Evergreen trees that produce cones are called conifers. There are more than 600 species of conifers — which include pines, firs and spruce — each with its own type and size of cones.

Softwood conifers include pine, spruce, fir, and cedar trees. But despite the name, wood hardness varies among the conifer species. Some softwoods are actually harder than certain hardwoods.

That high density can result in eastern white pine overtaking an area and excluding other trees species. But the high pine cone volume contributing to the phenomenon covering the ground now is ...

Know how to ID a red pine tree. Red pines have craggy, reddish bark and 4- to-6-inch needles that grow in bundles of two. Scotch and Austrian pine cones, which have some similarities, will not be ...

Pine cone fragments are neatly arranged in a circle around the squirrel’s perch. Synchronized conifer masting cycles — or the yearly variation in the number of cones produced — vary by species.

We had a mysterious pine tree not too long ago, and here is another. There’s always a new pine species that’s worth learning about. This one is growing in a small park not far from my house ...

The children were part of the Capitol Junior Rangers program, a statewide initiative for children aged 7 to 12 to learn about ...

The donated pine cones help the Michigan DNR replenish red pine seed supplies, which are in high demand. Below is the DNR identification flyer. Learn more at Michigan.gov/Forestry .

The birds are key to distributing the tree’s seeds. The nutcrackers break open the pine cones, which grow attractively atop the trees so the birds can see them, and then hide the seeds in the ...

Cones become more egg shaped as the scales begin to open up once off the tree. Scotch pine, which grows to between 25 and 60 feet tall, is typically found on acidic, moist, well-drained soil. It ...