• Identify pine trees by examining the needles and pinecones.pine tree image by pershing from Fotolia.com
  
  Pine trees belong to the pinaceae family with more than 115 different varieties, some growing as tall as 200 feet tall. Identify pine trees based on their scaly trunk bark, the type of pine needles on adult trees and the pine cones that hold the seeds. Pine trees remain commercially important throughout the world for their timber and wood pulp.
  
  

Sugar Pine

• Sugar pine trees, or Pinus lambertiana, are tall growing trees, commonly reaching heights of 175 to 200 feet and growing 36 to 60 inches wide. Identify the tree based on its large, asymmetrical branches. These branches bend downward at the tips and grow long, pendulous cones known as sugar pine cones. Sugar pine grows on the West Coast, with more than 80 percent of the growing stock in California, according to the USDA Forest Service. Uses of sugar pine include home roofs, molding, doors, window and door frames, window sashes and large specialty wood carvings.
  
  

Longleaf Pine Tree

• Longleaf pine tree, or Pinus palustris, are native to the southeastern United States. Longleaf pine trees are medium-size pine tree, reaching heights of more than 100 feet tall. Identify the tree based on the 8- to 18-inch long, feathery looking pine needles, and the 6- to 10-inch long pine cones, the largest pine cones found on the East Coast, according to Virginia Tech. The trees' bark is scaly and brownish-orange in appearance. The longleaf pine primarily grows in the coastal plain from Virginia to Texas. The extremely strong and durable longleaf pine tree timber helps builds railroad cars, boat masts, bridges and viaducts.
  
  

Red Pine

• Red pine trees, or Pinus resinosa, are native North American pine trees and of medium size and oval shape. They can reach heights of more than 100 feet tall, but more often make it to 50 to 70 feet. Identify the tree based on its scaly bark with a combination of various colors that include orange-red, brown and silvery gray, and their 5-inch green pine needles are sharp and snap when bent. Red pines produce 2-inch long oval pine cones that can grow alone or in pairs. Primarily the Northeastern United States from Pennsylvania into parts of Michigan as well as parts of Canada hold the red pine tree. Its uses include bridges, buildings, homes and boat spars.