Episode 13: Vegetable Flannel & Forest Grandpas: Scots Pine

Mar 29

image detailing the bark, cone, needles, and seeds of the scotch pine.

Hello there, and welcome to another episode of rooted! This week we are taking a closer look at one of the towering giants of the forest, a tree with several tall tales to tell- scots pine!

First things first, Scots pine, otherwise known as Pinus sylvestris is a large evergreen pine tree. It gets up to 115 feet tall (35 meters for our non-US pals), with trunks about 3 ft or 1 meter wide. It's part of the Pinaceae or pine family, with relatives such as cedar, hemlock, and spruces. They have an average life span of 150-300 years, so they are basically also grandpas of the forest. I mean pinus Sylvestris? Have you heard a more grandpa-eque botanical name? So sweet.

One thing you should know about me, is that I get really excited about trees and their records(clearly), so you KNOW I’ve gotta share some of those with you:

The tallest scots pine lives in estonia. It’s 215 years old and a staggering 153 ft- roughly 47 meters and was measured by Harli Jürgenson in 2015.

The oldest Scots pine lives in Finland (of course) and is roughly 780 years old this year- but it is hard to estimate its true age due to the commonality of inner-trunk rot in old growth pine species. This one was measured in 2007 by Researcher Tuomo Wallenius of the Finnish Forest Research Institute…

though there IS some debate here…Like I mentioned, trunk rot can make it hard to truly tell how old these trees are.. If JUST counting rings, the oldest tree is technically in Poland, clocking in at 623 years old when sampled in 2021- making it about 625 years old this year! However, researchers in Finland noted that the trunk of our 780 year-old pal had significant fire damage, that lined up with a large forest fire that happened 727 years ago, and based on the rest of the rings and other growth patterns and history of the forest, concluded the tree has to be at least 780 years old! If that doesn't make your heart burst with pride…..I just don’t know what to tell you.

Anyway, these gentle giant grandpas are native to a wide variety of regions, spanning from the dreary depths of the modern day UK, to the sunny skies of the mediterranean.

With such a wide spread, you may be surprised that scotland chose it as it’s national tree, but it's worth noting that there is a very specific subspecies known as Caledonian pines that are only found in the Caledonian Forest region of scotland. It thrives in the very specific temperatures and soil in this region, and is unable to grow virtually anywhere else- making it super unique to scotland!

As a general rule, Scots pines prefer peaty bogs or sandy rocky soil, but thrive in drier conditions, where they are less often out-competed. Conditions. Because they aren’t too picky, they are a great early addition to the forest, They are often some of the first trees to start coming back after a forest fire, which not only allows them to get in early and grow so large, but also makes them a vital addition, as they supply protection and shade for the rest of the plants who will be growing in soon.

They aren’t too sensitive to changes in precipitation or nutrient density, and because they are relatively fast growing, they weren’t impacted much when logging became more common. They are however VERY tasty, so the biggest challenge they face early on is actually grazing live stock, who not only can compact the earth to prevent seedlings from breaking though, but also may snack on their tender little heads- stopping them in their tracks and preventing them from being the towering tree giant of their dreams.

They have an orange-red flakey bark that changes to a lightish brown as it ages, but sometimes it stays orange-y towards the top, which I think is pretty cool!

Their needles are a short, very deep blue-green, and actually grow in groups of 2, that then kind of clump together to form the boughs we are used to! In the first year of growth, scots pines actually only grow needles in sets of 1, and those needles have serrated esges- likely to try and discourage sheep from snacking on them. As they grow, they start coupling up, with some pines growing up to 4 needles in areas that need to be particularly pointy. Also of note- these trees can grow quite differently depending on the region they are in. This is most clearly seen in needle growth, with trees in warmer climates putting on new needles every 2-4 years, and those in subarctic regions taking up to nine years.

The trunk tends to get quite tall before the branches and needles start to come out, which makes this an easier pine to identify! Their pine cones start as a bright red color once they are pollinated, but fade to a yellow and later brownish color as they age and the seeds inside mature. They are round and more densely packed, with a shape that made them particularly useful to followers of Dionysus, who used them to make what historians have described as “phallic staffs”, with the pinecone placed at the tip to symbolize prosperity and fertility.’

But, Scots pines aren’t just pillars of the forest and phallic accessories, they also play a large role in history and folklore.

In Siberia the buryats hold the Scots pine forests in high regard. Known as the “Shaman forest” these are sacred places that must be entered in silence so as not to disturb the spirits or tngris who may reside there.

Speaking of spirits in trees, have you ever heard of the fairy tree in ireland?

The story goes that just outside of aberfoyle, on a hill overlooking the city there is a tree that contains the spirit of a man, who was taken by fairies due to his imposing curiosity.

The man in question is none other than Robert Kirk, a 1690 reverend, who was one of the only members of the church at that time who was still accepting of the local pagan traditions, believing that these traditions could still exist in harmony with christianity, provided that fairies were real, and therefore a part of god’s creation..

