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Dieren en planten

Plants   Conifers   Scots pine   Black pine   Maritime pine   Dune flora   

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Dune areas   Dunes (biotope)   Forests   Forest (biotope)   

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Scots pine

size:

height: (in dune woods): 10 to 12 meters
diameter: trunk: 1 meter
needles: 2.5-5 centimeters long, 1-2 millimeters wide

blossoms:

May

age:

500 years old; record in Sweden +700 years old

color:

red-brown scaly bark
blue-green needles
in winter: darker green to yellow-green

remarks:

trunk long and bare

  • Dut: Grove Den
  • Lat: Pinus sylvestris
  • Eng: Scots Pine
  • Fren: Pin sylvestre
  • Ger: Waldkiefer
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Scots pine, Ecomare

Scots pine

The Scots pine is the only pine species native to Northern Europe. These pines can live for centuries. In 2006, one of the oldest known Scots pines (estimated age between 355 and 405 years) fell to the ground in the town of Wolfheze (Province of Gelderland). However in the wadden region, these trees are usually cut down after 80 to 120 years. There is too much salty wind for them to reach a ripe old age. Scots pine is the only native pine to northern Europe. It requires so little food that it even grows on humus-poor wind-blown sand. You find them mostly on the sheltered side of dune woods.

On Texel


There is a spot in the woods on Texel where forest ranger Min planted Scots pines in the last century. If asked what he was doing, he would answer: "That is a secret". The secret was revealed later, when the small pines grew taller. However the spot is still referred to as 'The Secret'!

  • Distribution and habitat

    Scots pine is a survivor. It doesn't grow well where there is lots of sea wind and it needs lots of light. But otherwise, it withstands severe frost, heat waves, prolonged drought and high water levels. In the Netherlands, Scots pine grows mostly in soils consisting of nutrient-poor wind-blown sand. It grows best in areas with long cold winters. Under these conditions, it doesn't have to compete with many other species of trees, which can overshadow the Scots pine.

    Thirty percent of all Dutch forests consist of Scots pines. However due to their sensitiveness to sea winds, they are in the minority on the Wadden Islands when compared to the imported black pines. If planted on dunes, they are often sheltered by black pines.

  • Wiped out?

    Scots pines appeared in Northwestern Europe back in the year 9500 B.C. They prospered particularly well in the eastern part of the Netherlands. Because there weren't many other tree species around that lived long, such as deciduous trees, there was little competition. Deciduous trees produce too much shade for these pines. Deciduous trees became prominent in 7000 B.C., and wiped out the Scots pine forests. So even though Scots pines can grow in just about all kinds of soils, you won't find them growing where deciduous trees prosper.

    It is unknown whether or not native Scots pines have continually survived in the Netherlands since then. Most of the those now growing in this country originated from imported trees.

  • Cones tell the history

    You can see by the color and shape of the pine cone what stage of development it is in. It is red at pollination, turns pale brown during the following year, reaching full size in its second year. Even the shape changes, from bullet-shaped to oval cone-shaped. By the time the cone is mature, it has changed color again to green, gray-green and finally yellow-brown.
    The blackish seeds are only released 22 to 24 months after pollination. When the cone finally opens up on a warm summery day, you can hear a crackling sound. On a windy day, the winged seeds can travel up to two kilometers before landing!

    It's even possible to determine the history of the branches based upon the cones in the month of May. Young red cones hang around the tip, year-old closed cones hang by the last wreath of branches and older open cones hang one wreath further.

    Trees younger than a year old bear single bundles of needles, while older trees carry pairs.