Lodgepole Pine – Pinus contorta for timber, woodland and difficult ground
Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta) is a strong choice if you want to grow timber or establish a small woodland on poor, acidic or exposed ground where more demanding trees may struggle.[1] It is relatively fast-growing,[1] stays green throughout the year,[2] and copes well with winter cold, spring frost and exposed conditions.[1]
You do not need a huge commercial forest to grow trees for future timber. A small woodland, field corner or dedicated plot can still be planted with usable timber as one of its long-term aims. Lodgepole Pine is particularly useful when the ground itself makes other timber trees harder to grow.[1]
Our Lodgepole Pine is supplied as young cell-grown saplings, giving you an economical way to produce your own timber.
Why plant Lodgepole Pine?
The biggest advantage of Lodgepole Pine is its ability to produce useful tree growth on difficult land. It can grow on very poor soils, including acidic upland ground and peat, and it remains useful on wetter acidic soils in western Britain.[1]
It is also exceptionally hardy. It tolerates winter temperatures of roughly -20°C [2] while its resistance to spring frost and exposure makes it useful on open sites where less hardy trees may struggle.[1]
Lodgepole Pine for small-scale timber growing
Lodgepole Pine has a long history as a timber tree in Britain. A timber crop would typically be grown for around 60–80 years, broadly similar to Scots Pine.[1] That makes it a long-term planting choice, but one that can be worthwhile for somebody establishing a small woodland or timber plot for the future.
The timber has been used for general building and framing, pallets, fencing and gates, farm and estate work, with suitable better-quality timber also usable for joinery.[7] It can therefore produce genuinely useful wood rather than simply being a tree planted for appearance.
The wood is somewhat lighter and not as strong as Scots or Corsican Pine, but it dries quickly, machines easily and can take a very good finish.[7] For a small-scale grower, the attraction is not that Lodgepole Pine produces the very best timber in every situation; it is that it can produce usable timber on sites where growing a more demanding timber tree may be difficult.
Where will Lodgepole Pine grow?
It will grow in acid to neutral soils and suits loam and sand,[2] but it can also cope with much poorer upland soils and peat.[1]
It is more tolerant of wet acidic ground than many pines and remains useful on wetter sites in western Britain.[1] That does not mean it wants to stand permanently in water: where possible, choose ground that retains some moisture but still allows excess water to drain away.[2]
Give the trees an open position with plenty of daylight. Lodgepole Pine does not grow well in heavy shade.[1]
It also copes with exposed conditions, air pollution and salt-laden winds making it suitable for coast planting.[1]
When is Lodgepole Pine a better choice than Scots Pine?
If the ground is wetter and acidic, Lodgepole Pine can be a better option than Scots Pine. Lodgepole Pine remains useful on wetter acidic upland soils,[1] whereas Scots Pine is generally better suited to drier soils and grows slowly on peat.[5]
This makes Lodgepole Pine particularly interesting for somebody who wants to grow pine for timber or woodland but has a site that is simply too wet, poor or exposed for Scots Pine to perform at its best.
If your ground is naturally dry and well suited to Scots Pine, there may be less reason to choose Lodgepole Pine instead.
Lodgepole Pine or Sitka Spruce?
Sitka Spruce is the stronger choice where maximum timber growth is the main objective and the site suits it. It establishes faster and can produce considerably more timber on suitable wet upland ground.[6]
Lodgepole Pine has different strengths. Sitka Spruce can be badly affected by late spring frost and air pollution,[6] while Lodgepole Pine is resistant to both.[1]
So if your priority is simply maximum timber production on a good Sitka site, Sitka Spruce may make more sense. If the site is particularly exposed, frost-prone, poor or difficult, Lodgepole Pine can be the more dependable choice.
How big will Lodgepole Pine get?
Lodgepole Pine eventually becomes a substantial tree, reaching around 25m tall with a spread of more than 8m.[2]
This is not a tree for a small suburban garden. It is much better suited to a field, small woodland, estate, paddock edge or other location where it has room to develop.
Routine pruning is not normally necessary.[2] If the trees are being grown for useful timber, however, the way the group is managed over the years will influence the quality and size of the eventual wood.
Young Lodgepole Pines can be browsed or have their bark stripped by deer,[1] so protection can be worthwhile where deer are common.
Things to know before planting Lodgepole Pine
The main disease concern is Dothistroma needle blight. Lodgepole Pine is one of the pine species most seriously affected by it in Britain, and severe infection can strip foliage and eventually kill mature trees.[3]
There is also an important warning if cattle use the land. Lodgepole Pine needles contain isocupressic acid and can cause abortion in late-pregnancy cattle.[4] Do not plant where pregnant cattle are likely to browse the trees or gain access to cut or fallen foliage.
Other possible problems include root and butt rot, large pine weevil, honey fungus, needle-cast diseases, aphids, sawfly larvae and pine shoot moth.[1][2]
Lodgepole Pine can also regenerate naturally from seed where there is plenty of light.[1] On a small woodland or timber plot this can be useful, although unwanted seedlings may occasionally need controlling.