But here’s the thing, fairies REALLY don’t like it when humans go poking around near the entrance to their realm, which is exactly what Robert was doing. He went so far as to regularly go to Doon Hill- the hill he believed fairies lived under, and would just lay there for HOURS with his ear pressed to the ground listening for their movements.

This started as a thing he would do like every other week in alignment with the moon cycle, as it was believed that’s when the veil between the realms was thinnest….but before long, Robert was doing this like EVERY DAY. All the time. He had a job, a pregnant wife, a bible to finish translating, and like a million other responsibilities, but instead this man chose to just sit with his ear to the ground, ready to jot down even the tiniest noise.

One day Robert actually fell asleep on the hill, waiting to hear the fairies….and that’s when they saw their chance. Tired of his meddling, the fairies took his soul, and trapped it in the nearby tree, freeing themselves of his imposing listening sessions forever…. That’s one way to do it I guess.

But the tale doesn't end there…remember how I told you his wife was pregnant? Well, as luck would have it, Robert’s ghost appeared to his cousin Graham, and told him that he WAS in fact trapped in the tree, and that the only way to free him would be at his child’s baptism.

He explained that he would be able to appear once again at the baptism, and upon seeing him, his cousin was to throw a steel knife at him in order to free his spirit….easy enough, right? Like what baby shower is complete without hurdling knives at ghosts, right?

Wrong. It turns out that Robert DID show up to his kid’s baptism, but his cousin Graham, unaccustomed to seeing creepy ass ghosts, was so scared that he FORGOT to throw the knife at robert. By the time his cousin had overcome his fright, Robert’s spirit was gone- and was never seen again…. Way to go, GRAHAM.

The tree on Doon hill is still standing, and to this day, people write their wishes down on white pieces of cloth or silk- hoping that the fairies will someday grant them.

But Scots pines aren't just places spirits live, they were also used in medicine, tradition, and everyday life.

As far as medicine goes, these guys are used for all sorts of things! The needles are a great source of vitamin c, which is especially important in the winter when other sources of vitamin c are limited, and illnesses become more common. Pine needle tea was and often serves to relieve congestion, cough, and other cold symptoms.

The sap has antiseptic and disinfectant properties, so it was often added into teas and other foods to help treat a variety of illnesses.

As far as tradition goes, the scots pine is used in A LOT of different cultures, but plays a very significant role in nordic and celtic paganism.

For starters, we have the winter solstice. During the winter solstice, traditional yule logs are scotch pine. In fact, scotch pine is one of the “Twins of the Winter solstice” along with yew. Yew in this case symbolizes death, while the scotch pine represents rebirth, cleansing, and the prosperity of spring and summer.

It is because of this symbolism that couples in Scotland used to use scotch pine to make candles that they would burn during their wedding reception as a way to represent the new chapter of their lives, and to bring prosperity and fertility to their union.

Another fun tradition? In the winter, it was common for people to decorate these trees with bits and bobs to bring life and color in, and to celebrate the new life soon to come….sound familiar? That’s right- scots pines are the original christmas trees, and they are actually still a pretty popular choice today, though others have surpassed them for the #1 spot.

But Scots pines aren’t just useful as decorations, they serve a real and significant purpose in many different aspects in everyday life.

Due to their height, commonality, resin content, and relative strength, scotch pines were and ARE a common choice for use in both boats and houses.

The resin content in the wood helps to prevent rot due to it’s antiseptic properties, which is obviously important when you’re talking about a house or a boat, which is going to be subjected to all kinds of weather.

Interestingly, people used to not want to harvest their scots pine trees for building while the moon was waning, as it was believed to have the lowest concentration of sap. As it turns out, there is some truth to that, as botanists have found a correlation between the moon phases and the sap content of trees!

Scotch pines are also used as pulpwood, which is ultimately what makes paper products like paper and tissue, and the sap is a key component in turpentine- that awful smelling stuff used to clean paint brushes, thin paint, and was used as an antiseptic from the age of discovery until the end of the civil war, when we realized that it is also, in fact, poisonous, and shouldnt be ingested.

The resin was also was used to seal beer barrels before they were shipped to help strengthen them and prevent any leaking or bacterial contamination.

As if that weren’t enough, we also used scots pine to make a fabric known as “vegetable flannel” which was said to be light weight and breathable, as well as hypoallergenic.

It was used in undergarments and in blankets due to that, and that it apparently harbord less pests. BUT there was yet another controversy here…see, it was later revealed that vegetable flannel was mostly of cotton and linen, and people were just adding in wood pulp to add some roughness and a pine-y scent. Due to the lies and heartbreak of vegetable flannel lovers, the stuff quickly fell out of fashion around 1865

Today, we still use scot pine of similar things- like christmas trees, building and paper production.

one common way you might run into scots pine- telephone poles! While in the US it is most common for wooden telephone poles to be made of.

