Minnesota State Tree: Norway Pine

Pinus resinosa is known as the Red Pine to most of North America, but in Minnesota, where it is the state tree, it’s commonly called the Norway Pine. There are at least two rumors for the moniker: one, that Norwegian settlers thought it looked like Pinus sylvestrus, a pine native to Norway, and called it after their homeland. The other is that it was named for Norway, Maine, the area where the trees were said to have been discovered. Mature trees climb 60-120 feet in height. Their tendency to self-prune—shed the lower branches as they die off—makes them appear even taller, since as much as the lower two-thirds of the trunk can be bare as they climb to the skies.