First Class Skills - Red Pine Traditional Cache

This cache is part of a series of caches intended to assist Boy Scouts with gaining the skills and knowledge they need to earn the Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class ranks.  It will also introduce non-Scouters to what Boy Scouts need to master as part of the Boy Scout program.

As part of earning the First Class rank, Scouts need to identify at least 10 kinds of native plants and trees in their community.  This is one….

The Red Pine (Pinus resinosa) is a member of the pine family. It may also be called Norway Pine.

Red Pine is a medium sized, evergreen conifer. It grows up to 80 feet tall and 30 inches in diameter.

Red Pine is native to the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada.

Red Pine has needles that grow in groups of two and are 4”-6” long. The needles are flexible, but much thicker and stiffer than the Eastern White Pine.

Red Pine cones are 1.5”-2.5” long. When the cone opens it becomes roughly spherical in shape.

The bark is thick and slightly divided by shallow fissures into broad flat ridges covered by thin red-brown scales.

The wood of the Red Pine is moderately hard and straight grained. Primary uses include utility poles & posts, lumber, cabin logs, railway ties, and Christmas trees. They are also planted to create windbreaks and to control soil erosion.

You are searching for a camo-covered matchstick case. Bring your own pencil. Parking is alongside the frontage road.