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White Pine (Pinus Strobus) tree thinning #868541

Asked May 15, 2024, 12:49 PM EDT

Good morning. In the early 1990s I propagated a couple of dozen White Pines from seed in my kitchen. I soon transplanted all of those to the yard with the intent of transplanting them again to other parts of my yard. Unfortunately, the re-transplanting never occurred. Today the remnants of the original White Pine plantings, about 6, are growing in the same rather small area (maybe 3 feet by 6 feet). The trees are very healthy, about 20-25 feet tall and about 5-6" in diameter at the base. As you can imagine they are all growing close together and while not touching, they likely one day will start growing 'together'. So here is my question. In the interest of the ultimate health of the trees: 1. Should I thin out the trees so no more than 1 or 2 are left standing? 2. Or, should I just allow them to grow 'together' ? Thanks for your time on this!

Hennepin County Minnesota

Expert Response

I remember answering this question last month. Didn't the answer get sent? Linda G Tenneson 



On Fri, 14 Jun, 2024 at 11:55 AM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:
 
To: linda g tenneson
Hi Linda-
Unfortunately the answer was not sent.  Could you forward it to me, please?  Thanks.

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 14, 2024, at 1:36 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

The Question Asker Replied June 17, 2024, 9:11 PM EDT
You could do either. Try to visit a state or county park and view white pines in nature. Sometimes they do grow very close together. Although for long term health, spacing them out is a better idea. See this web page also. 
https://extension.umn.edu/managing-woodlands/managing-eastern-white-pine-forests
Thanks, Linda!

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 17, 2024, at 8:31 PM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

The Question Asker Replied June 17, 2024, 9:36 PM EDT

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