State Tree of North Carolina: Pine

By Steven Case
Government & Heritage Library, 2011

See also: North Carolina State Symbols and Official Adoptions main page; Pine Trees (history); Longleaf Pines for K-8 Students.

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The pine was officially designated as the State Tree by the General Assembly of 1963. (Session Laws, 1963, c. 41).

Selection as State Tree

As early as 1959, the Garden Clubs of North Carolina had begun a campaign to name a state tree. At their 1962 meeting, a poll was circulated to the various member clubs, and the pine was the first choice.

Despite popular belief, no single species of pine is designated as the official tree of North Carolina. Many people believe that the longleaf pine is the state tree; indeed, many websites still list this species as one of North Carolina’s official symbols. This is probably due to the State Toast, which begins “Here’s to the land of the long leaf pine….” However, with eight species native to North Carolina (eastern white, loblolly, longleaf, pitch, pond, shortleaf, table mountain, and virginia), the 1963 legislature decided not to favor one at the expense of the other seven.

Nine other states (Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, and New Mexico) have also designated the pine or a species of pine as their official state tree.

About the Pine

Being both fast growing and well adapted to sandy or acidic soil, the pine has become ubiquitous throughout the state. Land cleared for homesteading or farming was often deliberately replanted with pine, or allowed to revert to forest, with the opportunistic pine easily replacing other vegetation.

Pine is perhaps the most important type of wood in the construction industry, providing up to half of lumber and wood products required by the industry. Naval stores—turpentine, pitch, rosin, and tar—were also harvested from the great pine forests, and, up until the 1860s, North Carolina provided the bulk of these supplies to US markets.

North Carolina Session Laws

Session Laws, 1963, c. 41:

H. B. 10                          CHAPTER 41

AN ACT TO ADOPT AN OFFICIAL  STATE  TREE  FOR THE   STATE OF  NORTH   CAROLINA.

WHEREAS, the Pine is prevalent, in one of its eight species, in all parts of this State, and is truly representative of the State's historic dependence upon and concern for its timber and forest resources;  and

WHEREAS, there is great demand from all parts of the State that this Legislature adopt an official  State tree;  and

WHEREAS, the Garden Clubs of North Carolina have conducted a State-wide survey for preference for a State tree, and the Pine was selected by a decided majority of the votes;  Now, therefore,

The General Assembly of North Carolina do enact:

Section 1. The Pine is hereby adopted as the official State tree of the State of North  Carolina.

Sec. 2. All laws and clauses of laws in conflict with this Act are hereby repealed.

Sec. 3. This Act shall be in full force and effect from and after its ratification.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 12th day of March,   1963.