{{Short description|Species of conifer}} {{Redirect|Baltic Pine|the United Baltic Corporation steamship|SS Baltic Pine{{!}}SS ''Baltic Pine''}} {{Lead too short|date=April 2026}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}} {{Speciesbox | name = Scots pine | image = Skuleskogen pine.jpg | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Gardner, M. |date=2013 |title=''Pinus sylvestris'' |volume=2013 |article-number=e.T42418A2978732 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T42418A2978732.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref> | genus = Pinus | display_parents = 3 | parent = Pinus subsect. Pinus | species = sylvestris | authority = L. | range_map = Pinus sylvestris range.svg | range_map_caption = | range_map2 = Pinus sylvestris range in EU.svg | range_map2_caption = {{Color box|#70A800}} Native range <span style="color:#70A800"><big>'''✖'''</big></span> Isolated population {{Color box|#FFD37F}} Introduced and naturalized (synanthropic) area <span style="color:#FFD37F"><big>▲</big></span> Isolated population }}
'''''Pinus sylvestris''''' is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae that is native to Eurasia. It is commonly known as the '''Scots pine''' in English; it is also known as the '''Scotch pine''' in the United States, and occasionally called the '''Baltic pine'''<ref name="Bispham-2015">{{cite book |last1=Bispham |first1=J. |editor1-last=Taylor |editor1-first=J. |title=The Building Conservation Directory |date=2015 |publisher=Cathedral Communications |location=Tisbury |isbn=978-1-900915-71-7 |oclc=931417684 |pages=123–126 |edition=22nd |chapter=Architectural Timber – History and Conservation |chapter-url=https://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/architectural-timber/architectural-timber.htm}}</ref> or '''European red pine'''.<ref>{{cite journal | title = Response of Nitrogen Metabolism in Masson Pine Needles to Elevated CO2 | year = 2020 | doi = 10.3390/f11040390 | doi-access = free | last1 = Wu | first1 = Fan | last2 = Sun | first2 = Xiaobo | last3 = Hu | first3 = Xingfeng | last4 = Zou | first4 = Bingzhang | last5 = Lin | first5 = Nengqing | last6 = Lin | first6 = Jingquan | last7 = Ji | first7 = Kongshu | journal = Forests | volume = 11 | issue = 4 | page = 390 }}</ref> It can readily be identified by its combination of fairly short, blue-green leaves and orange-red bark.
== Names == Before the 18th century, the species was more often known as '''Scots fir''' or '''Scotch fir'''. Another, less common name is '''European redwood'''.<ref name="Bispham-2015" />
The timber from it is also called '''red deal'''<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.adanack.ie/reddealeuropeanredwood |title= Red Deal/European Red Wood |publisher= Adanack |place= Tralee |access-date= 24 October 2022}}</ref> or '''yellow deal'''. It is named after the deal, an obsolete unit of measurement for wood.
