Which “Pine” Tree Is It?

We often see conifers (cone-bearing trees) and collectively call them “pine” trees. But did you know that there’s an easy way to distinguish between pine, spruce, and fir trees?

Pine trees have needles grouped into clusters. Additionally, you can count the number of needles in the cluster to find out which kind of pine tree you have. R-E-D has three letters and W-H-I-T-E has five letters. Three needles = Red pine. Five needles = White pine.

Spruce and fir trees both have needles that grow singly, right off of each stem and branch. Fortunately, there’s an easy way to tell them apart too.

Pick a needle and roll it in your fingers. If it rolls easily, it probably has a square shape (four sides). This is a spruce tree. S=square and S=Spruce.

If it doesn’t roll easily, it probably has flat needles. This is a fir tree. F=flat and F=fir.

The next time you’re on a walk, see if you can classify these three types of evergreens just by looking at the needles!

Then head to your local library to check out the book Pick a Pine Tree by Patricia Toht. It’s a great book to connect to the “pine” trees that we pick this time of year to decorate our homes for the holidays!