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JACK PINE (Pinus banksiana)
Other names: Pine, scrub pine, black pine; maybe confused with lodgepole pine

VERY GOOD

The Jack pine looks somewhat like the lodgepole pine of the Western states but is found only in the Great Lakes Region. The wood is hard, resistant to decay when dead and fallen. The blaze is seldom found completely healed but the scribe marks may sometimes still be read after being burned and charred. Burned out stumps may still show the scribe marks, in reverse on the overgrowth of larger trees. When logged for pulp the stumps are usually cut very low to the ground. Slash burning may destroy all traces of scribing or the face. The burned stumps are like a "pine knot" and last indefinitely but are easily removed, like "pulling a plug", from the sandy soil. 

The Jack pine grows in dense stands on sandy soils. When marking for a bearing tree. keep the blaze low and narrow. Paint thoroughly. Release if necessary and possible.