== Description == thumb|upright|Young female cone [[File:Pinar Sierra de Guadarrama 2005-09-13.JPG|thumb|''Pinus sylvestris'' forest in Sierra de Guadarrama, central Spain]]
''Pinus sylvestris'' is a variety of ancient evergreen coniferous tree. A fossil seed cone of ''Pinus montana fossilis'' sent by the Naturmuseum Senckenberg to the Swedish Museum of Natural History was dated to the late Pliocene epoch (Reuverian stage ~ 2.6 million years ago).<ref> The Pliocene flora of Frankfurt am Main, Germany: taxonomy, palaeoenvironments and biogeographic affinities by Zlatko Kvaček, Vasilis Teodoridis & Thomas Denk – Palaeobiodiversity and Palaeoenvironments, pages 647–703 (2020) – Springer Link – https://doi.org/10.1007/s12549-019-00391-6</ref><ref>Oberpliocän-Flora aus den Baugruben des Klärbeckens bei Niederrad und Schleuse bei Höchst a M. T. Geyler F. Kinkelin. (Frankfort, 1887).</ref> Its longevity might be due to its genetics. Genes of Scots Pine during the haploid stage of its life cycle are subject to stronger negative selection.<ref name = Cervantes2023>{{cite journal |vauthors=Cervantes S, Kesälahti R, Kumpula TA, Mattila TM, Helanterä H, Pyhäjärvi T |title=Strong Purifying Selection in Haploid Tissue-Specific Genes of Scots Pine Supports the Masking Theory |journal=Mol Biol Evol |volume=40 |issue=8 |date=August 2023 |article-number=msad183 |pmid=37565532 |pmc=10457172 |doi=10.1093/molbev/msad183 |url=}}</ref> Selective removal of alleles that contain potentially unhelpful mutations has the efficacy of efficient natural selection.<ref name = Cervantes2023/>
Modern trees can grow up to {{Convert|35|m|abbr=off}} in height<ref name=Rushforth>{{cite book |first=K. |last=Rushforth |trans-title=Pocket Guide to Trees |title=Bäume |language=de |location=Bern |publisher=Hallwag AG |orig-date=1980 |year=1986 |edition=2nd |isbn=978-3-444-70130-6}}</ref> and {{Convert|1|m|abbr=on}} in trunk diameter when mature,<ref name="Marinich-2017">{{cite book |url=http://www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/OIPC_BMP_ScotsPine_FINAL_Mar292017_D4.pdf |title=Scots Pine: Best Management Practices in Ontario |last1=Marinich |first1=A. |last2=Powell |first2=K. |date=2017 |publisher=Ontario Invasive Plant Council |place=Peterborough, Ontario}}</ref> exceptionally over {{convert|45|m|abbr=on}} tall and {{convert|1.7|m|ft|abbr=on|frac=2}} in trunk diameter on very productive sites. The tallest on record is a tree over 210 years old growing in Estonia which stands at {{convert|46.6|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite news |title=Eesti kõrgeim mänd osutus hiiglaseks ka ülejäänud maailmas |trans-title=Estonia's tallest pine turned out to be a giant in the rest of the world as well |url=http://novaator.err.ee/v/loodus/545979d6-9c4e-4658-8877-182d5a053618/video-eesti-korgeim-mand-osutus-hiiglaseks-ka-ulejaanud-maailmas |access-date=9 February 2016 |work=ERR Novaator |publisher=Eesti Rahvusringhääling |place=Tallinn |language=et |editor-last=Oidermaa |editor-first=J.-J. |date=9 February 2016}}</ref> The lifespan is normally 150–300 years, with the oldest recorded specimens in Lapland, Northern Finland over 760 years.<ref name="farjon">{{cite book |last1=Farjon |first1=A. |title=Pines: Drawings and descriptions of the genus ''Pinus'' |date=2005 |publisher=Koninklijke Brill |location=Leiden |isbn=978-90-04-13916-9 |oclc=59279728 |ol=9084955M |edition=2nd |url=https://archive.org/details/pinesdrawingsdes0000farj/mode/2up |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref name="gymno">{{Gymnosperm Database|family=Pinaceae|genus=Pinus|species=sylvestris}}</ref><ref name="tfl">{{cite web |last1=Featherstone |first1=A. W. |title=Species profile: Scots pine |url=http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/tfl.scpine.html |publisher=Trees for Life |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226131845/http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/tfl.scpine.html |archive-date=26 February 2014 |location=Forres |access-date=23 June 2005 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="steven">{{cite book |last1=Steven |first1=H. M. |last2=Carlisle |first2=A. |title=The Native Pinewoods of Scotland |date=1959 |publisher=Oliver and Boyd |location=Edinburgh |url=https://archive.org/details/nativepinewoodso0000stev/mode/2up |oclc=1148550 |ol=6267106M}}</ref>
