Click on the images help you identify a jack pine.
Form
Height ranges from 25 to 60 feet, with a trunk diameter of 8 to 20 inches. Trunk is straight, with a spreading, cone-shaped to irregular crown and scant or open foliage. Small dead branches often remain on the tree for many years.
Bark
Dull red-brown, irregularly divided into small scales.
Leaf
Needlelike, 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches long, stubby, flat, and grayish green. Slightly twisted needles are bundled in pairs and remain on branchlets for about three years.
Fruit (seed)
Cones are about 1 1/2 inches long, often strongly curved and appearing in pairs, brown when ripe, turning gray later. Some cones remain on branches unopened, containing viable seeds for many years. Small, winged, triangular seeds can be carried far by strong winds. Many cones ripen after seven years. Cones open only in extreme heat, such as during forest fires (120 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit).
Range
Found abundantly in north-central and northeastern Minnesota. Generally occurs in pure stands on poor, sandy soils. Usually the first pine to grow on land following fire. Hardy and thrives on soils too poor for white or red pine. Very shade-intolerant.
Wood uses
Wood is light, soft, not strong, close-grained, clear pale brown with thick, nearly white sapwood. Used for laths, box material, craft paper, firewood, and increasingly for lumber. Also used for windbreaks because of its hardiness.