Home >> Science & Nature >> Nature

The Role of the White Pine in the Ecosystem in Michigan

The white pine -- Michigan's state tree -- lives hundreds of years and is the tallest coniferous (cone-bearing) tree species in eastern North America. Once widespread throughout the state, this old-growth tree species has been decimated by decades of logging and remains in less than 2 percent of its original area. From red crossbills and bald eagles to black bears and bats, white pine forests continue support a wide diversity of wildlife and contribute to Michigan's environmental stability.

Food Source for Birds
- White pines provide high-quality food and shelter for woodpeckers and other birds.
  
  Of all coniferous trees in Michigan, white pines produce the longest cones, measuring up to 8 inches in length. Red crossbills in the region adapted a specialized bill structure to pry apart these cones to obtain seeds, which also feed pine warblers, pine siskins and white-winged crossbills. Brown creepers and nuthatches favor foraging for insects in older white pine bark that is loose enough for their thin bills to penetrate. The loosened bark also attracts three-toed woodpeckers, which flake it off the tree to find food, rather than drilling holes like pileated woopeckers.
Nesting Sites and Shelter for Birds
- Bald eagles seek out high-canopy white pines for building their nests in Michigan.
  
  About 80 percent of all ospreys and bald eagles in Michigan's Superior National Forest opt to build nests in mature white pine trees. The old-growth stands also create prime roosting spots for Northern saw-whet owls and long-eared owls. Ground-dwelling birds like grouse and woodcocks find shelter among white pines, which also provide songbirds with opportunities for roosting and fly-catching from high snags and excavating nesting cavities in trunks and large branches.
Habitat for Mammals and Other Wildlife
- To escape danger, black bear cubs can easily climb the white pine's ridged bark.
  
  Black bears use large hollows in white pine trees for winter hibernation. Fallen logs also may house salamanders, insects, mice and other small animals. In addition, white pine stands provide shelter for moose, pine martens, lynx, bobcats, coyotes and bats. Seeds, needles, buds, twigs and bark of white pines provide food for gray and red squirrels, chipmunks, porcupine, beaver, eastern cottontail rabbits and snowshoe hare. White-tailed deer browse on twigs and soft needles, and pocket gophers graze on the tree's roots and seedlings.
Environmental Benefits of White Pine Forests
- Snowshoe hares find food and shelter in Michigan's white pine forests.
  
  As a plant native to Michigan and across the northern border into Canada, the white pine is adept at cycling nutrients, filtering water and producing oxygen in the region's climate and soil conditions, and it grows well on slopes, helping to control erosion. The decline of white pine in Michigan reduces the amount of old-growth habitat for wildlife and shifts forests to other tree species, such as fir and hemlock, which can be more sensitive to drought conditions and susceptible to a wider variety of problems from insects and disease than white pine.

Nature