The bark is thick, flaky and orange-red when young to scaly and gray-brown in maturity, sometimes retaining the former on the upper portion.<ref name="Marinich-2017" /><ref name="tfl" /><ref name="gymno" /> The habit of the mature tree is distinctive due to its long, bare and straight trunk topped by a rounded or flat-topped mass of foliage.<ref name="farjon" /><ref name="gymno" /><ref name="tfl" /><ref name="steven" />
The shoots are light brown, with a spirally arranged scale-like pattern. On mature trees the leaves ('needles') are a glaucous blue-green, often darker green to dark yellow-green in winter, {{convert|2.5|–|5|cm|frac=8|abbr=off}} long and {{convert|1|–|2|mm|frac=32}} broad, produced in fascicles of two with a persistent gray {{convert|5|–|10|mm|in|frac=8|abbr=on}} basal sheath. On vigorous young trees the leaves can be twice as long, and occasionally occur in fascicles of three or four on the tips of strong shoots. Leaf persistence varies from two to four years in warmer climates, and up to nine years in subarctic regions. Seedlings up to one year old bear juvenile leaves; these are single (not in pairs), {{convert|2|–|3|cm|in|frac=4|abbr=on}} long, flattened, with a serrated margin.<ref name=farjon /><ref name=tfl /><ref name=steven />
The seed cones are red at pollination, then pale brown, globose and {{convert|4|–|8|mm|in|frac=32|abbr=on}} in diameter in their first year, expanding to full size in their second year, pointed ovoid-conic, green, then gray-green to yellow-brown at maturity, {{convert|3|-|7.5|cm|in|frac=8|abbr=on}} long. The cone scales have a flat to pyramidal apophysis (the external part of the cone scale), with a small prickle on the umbo (central boss or protuberance). The seeds are blackish, {{convert|3|–|5|mm|in|frac=32|abbr=on}} in length with a pale brown {{convert|12|–|20|mm|in|frac=16|abbr=on}} wing and are released when the cones open in spring 22–24 months after pollination. The pollen cones are yellow, occasionally pink, {{convert|8|–|12|mm|in|frac=32|abbr=on}} long; pollen release is in mid to late spring.<ref name=farjon /><ref name=tfl />
== Varieties == thumb|''Pinus sylvestris'' var. ''hamata'', Crimea
More than 100 ''Pinus sylvestris'' varieties have been described in the botanical literature, but only three or four are now accepted.<ref name=tpl>{{cite web |title=The Plant List v1.1: ''Pinus sylvestris'' |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and Missouri Botanic Garden |date=2013 |url=http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/search?q=Pinus+sylvestris |access-date=22 March 2019 }}</ref> They differ only minimally in morphology, but with more pronounced differences in genetic analysis and resin composition. Populations in westernmost Scotland are genetically distinct from those in the rest of Scotland and northern Europe, but not sufficiently to have been distinguished as separate botanical varieties. Trees in the far north of the range were formerly sometimes treated as var. ''lapponica'', but the differences are clinal and it is not genetically distinct.<ref name=farjon /><ref name=gymno /><ref name="mirov">{{cite book |last1=Mirov |first1=N. T. |title=The Genus Pinus |date=1967 |publisher=Ronald Press Company |location=New York |oclc=712344}}</ref><ref name=pravdin>{{cite book |last=Pravdin |first=L. F. |date=1969 |orig-date=1964 |title=Scots Pine: Variation, Intraspecific Taxonomy, and Selection |publisher=Israel Program for Scientific Translations |place=Jerusalem |oclc=121486}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Langlet |first=O. |date=1959 |title=A Cline or not a Cline – a Question of Scots Pine |journal=Silvae Genetica |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=13–22 |url=https://www.thuenen.de/media/institute/fg/PDF/Silvae_Genetica/1959/Vol._8_Heft_1/08_1_13.pdf}}</ref><ref name="kinloch1986">{{cite journal |last1=Kinloch |first1=B. B. |last2=Westfall |first2=R. D. |last3=Forrest |first3=G. I. |date=1986 |title=Caledonian Scots Pine: Origins and Genetic Structure |journal=The New Phytologist |volume=104 |issue=4 |pages=703–729 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-8137.1986.tb00671.x |doi-access=free |jstor=2433046|pmid=33873854 |bibcode=1986NewPh.104..703K }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Szmidt |first1=A. E. |last2=Wang |first2=X.