Ponderosa Pine

Ponderosa Pine
(Pinus ponderosa)

This is a tall stately tree (up to 150' in height). It has a wide-spread distribution, but is not common in the Wasatch Mountains except where it has been planted, such as "The Spruces" campground in Big Cottonwood canyon.

It has very long needles (6 or 7 inches), which usually occur in bundles of 3.

The bark is orange-brown, and tends to thicken and form flattened scales as the tree matures.

The wood is of good quality, and the tree is logged commercially in the mountains of central and southern Utah.