Red Pine

I think I found a stand of Red Pines. The trees were so enormous I could get a good view of the needles, but I got the cone.

Did I ID this correctly?

Yep!

Nice trees, too.

Resin

Thanks! I like this species a bit more than most for some reason.

P. resinosa is definitely a zone 3-4 pine. Zones 2 & 5 are tolerable, but I don't think I've ever seen a really nice Red Pine in z5/6. I'm sure Maine has some nice specimens, and I'll get to check them out first hand next week. :)

My dad (transplant from Wisconsin) planted a handful at home in Nicholasville, KY back in the early '70s. They lasted well into the 2000s before being taken down after severe ice storm damage. They were probably 40' trees when removed.

Silver Hill (where I grew up) is a high dry property in the middle of town, where it is shallow to limestone bedrock. I'm sure that contributed to their long term survival.

Red Pine is virtually non-existent in KY otherwise, to my knowledge.

Did you ever find silver in Silver Hill?

You'd have to ask Judge Phillips, who built the place.

It is on the National Register of Historic Places, and it is the birthplace of Dr. Lena Madesin Phillips (the judge's daughter) who was instrumental in founding national and international organizations of Business & Professional Women's Clubs during the early twentieth century.

You could look it up...

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/456571/Lena-Madesin-Phillips

That's interesting. I'll pass this bit of trivia on to my spouse; it's right up her alley.

I think my pine tree is a Red Pine too (Pinus resinosa). It is very healthy, but I think someone topped it when it was young, as it has multiple leaders. I don't know how old it is, but seems very unlikely to be anywhere near the 100 year mark, as this was probably second growth forest then, and they are not native here. I live in zone 8, but it is cool and dry in the summer here, not like zone 8 in the south.
This is a very nice pine tree. The cones are not large, and are not prickly, so if they fall on you it is no big deal.

more photos, showing needles in bundles of two, an immature cone, and the drying pollen cones.

aaagh!
This is so hard!
Thank you Resin.
Oh well, it is still a nice tree. But dang it, I wanted the bark to get reddish.
I have some tree keys but they often do not include the exotics that people plant.
Do y'all have any recommendations for keys?

Anything by Ron Lanner of California (Resin's arch-enemy)...

MLM, if you want red bark, get yourself one of these:
P. densiflora Umbraculifera. This guy's bark has character!

All in good tongue-in-cheek fun...

I fondly remember long distance banter between the two of you on other forums - usually over the finer points of all things Coniferae. Inspiringly opinionated - and never dull.