-R. |date=1993 |title=Molecular systematics and genetic differentiation of ''Pinus sylvestris'' (L.) and ''P. densiflora'' (Sieb. et Zucc.) |journal=Theoretical and Applied Genetics |volume=86 |issue=2–3 |pages=159–165 |doi=10.1007/BF00222074|pmid=24193455 |s2cid=10888339 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Prus-Glowacki |first1=W. |last2=Stephan |first2=B. R. |date=1994 |title=Genetic variation of ''Pinus sylvestris'' from Spain in Relation to Other European Populations |journal=Silvae Genetica |volume=43 |issue=1 |pages=7–14}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Goncharenko |first1=G. G. |last2=Silin |first2=A. E. |last3=Padutov |first3=V. E. |date=1995 |title=Intra- and interspecific genetic differentiation in closely related pines from ''Pinus'' subsection ''Sylvestres'' (''Pinaceae'') in the former Soviet Union |journal=Plant Systematics and Evolution |volume=194 |number=1/2 |pages=39–54 |jstor=23642988 |doi=10.1007/BF00983215|bibcode=1995PSyEv.194...39G |s2cid=12560701 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sinclair |first1=W. T. |last2=Morman |first2=J. D. |last3=Ennos |first3=R. A. |date=1999 |title=The postglacial history of Scots pine (''Pinus sylvestris'' L.) in western Europe: evidence from mitochondrial DNA variation |journal=Molecular Ecology |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=83–88 |doi=10.1046/j.1365-294X.1999.00527.x|bibcode=1999MolEc...8...83S |s2cid=84168134 }}</ref>{{excessive citations inline|date=June 2023}} {| class="wikitable " |- ! Image !! Varieties !!Description !! Distribution |- |120px|| ''Pinus sylvestris'' var. ''sylvestris'' {{small| L., 1753}} ||Described above. || The bulk of the range, from Scotland and Spain to central Siberia. |- |120px|| ''Pinus sylvestris'' var. ''hamata'' {{small|Steven}} ||Foliage more consistently glaucous all year, not becoming duller in winter; cones more frequently with a pyramidal apophysis. ||The Balkans, northern Turkey, Crimea, and the Caucasus. |- |120px|| ''Pinus sylvestris'' var. ''mongolica'' {{small|Litv.}} ||Foliage duller green, shoots gray-green; leaves occasionally up to 12 cm long. || Mongolia and adjoining parts of southern Siberia and northwestern China. |- |120px|| ''Pinus sylvestris'' var. ''nevadensis'' {{small|D.H.Christ.}} ||(not considered distinct from var. ''sylvestris'' by all authors) Kalenicz. Ex Kom. Cones often with thicker scales, but doubtfully distinguishable on morphology. ||The Sierra Nevada in southern Spain and possibly other Spanish populations |- |120px|| ''Pinus sylvestris'' var. ''cretacea'' {{small|Kalenicz. ex Kom.}} || ||From border regions between Russia and Ukraine.<ref name="biodat">{{cite web|url=http://www.biodat.ru/db/rbp/rb.php?src=1&vid=449 |title=Красная Книга России | Red Book of Russia. Pinus Sylvestris L. Var. Cretacea Kalenicz. Ex Kom |publisher=biodat.ru|access-date=21 March 2016}}</ref> |- |}
== Distribution and habitat == {{CSS image crop|Image=Scots Pin Utö, January 2013.jpg|bSize=220|cWidth=220|cHeight=270|oTop=60|oLeft=0|Location=right|Description=Scots pine in Stockholm archipelago, Sweden}}
''Pinus sylvestris'' is the only pine native to northern Europe,<ref name="feis">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Sullivan |first=J. |encyclopedia=Fire Effects Information System |title=Pinus sylvestris |date=1993 |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/tree/pinsyl/all.html |access-date=20 May 2023 |publisher=Fire Sciences Laboratory, Rocky Mountain Research Station, United States Department of Agriculture}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris) |url=https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/a-z-of-british-trees/scots-pine/ |website=A–Z of British Trees |publisher=the Woodland Trust |place=Grantham |access-date=25 June 2022}}</ref> ranging from Western Europe to Eastern Siberia, south to the Caucasus Mountains and Anatolia, and north to well inside the Arctic Circle in Fennoscandia. In the north of its range, it occurs from sea level to {{convert|1000|m|ft|abbr=on}}, while in the south of its range it is a mountain tree, growing at {{convert|1200|–|2600|m|ft|abbr=on}} altitude.<ref name="farjon" /><ref name="gymno" /><ref name="tfl" /><ref name="mirov" /> Its distribution intersects with ''T. piniperda's'' habitat, making the beetle a primary pest of the tree.
