lodgepole pine

noun

lodge·​pole pine ˈläj-ˌpōl- 

: any of several pines of western North America with needles in pairs and short ovoid usually asymmetric cones: such as

a

: a small chiefly coastal pine (Pinus contorta var. contorta) with thick deeply furrowed bark and hard strong coarse-grained medium-light wood

b

: a tall straight pine (P. contorta var. latifolia) with thin and little furrowed bark and soft weak fine-grained lightweight wood

Examples of lodgepole pine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Pitkin Creek Trail also leads to views of a glistening waterfall after about 3 miles of reasonably strenuous initial climbing through aspen glades, lodgepole pine, and wildflower meadow. —Shauna Farnell, The Denver Post, 3 July 2024

One of the marquee drives in America’s national park system, the two-lane Tioga Road bisects Yosemite’s alpine center, passing through subalpine meadows and forests of lodgepole pine and juniper. —Paul Rogers, The Mercury News, 11 June 2024

About 2,700 of those acres were on Don Harland’s Sheep Creek Ranch, where ever-drier summers have turned lodgepole pines into matchsticks ready to ignite. —Lydia Depillis, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024

Unlike species such as giant sequoias and lodgepole pine that drop their seeds in fire, the dominant pines of the Sierra can’t reproduce if their seeds burn. Manzanita and mountain whitethorn — chaparral typical at lower elevations in California — take root in ashes and can dominate the forest. —Brian Melley, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1859, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

lodgepole pine

noun

lodge·​pole pine ˌläj-ˌpōl- 

: any of several western North American pines with needles in pairs and short cones