The Eastern White Pines is the state tree of Maine and for good reason. Pine needles are in groups of 2, 3 or 5 and are longer and softer than spruce and fir needles. They are actually more closely related to ferns and they join mosses, lichen, and mushrooms, as the wonderful world of organism that make the forest floor at Acadia so beautiful and diverse.Ī white pine with some needle dieback due to winter weather. Commonly known as ground pine or creeping cedars, these are not actually confiers at all, nor are they pines or cedars. Other conifers such as common juniper and Bar Harbor juniper are shrubs, and other evergreen shrubs such as black crowberry can be found here as well.ĭuring your visit to Acadia you may also come across what looks to be a mini-forest of evergreens on the ground. The male cones, which are much smaller, only contain pollen.Ĭommon coniferous trees in Acadia includes spruce, pine, fir, cedar, and hemlock. Those cones, if they are female, produce seeds, which either grow a new tree where they fell or are eaten by birds and other animals and are therefore carried to new areas to germinate. Confers typically have a distinctive leaf shape called 'needles,' and cones that fall to our feet. Conifer trees are also called a softwood trees, as opposed to deciduous trees which drop their broadleaves and are known as hardwood trees. You can help protect Acadia's conifers by not disturbing them during your visit and reducing your carbon footprint during your visit by riding the island explorer, and walking or biking whenever possible.Ī conifer is a cone bearing plant. Rapid environmental change, such as climate change, is stressing many of Acadia's trees which leaves them more susceptible to disease and insects.
Unfortunately, many of Acadia's once evergreen mountainsides are now grey due to the large die off of red pines due to this disease. Many of Acadia's conifers are currently under threat from various pests and diseases including the red pine scale and hemlock woolly adelgid. In the winter, evergreen trees and shrubs provide color to the grateful human eye and essential food and homes to animals. These trees, along with co-occurring white pine, eastern hemlock, and northern white cedar, are all conifers-a related group of trees that produce cones. Evergreens trees like red spruce, white spruce, and balsam fir characterize the canopy of this coastal forest. Conti/Friends of Acadia)Īcadia’s iconic trails wind through a dark, dense forest, where wooden walkways protect a thick carpet of moss underfoot. Evergreen pine trees line the face of Champlain Mountain from the Schooner Head Trail in Acadia National Park Wednesday, November 17, 2020.
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