The species is mainly found on poorer, sandy soils, rocky outcrops, peat bogs or close to the forest limit. On fertile sites, the pine is out-competed by other tree species, usually spruce or broad-leaved trees.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mátyás |first1=C. |last2=Ackzell |first2=L. |last3=Samuel |first3=C. J. A. |title=Scots pine – ''Pinus sylvestris'' |series=EUFORGEN Technical Guidelines for Genetic Conservation and Use |date=2004 |url=http://www.euforgen.org/fileadmin//templates/euforgen.org/upload/Publications/Technical_guidelines/1037_Technical_guidelines_for_genetic_conservation_and_use_for_Scots_pine__Pinus_sylvestris_.pdf |page=6 |publisher=International Plant Genetic Resources Institute |place=Rome |isbn=978-92-9043-661-4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170119053106/http://www.euforgen.org/fileadmin//templates/euforgen.org/upload/Publications/Technical_guidelines/1037_Technical_guidelines_for_genetic_conservation_and_use_for_Scots_pine__Pinus_sylvestris_.pdf |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=19 January 2017 }}</ref>
=== Britain and Ireland === thumb|Scattered survivors (two recently dead) of extensive deforestation at Glen Quoich, Scotland
The tree spread across Britain and Ireland after the Last Glacial Maximum. Pollen records show that pine was present locally in southern England by 9,000 years ago having entered from northeast France and that it had spread as far north as the Lake District and North Pennines 500 years later. {{cn|date=June 2025}}
It was present in Ireland over 8,800 years ago but absent from Wales at that time which suggests that the pine in Ireland had a separate Iberian origin or contained surviving populations, although evidence towards its survival is lacking.<ref name="kinloch1986" /> Pine expanded into Scotland between 8,000 and 8,500 years ago either from an independent refuge, from Scandinavia (via Doggerland) or from Ireland. As the climate warmed it became extinct from most of Britain and Ireland around 5,500 years ago except in Scotland, Kielder in England and The Burren in County Clare, Ireland.{{cn|date=June 2025}}
The Irish and western Scottish populations went through a massive decline around 4,000 years ago which ultimately led to the practical extinction of the Irish population between 2,000 and 1,000 years ago. It was replaced by large areas of blanket bog in western Scotland and Ireland though the reasons for its decline and extinction in England are not clear, but it may have been influenced by human activities.<ref>{{cite book |last=Milner |first=E. |title=Trees of Britain and Ireland |pages=15, 120 |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-565-09295-5 |oclc=751745667 |place=London |publisher=the Natural History Museum}}</ref>
In Britain it now occurs naturally only in Scotland. Historical and archaeological records indicate that it also occurred in Wales and England until about 300–400 years ago, becoming extinct there due to over-exploitation and grazing; it has been re-introduced in these countries. Similar historical extinction and re-introduction applies to Ireland, Denmark and the Netherlands.<ref name=tfl /><ref name=mirov /><ref name=steven /><ref name=bfbi>{{cite journal |last1=Carlisle |first1=A. |last2=Brown |first2=A. H. F. |date=1968 |title=Biological Flora of the British Isles: Pinus sylvestris L. |journal=Journal of Ecology |volume=56 |number=1 |pages=269–307 |doi=10.2307/2258078 |jstor=2258078}}</ref> Whether it truly became extinct in England is unknown. It has been speculated that it may have survived wild long enough for trees used in cultivation in England to derive from native (rather than imported) sources.<ref name=Edlin>{{cite book |last=Edlin |first=H. L. |date=1970 |title=Trees, Woods and Man |edition=3rd |publisher=Collins |place=London |series=The New Naturalist: A Survey of British Natural History |isbn=978-0-00-213230-5 |oclc=1835850 |ol=38560280M |url=https://archive.org/details/treeswoodsman0000eldi/mode/2up |url-access=registration}}</ref> Shakespeare (in ''Richard II'') was familiar with the species in the 1590s, as was Evelyn in the early 1660s (''Sylva''), both around the time when the pine was thought to become extinct in England, but when landowners were also beginning ornamental and forestry planting.<ref name=Edlin />
