The tallest tree in the northeastern United States is a staggering 181.3-foot-tall Eastern White Pine in Cook Forest State Park, Pennsylvania. This old growth tree is known as the Longfellow Pine, and it’s one of many ancient and beautiful Eastern White Pine trees flourishing in the protected forests of the state. It’s the third-tallest tree in the Eastern United States – so tall, it’s tough to take a picture of the whole thing.
Longfellow Pine, estimated to be about 300 years old, stands among many other tall and large-girth trees in Cook Forest State Park. Some specimens have been found that date back an astonishing 500 years. Other pines of awe-inspiring heights can be found in Massachusetts’ Mohawk Trail State Forest.
Michigan is home to Eastern White Pines reaching over 155 feet in height at Hartwick Pines State Park, and a private property in Claremont, New Hampshire hosts about sixty 150-foot-tall pines. The diameter of these pines can be up to five feet.
Old growth forests of Eastern White Pines that have never been logged can be found all over the country, including the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee, which was home to the tallest Eastern White Pine (at 188.8 feet) before winds took off its crown in 1995.
Sustainable forestry methods and active forest preservation have helped preserve these trees for this long, ensuring that they’re still around for future generations to marvel at.
Photo: Native Tree Society
