Click on the images help you identify a jack pine.
Form
Height is 25 to 60 feet with a trunk diameter of 8 to 20 inches. Straight trunk and spreading, cone-shaped to irregular crown and scant or open foliage. Small dead branches often remain on trees for many years.
Bark
Dull red brown; irregularly divided into small scales.
Leaf
Needlelike, 3/4 to 1-1/2 inches long, stubby, flat, 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 (like the ears of a donkey), brown when ripe, turning gray later, sometimes remaining on branches unopened and containing good seeds for many years. The small, winged, triangular seeds can be carried far in strong winds. Many cones ripen after seven years. Cones only open in extreme heat such as forest fire conditions (120 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit).
Range
Found in abundance in north-central and northeastern Minnesota. Occurs generally in pure stands on poor, sandy soil. Usually the first of the pines to spring up and occupy land following fire. Hardy and thrives on soil too poor for white or red pine. Very shade intolerant.
Wood uses
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. Used for windbreaks because of its hardiness.