The pitch pine gets a bad reputation as mere scrub waste. This is a long held perception going back to colonial times when these pines were cut as junk, placed in the holds of ships as ballast, and delivered to Scotland because of its precious value as knotty pine wood. Pitch pine is the keystone tree that rescued Cape Cod from deforestation. We’ve had a good century of natural forest regrowth and the pitch pine has been the anchor of it. Look up in the canopy of the large stately trees when you are on a walk. You might see a great-horned owl or red-tailed hawk roosting on the substantial twisting limbs at the crown of the tree. This is their preferred tree for both roosting and nesting. (Background image from Google Earth Streetview)