Hi everyone, i live in the north of france, i collected a couple of these but am unsure was type of pine they are.
Here are some of there caracteristiques:
Barks is a light brown almost rusty Orange / Brown.
Needles are 6 cm in length and I am unsure about how many per bunch it varies from 2 to 5, although there are a lot in 4’s.
Matt
Not from Europe so can’t tell you. However knowing collection location do you have native tree range maps and tree characteristics online. Finding good cones is a GREAT identifying help. This might help. Very confusing tree to me.
Hi Matt. It looks like a 5 needle pine. The foliage looks soft and bark a smooth green. Not being from Europe, it looks like one of our eastern white pine (pinus strobus) from northeastern North America. Maybe somebody has been running around northern France sowing strobus seed. The British built their navy of old from pinus strobus. Perhaps the French were looking to compete until technology leaped over the canvas sail. LOL
Thank-you all for your insights so far and the little history lesson 
I should add that if your tree is indeed a pinus strobus (although the orange/brown colour doesn’t fit) it would be justice for the proliferation of pinus sylvestris - Scot’s pine - throughout Ontario, Canada that is re-seeding itself. As a minor power, the seeder mostly likely thought that Canada only needed a rather small tree to builder a smaller navy. I am glad for that.
Matt, I found something interesting in “The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs” - United Kingdom. Under the pinus strobus section, it said strobus is also called the “Weymouth Pine” after “…Lord Weymouth, who made extensive plantings of this species in Longleat, Wiltshire, in the early 1700s.” l don’t know for sure but l would think that the English channel would not be too formidable for wind or birds to carry the seed to France over a 300 year period.
Thanks you very much David for the update, I read the same thing while researching what sort of pine this could be, very interesting that you have found the same information and in fact the species was imported to France around 1705.
Truly amazing - the importation of pinus strobus to France in 1705! l realize l am biased but l think pinus strobus is the most beautiful tree on the planet. This tall 5 needle pine produces a dense foliage mass that when caught by the wind acts as a sail. Coupled with the flexible wood creates beautiful shapes.
Did you ever id the tree you inquired about?
Airspeed of a laden swallow?..