The pine formed much of the Caledonian Forest, which once covered much of the Scottish Highlands. Overcutting for timber demand, fire, overgrazing by sheep and deer, and even deliberate clearance to deter wolves have all been factors in the decline of this once great pine and birch forest. Only comparatively small areas{{Snd}}{{convert|17,000|ha}}, only just over 1% of the estimated original {{cvt|1,500,000|ha}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Scots pine facts and information |url=https://treesforlife.org.uk/into-the-forest/trees-plants-animals/trees/scots-pine/scots-pine-facts/ |publisher=Trees for Life |place=Forres |access-date=25 June 2022}}</ref>{{Snd}}of this ancient forest remain, the main surviving remnants being at Abernethy Forest, Glen Affric, Rothiemurchus Forest, and the Black Wood of Rannoch. Plans are currently in progress to restore at least some areas and work has started at key sites.<ref name=tfl /><ref name=steven />
== Ecology == It forms either pure forests or mixes with Norway spruce, common juniper, silver birch, European rowan, Eurasian aspen and other hardwood species. In central and southern Europe, it occurs with numerous additional species, including European black pine, mountain pine, Macedonian pine, and Swiss pine. In the eastern part of its range, it occurs with Siberian pine, among others.<ref name="gymno" /><ref name="tfl" />
In 2020, black spot needle blight was found on hundreds of ''Pinus sylvestris'' var. ''mongolica'' trees in four forest farms in northeastern China. It first appeared on the upper part of the needles, and then the needles became withered and gradually showed light black spots, although they still remained green. As the fungal disease progressed, the needles eventually died and turned gray with many dark black spots. The fungus was identified as ''Heterotruncatella spartii'' (within the family Sporocadaceae) based on morphology and molecular methods.<ref name=Wang2022>{{cite journal |last1=Wang |first1=S.-R. |last2=Zhang |first2=H. |last3=Chen |first3=Y.-Z. |last4=Zhang |first4=Y.-D. |last5=Li |first5=D.-B. |last6=Huang |first6=Y. |last7=Zhang |first7=G. |last8=Yang |first8=J. |title=First Report of Black Spot Needle Blight of ''Pinus sylvestris'' var. ''mongolica'' Litv. Caused by ''Heterotruncatella spartii'' in China |journal=Plant Disease |date=2022 |volume=106 |number=8 |page=2256 |doi=10.1094/PDIS-12-21-2667-PDN |doi-access=free |pmid=35108070 |s2cid=246487193}}</ref>
== Uses == thumb|{{center|Botanical plate}} [[File:Meenikunno maastikukaiteala.jpg|thumb|Scots pine forest in Estonia]]
''Pinus sylvestris'' is an important tree in forestry. The wood is used for pulp and sawn timber products. A seedling stand can be created by planting, sowing, or natural regeneration. Commercial plantation rotations vary between 50 and 120 years, with longer rotations in northeastern areas where growth is slower.{{cn|date=June 2025}}
In Scandinavian countries, the pine was used for making tar in the preindustrial age. Some active tar producers still exist, but that industry has almost ceased.<ref name=steven /><ref name=pravdin /> The pine has also been used as a source of rosin and turpentine.{{cn|date=June 2025}}
