of pointing forward. For the next 12 months the germinated pollen remains dormant and the female strobili grow little. A little more than a year after pollination, the germinated pollen grains renew growth and fertilize the ovules. In June, soon after fertilization, the conelets rapidly elongate and reach full size by early summer. Seeds mature and cones ripen in early October. The cones require titleernating periods of dry and wet weather to open and shed few seed until early winter. Indeed, many seeds are retained on the tree until early spring. Seeds from any one tree can be sorted visually by color into those that are full and those that are empty-empty seeds are much lighter in color (often nearly white) than full ones. On any one tree the full seeds are fairly uniform in color and size, but both traits vary considerably from tree to tree. Trees from the same stand may produce seeds ranging from tan to almost black and from all one color to speckled. Seed size varies in a geographic pattern-seeds from the extreme northern latitudes are half the size of those from the southern part of the range. (1)

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