Not as common now, especially in us we now use more red cedar and douglas fir because it is easier for us to find and use.

Before this episode I had never known how truly involved the process for making wood poles was, but now that I do, you do too..

Okay- for starters, the trees have to be selected while they are STILL GROWING. And there are a LOT of criteria they have to meet- they have to be tall, straight, without flaws, and very healthy…only like 7% of all trees in any given forest are deemed “good enough” to be telephone poles- who knew it was so selective?

From there, the trees are eventually cut down, where they are taken to a facility that further checks them for flaws. Once deemed suitable, they are then stripped of their bark, checked AGAIN, then run through a vigorous testing where inspectors make sure they are strong and free of pests.

From there, they are chemically treated externally to prevent fungus and other pests from eating the wood, then soaked for hours to be treated internally….like imagine how big those tanks have to be to soak a TELEPHONE POLE. crazy stuff.

then, the pole is given a little birthmark so that the people who work on them can identify the material used, age, and other details of the tree!

After this stage, the poles are shipped to their new homes, installed, and will serve their purpose for roughly 70 years before needing to be replaced. To date there are roughly 150 million wooden telephone poles in the US.

Other than building we also have uses for scots pine in medicine and in science!

In medicine, we are currently studying the extracts of scots pine bark (specifically using methanol and acetone) to treat the parasite Cryptosporidium parvum, which causes extreme gastrointestinal distress.

Most cases of infection are due to ingesting this nasty guy from water or food, and unfortunately the treatments we currently have really aren’t all that effective.

Luckily researchers from in a 2021 study titled Extracts of pine bark (Pinus sylvestris) inhibit Cryptosporidium parvum growth in cell culture was funded by Research Council of Norway and the BIONÆR programme, as well as the the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and the Norwegian Research Council have started looking into the pine bark extract as a solution because it contains very concentrated tannins that inhibit the growth of c parvum. While more research is certainly needed, this is a promising start!

But our use cases don’t stop there! Scots pine also plays a vital role in our understanding of dendrochronology- the study of how old trees are! Remember the controversy from earlier about the world’s oldest scots pine? Yeah, as it turns out, we have a LOT to learn about how to properly age trees, as counting rings is only really effective if the inside of the tree isn't rotted out. So because scots pines are a grandpa of the forest AND prone to inner-trunk rot, they have forced scientists to continually test out new methods for aging trees which now include things like radiocarbon dating, using pollen records, and lichenometry..

For a little more detail on those last 2, we can use the pollen record (or the pollen that is trapped in sediment to track when a tree would have existed in an area. So, if we have a record of the fact that pollen from Scots pine was in an area where the rings rotted out, we can still assume it was there for that time period, which can give us a little more data to fill in the literal blank!

lichenometry (a way normally used to tell age of exposed rocks by looking at the growth of lichen, but can also help to cross reference tree age in the same way as the pollen record!

And the fun doesn’t top there! Scots pine is also a great way for us to study the long-term effects of radiation exposure, as a significant number of them were exposed to the radiation following chernobyl, which continues to impact them to this day. Scots pines are extremely sensitive to radiation exposure, and due to it’s haploid endosperm, the haplotype and recessive mutations are passed on, making it easier to see the long term impacts on not just established trees, but also their offspring, meaning we can more directly see the impact that radiation exposure has on future generations too.

Do you live in an area where scots pines are common? If you do, please give them a big hug from me, and thank them for being our forest grandpas for so long. It’s a tough job, and they are doing it so well!

Before we wrap up this episode, I just want to thank you guys so much for your continued support of the show! We are already at 500 downloads, which I never even dared to DREAM about, let alone reach so quickly! And Thank you for being so receptive of our first ever ad! It really helps me to be able to keep producing the show, and to hopefully be able to make more content for you soon! As a fun fact for listening this far- I actually used to write a lot of ads, but I never got to read any of them! It’s wild on this side of the mic, but I am so honored to have the chance to do it.

You are all so generous and so lovely, and I can’t wait to come back next week with new facts and fables for you!

Sources:

https://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?ItemID=902

https://treesforlife.org.uk/into-the-forest/trees-plants-animals/trees/scots-pine/scots-pine-mythology-and-folklore/

https://www.herbazest.com/herbs/scots-pine

https://www.scottishforestrytrust.org.uk/userfiles/file/projects/p13-243%20inaugural%20rsfs%20annual%20lecture/scots%20pine.pdf

https://ireland-calling.com/celtic-mythology-scots-pine-tree/

https://www.transceltic.com/scottish/robert-kirk-fairy-minister

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_sylvestris

https://www.wildernessscotland.com/blog/folklore-of-scotlands-trees-myths-and-medicines/

https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/a-z-of-british-trees/scots-pine/

https://www.treeguideuk.co.uk/scots-pine/