The wood is pale brown to red-brown, and used for general construction work. It has a dry density around 470 kg/m<sup>3</sup> (varying with growth conditions), an open porosity of 60%, a fibre saturation point of 0.25 kg/kg, and a saturation moisture content of 1.60 kg/kg.<ref name=pravdin /> The pine fibres are used to make the textile known as vegetable flannel,<ref>{{cite web|title=Vegetable flannel|url=http://www.webster-dictionary.org/definition/Vegetable%20flannel|website=Webster's 1913 Dictionary |access-date=18 August 2014}}</ref> which has a hemp-like appearance, but with a tighter, softer texture.<ref name=cole>{{cite book |last1=Cole |first1=G. S.|title=A Complete Dictionary of Dry Goods and History of Silk, Cotton, Linen, Wool, and other Fibrous Substances, etc etc |edition=revised |date=1892 |url=https://archive.org/details/completedictiona00coleiala/page/364/mode/2up |publisher=W. B. Conkey Company |place=Chicago |pages=365–366 |oclc=401856 |ol=7231038M |ol-access=free}}</ref>
The pine has also been widely planted in New Zealand and much of the colder regions of North America; it was one of the first trees introduced to North America, in about 1600.<ref name="Moore2008">{{cite book |last1=Kershner |first1=B. |last2=Mathews |first2=D. |last3=Nelson |first3=G. |last4=Spellenberg |first4=R. |last5=Purinton |first5=T. |last6=Block |first6=A. |last7=Moore |first7=G. |last8=Thieret |first8=J. W. |title=National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Trees of North America |date=2008 |publisher=Sterling Publishing Company |location=New York |isbn=978-1-4027-3875-3 |oclc=705626973 |ol=11637505M |page=67 |url=https://archive.org/details/nationalwildlife0000unse/page/66/mode/2up |url-access=registration}}</ref> It is listed as an invasive species in some areas there, including Ontario,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.powerhalton.ca/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=XUOjld%2Fmr8o%3D&tabid=67|title=Invasive Ontario Plants|publisher=Protect Our Water and Environmental Resources|access-date=17 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426060136/http://www.powerhalton.ca/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=XUOjld%2Fmr8o=&tabid=67|archive-date=26 April 2012}}</ref> Michigan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eddmaps.org/tools/stateplants.cfm?id=us_mi |title=Species found in Michigan|work=Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System|publisher=Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health at the University of Georgia|access-date=17 December 2011}}</ref> It has been widely used in the United States for the Christmas tree trade, and was one of the most popular Christmas trees from the 1950s through the 1980s. It remains popular for that usage, though it has been eclipsed in popularity, by such species as Fraser fir, Douglas-fir, and others. Despite its invasiveness in parts of eastern North America, the pine does not often grow well there, partly due to climate and soil differences between its native habitat and that of North America, and partly due to damage by pests and diseases; the tree often grows in a twisted, haphazard manner if not tended to (as they are in the Christmas tree trade).<ref name=gymno /><ref name="feis"/> The pines may be killed by the pine wood nematode, which causes pine wilt disease. The nematode most often attacks trees that are at least ten years old and often kills trees it infects within a few weeks.<ref name="umizzou">{{cite book |last1=Gleason |first1=M. |last2=Linit |first2=M. |last3=Zriba |first3=N. |last4=Donald |first4=P. |last5=Tisserat |first5=N. |last6=Giesler |first6=L. |editor1-last=Edwards |editor1-first=E. |title=Pine Wilt: A Fatal Disease of Exotic Pines in the Midwest |series=Sustainable Urban Landscapes |date=2000 |publisher=Iowa State University |url=http://extension.missouri.edu/explorepdf/miscpubs/mx0858.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120515204229/http://extension.missouri.edu/explorepdf/miscpubs/mx0858.pdf |id=SUL 9 |access-date=20 May 2023 |archive-date=15 May 2012 |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref>
