Phylum: Magnoliophyta - Class: Pinopsida - Order: Pinales - Family: Pinaceae
There are something like 100 species of pine trees, but the Scots Pine is the only one that is native to Britain. It is widely planted throughout England, Wales and Scotland, and its timber has long been used for house joists and roof timbers, telegraph poles and ships' masts.
Scots pines can reach a height of 40 metres, but the crown of the tree is usually forked, so that not all of the trunk is available as long timbers.
The green cones over-winter on the tree and take until the following autumn to ripen fully.