The Naturalization of Scotch Pine, Northeastern Oneida County, New York

Among the coniferous exotics brought into eastern North America for forestry and landscape planting during the past century, one of the most widely used has been the common pine of northern Europe, Pinus sylvestris, L., known here as "Scotch pine" or "Scots pine." The species has a low rating at present among foresters in this country because of the crooked stems it has produced in the majority of planted stands. Its aggressiveness and its capacity for producing cover on poor sites, however, have never been questioned, nor has it been determined how well the species might become adapted to American conditions if allowed to reproduce naturally. The present paper describes an unusual case of naturalization which originated from plantations established in central New York 60-70 years ago.