Previously, the pine was grown in and used extensively by the coal mining regions of Flanders, Belgium. It was used to fortify tunnels, primarily because it would make a cracking sound when in need of replacement. Large patches of forest, mostly containing the species, are still scattered over the countryside.{{cn|date=June 2025}}
=== Cultivars === Several cultivars are grown for ornamental purposes in parks and large gardens, of which 'Aurea',<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/99295/i-Pinus-sylvestris-i-(Aurea-Group)-Aurea/Details | title = RHS Plantfinder - ''Pinus sylvestris'' (Aurea Group) 'Aurea' | access-date = 30 April 2018}}</ref> 'Beuvronensis',<ref>{{cite web|title=RHS Plant Selector – ''Pinus sylvestris'' 'Beuvronensis'|url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/91667/Pinus-sylvestris-Beuvronensis/Details | access-date = 6 February 2021}}</ref> 'Frensham',<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/63382/i-Pinus-sylvestris-i-Frensham/Details | title = RHS Plantfinder - ''Pinus sylvestris'' 'Frensham' | access-date = 30 April 2018}}</ref> and 'Gold Coin'<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/66741/i-Pinus-sylvestris-i-Gold-Coin/Details | title = RHS Plantfinder - ''Pinus sylvestris'' 'Gold Coin' | access-date = 25 April 2018}}</ref> have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/pdfs/agm-lists/agm-ornamentals.pdf | title = AGM Plants - Ornamental | date = July 2017 | page = 78 | publisher = Royal Horticultural Society | access-date = 30 April 2018}}</ref>
== In culture == The Scots pine is the plant badge of Clan Gregor and Clan Farquharson. It is the national tree of Scotland.<ref>Rick Steves Scotland (second edition) By Rick Steves</ref>
== Gallery == <gallery mode="packed"> Pinus sylvestris cones pl.jpg|Leaves and cones, Poland Pinus syvestris seedling.jpg|Seedling with flattish, unfascicled leaves Pinus sylvestris wood ray section 1 beentree.jpg|Wood Pine log cross-sections, Teutendorf, 2016-09-17.jpg|Cross-sections of pine logs from a thinning Pinus Sylvestris 8407.jpg|Bark on a mature specimen Strom roka borovica velke borove 03.jpg|Looking up in the branch structure Pine releasing pollen into the wind in Tuntorp 1.jpg|Pine releasing pollen on a windy day in Sweden Seed pinus sylvestris 1 beentree B.jpg|Seeds </gallery>
== See also == * ''Pinus'' × ''rhaetica''
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * {{cite web|last=Eichhorn|first=Markus|title=The Scots Pine|url=http://www.test-tube.org.uk/trees/video_scots_pine.htm|work=Test Tube|publisher=Brady Haran for the University of Nottingham|date=October 2011}} * [http://www.euforgen.org/species/pinus-sylvestris/ ''Pinus sylvestris''] - distribution map, genetic conservation units and related resources. European Forest Genetic Resources Programme (EUFORGEN)
{{Taxonbar|from=Q133128}} {{Authority control}}
sylvestris Category:Flora of Europe Category:Flora of temperate Asia Category:Forests and woodlands of Scotland Category:Trees of Asia Category:Trees of Europe Category:Trees of Russia Category:Trees of continental subarctic climate Category:Trees of humid continental climate Category:Trees of mild maritime climate Category:Trees of subpolar oceanic climate Category:Plants described in 1753 Category:Least concern plants Category:Least concern flora of Asia Category:Least concern flora of Europe Category:Garden plants of Asia Category:Garden plants of Europe Category:Ornamental trees Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus